City Travel Guides > Books > Origins

.The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington
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by: Jennet Conant

October 20, 2008

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.Fortress Malta: An Island Under Siege 1940-1943: An Island Under Siege, 1940-1943 (Cassell Military Paperbacks)
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by: James Holland

April 01, 2004
This is quite possibly the best history book I've read. It weaves personal accounts into the fabric of history, making for a rich tapestry. Three years after reading it I still find myself thinking about some of the characters. David Wanklyn, commander of the submarine Upholder, stands out, as does the skill and bravery of Adrian `Warby' Warburton, a reconnaissance pilot; Warby even led an enemy ship to the downed crew of another Allied plane. Warby forged a relationship with Christina Ratcliffe, a dancer. How this unravels is, for me, one of the most poignant moments of the book.

Holland strikes the correct balance between recounting history - the seige, the convoys, the blitz - and the personal accounts. I noticed one tiny error: ... Read More:
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.Stalingrad
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by: Antony Beevor

May 06, 1999
So many people have written positively about this book that it is unnecessary for me to reiterate their many points with which I agree. I suggest that you read Alan Clark's "Barbarossa" (a tale of the whole war in Russia) first. No great matter if you don't because Beever does briefly explain the circumstances from the German "Barbarossa" invasion leading to the events at Stalingrad.

As in Clark's work the tale is an objective account of events of great moral ambiguity. Well you must make up your own mind about such matters. Perhaps we (those now alive) should be grateful for Stalin's utter ruthlessness in the disposition of his people; maybe they were not. Yet, it seems that the Russians defending Stalingrad did so with enthusiasm.
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.Instructions for American Servicemen in Britain, 1942: Reproduced from the Original Typescript, War Department, Washington, DC (Instructions for Servicemen)
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by: Bodleian Library

September 01, 2004
I bought this as a stocking filler for my son when he was 12. He thought it was very amusing, because of the language, but it also prompted discussion over how things were then, and how they have changed. Provides a more lively insight into the effect of war in England, such as beer being weaker than in peacetime, and the price of whiskey going up to $[...] a bottle!

At his request, I have now ordered other books in the series: the American Guide to Australia and the British Serviceman in France, along with the Home Guard Manual.
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.Survival in Auschwitz
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by: Primo Levi

February 19, 2000
A great work, but 'Survival in Auschwitz' is just the American name for 'If This Is A Man', which is published in Britain together with 'The Truce' in a single volume. Amazon has it, and it's better value as well as a better title.
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.D-Day June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II
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by: Stephen E. Ambrose

June 05, 2002
I'm just over half way through this book and I'm very disappointed. I don't think Stephen Ambrose is a very good writer, he seems to repeat himself quite a bit and the personal accounts are handled in a rather clunky manner. I started reading this book after reading his Pegasus Bridge account and although that had the same style of writing at least he didn't spend the entire time comparing American superiority against British inferiority. No, after checking out other reviews here, I'm moving on to something new and will wait for Rick Atkinsons third book in his liberation trilogy or I'll read Max Hastings 'Overlord'. However, I am left with one question. How did Ambrose allow so many British actors to act as Americans in the series Band of Brothers, including ... Read More:
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.The Next Moon: The Remarkable True Story of a British Agent Behind the Lines in Wartime France
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by: Andre Hue, Ewen Southby-Tailyour

March 31, 2005
The action starts on the very first page with the sinking of an Atlantic liner and from there we are led, via Casablanca, to the martialling yards of a German controlled railway terminus, para drops, return to UK by MTB, SOE training, para drop back into France the evening before D Day. Hardly a moment's rest!
Well controlled writing then covers the killing of the local Gestapo Colonel to the largest fixed battle ever undertaken by the French Resistance followed by an intensive period of escape and evasion.
Compelling actions and compelling writing from the very first page makes this reviewer wonder if others have openend the book. Or, if so, they have another agenda behind their reviews of what Professor MRD Foot has described as one of the best ... Read More:
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.The Nazi Dictatorship: Problems and Perspectives of Interpretation
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by: Ian Kershaw

August 28, 2000
This is an excellent scholarly overview of many aspects of the Nazi dictatorship and deserves to be read widely. With its study of often very complex ideas which require the use of correspondingly complex language, it is not as easily readable as, for example, the author's two-volume biography of Hitler and "The Hitler Myth: Image and Reality in the Third Reich". However, perseverance with this text is very rewarding.
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.The Great Fire
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by: Shirley Hazzard

May 06, 2004
This is one of the very best and most lyrical books I have ever read. The writing is polished and spare, every word counts, and the prose is poetic, and can only be compared with Anne Michaels' beautiful book "Fugitive Pieces". A totally engrossing and satisfying read. I fail to understand why anyone would not enjoy it and be moved by it.
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.With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa
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by: E. B. Sledge

September 25, 2007
While reading the book I repeatedly wondered how the author could emerge as a whole person. As the book explains the memories haunted him for years and only found release after completing the book.

The honesty is amazing, its clarity unusual. The details are numerous, but always important and add to our understanding of what it was really like.

Sobering, impressive, well-written, ever-relevant. Thoroughly recommended.


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