The Second World War Paperback – May 9, 1986

Wow...that is all I could say after completing this 6 volume set. Wow for 1. I'm proud of myself for reading a 6 volume set, which takes a lot of dedication for any reader, especially a 23 year old college student who was reading this for fun in addition to college and work, and more importantly, 2. I'm in amazement at how sad I am to be done with reading this masterful volume on the Second World War by Sir Winston Churchill as it truly is amazing and interesting history. Churchill's account of the Second World War or WWII, as it is more commonly referred to here in the United States, is nothing short of breathtaking. Churchill provides numerous upon numerous first hand accounts such as telegrams, letters, etc, that he wrote during the war, as well as telegrams, letters, etc, he received from guys you may be familiar with in FDR, Stalin, Ike, Truman, etc. These definitely add to the immense pleasure one gets from reading this 6 volume story of WWII from Churchill's perspective. Churchill does a fair job for the most part at explaining the major battles and military events, but I'd be lying if I told you that you would not be disappointed if you expect a blow by blow, in depth strategic and tactically look at every major battle. Some battles are just mentioned in passing, mainly in the Pacific and Eastern European theaters, but this is to be expected as Churchill had more to do with the Western European/Mediterrean/Middle East theaters for the most part. No, the real strength of these sets is the political aspects we get to look at throughout. Brilliant insight into some of the leaders tough decisions and various disagreements along the way.Here's a brief rundown of SOME of what to expect in each Volume.1: First half of book...brings you up to WWII, covers major events from 1919-1939. Second half, you get the invasion of Poland, etc.2. France falls in first half and Britain stands alone for the rest of the book pretty much. This has been said to be Churchill's best of the set, I can't disagree.3. Russia and US enter the war. Talks about UBoats, battle for Atlantic.4. El Alamein, Operation Torch, mainly about Africa.5. Italian Campaign as well as Sicily that preceded it.6. D-Day, drive to Germany, end of the war in Europe, defeating Japan, etc. I personally thought he should have shown more in depth looks at the Normandy Campaign and such, as well as the battles that led up to the defeat of Japan. Just minor gripes, Churchill's still the man.Now that's just a brief rundown of major stuff. You noticed I did not mention political stuff for the most part, but it's all throughout, trust me. If you enjoy Churchill or WWII or both, you should purchase these and enjoy. Once again, this is Churchill's memoirs of the war, not a strict military summary, so don't expect that. The battles are there, but Churchill was a politician so it's only fair he focuses on that throughout as well. 5/5 for sure.

It must have taken me darn near a year to read all six volumes in this work. They're inconceivably great. They're certainly not fast reading (as evidenced by how long it took for me to complete the set), but they're truly awe inspiring. As I read through the work, the same thing kept running through my head: if it weren't for this man (Winston Churchill), we'd all be speaking German right now. There's no doubt about it. It's amazing that this set doesn't form the reading for a required course for every person in America. I don't know about the education system in Britain, but if it's not required reading there, something has truly gone wrong with that country. I can't stress enough how much I mean it when I say: "you MUST read these works."

This is a view from the top history by the leader of Great Britain.

Aside from being one of the most heralded memoirs, the books were delivered on time, in exceptional condition. Thank you.

If you are a WWII aficionado, this series is a must for you. All six (6) volumes of "Second World War" by Winston S. Churchill. While they are "soft cover" they come in a sturdy presentation box. Well worth the very attractive price.

Excellent account of the British contribution to the war as told by their leader. I will definitely read more written by Sir Winston Churchill. Unfortunately, the printing isn’t sharp and words are occasionally difficult to make out. That is not a reflection of the book’s excellent contents.

Good writing, multiple insights, about 3,6000 pages by the man in the middle.

This is a gigantic, costly boxed set of six books (each of them thick, oversized, and closely-printed paperbacks). The binding on them is not superior.The text itself is certainly not awful, but I will make four points:1. Churchill is rightly regarded as being one of the finest prose stylists in the English language, and I do not think this judgment to be far off the mark. However, you likely won't get the same impression from these books, which are written in -- how can I put it? -- a kind of newspapery and insidery style that people who haven't lived through the war will have immense difficulty following.There are references to public figures, places, and long-dead political arrangements that might have been common knowledge in the 40s and 50s, but which you are now likely to find quite abstruse and off-putting. Churchill, writing in a kind of shorthand which glibly and copiously refers to all these things, was essentially, it seems to me, writing to his contemporaries. There are no footnotes to explain such references, either.2. If you have a hankering to see what people are talking about when they claim Churchill is a master of expository prose, check out "The River War." His power and peerless grace is much more evident there.3. Throughout his narrative Churchill heavily emphasizes the role of Britain in the war -- especially during the time when he was in charge. Guess this is no surprise, though.4. If you really want a superb and exhaustive narrative history of WWII, Liddell Hart's efforts have yet to be surpassed. They're a little heavy on the military side of things, though.