The Second World War

Beevor's single-volume history follows the Second World War from Hitler's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 to Victory over Japan Day on 14 August 1945, and then into the years that came after. Rather than confining the story to one front, he shows how the fighting spread across the globe and drew in every major power of the era. The narrative moves through the war's campaigns and its civilian toll, presenting the events closely and with a strong sense of immediacy.

The author has previously written about major episodes of the conflict, including the battle of Stalingrad and the fall of Berlin in 1945. This book widens that scope to cover the entire war as a single, connected story. Its tone is dramatic and provocative, with the aim of offering a comprehensive account of a period that continues to hold readers' attention.

Beevor is a British military historian. The book is written for general readers interested in twentieth-century history and in the military and human sides of the war.