Blood and Ruins

The Last Imperial War, 1931-1945

Richard Overy

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Hardback

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English

05 April 2022

History; Second World War; Bargains

“Monumental… [A] vast and detailed study that is surely the finest single-volume history of World War II. Richard Overy has given us a powerful reminder of the horror of war and the threat posed by dictators with dreams of empire.” – The Wall Street Journal A thought-provoking and original reassessment of World War II, from Britain’s leading military historian A New York Times bestseller

Richard Overy sets out in Blood and Ruins to recast the way in which we view the Second World War and its origins and aftermath. As one of Britain’s most decorated and respected World War II historians, he argues that this was the “last imperial war,” with almost a century-long lead-up of global imperial expansion, which reached its peak in the territorial ambitions of Italy, Germany and Japan in the 1930s and early 1940s, before descending into the largest and costliest war in human history and the end, after 1945, of all territorial empires. Overy also argues for a more global perspective on the war, one that looks broader than the typical focus on military conflict between the Allied and Axis states. Above all, Overy explains the bitter cost for those involved in fighting, and the exceptional level of crime and atrocity that marked the war and its protracted aftermath—which extended far beyond 1945. Blood and Ruins is a masterpiece, a new and definitive look at the ultimate struggle over the future of the global order, which will compel us to view the war in novel and unfamiliar ways. Thought-provoking, original and challenging, Blood and Ruins sets out to understand the war anew.

By: Richard Overy
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 239mm, Width: 162mm, Spine: 47mm
Weight: 1.327kg
ISBN: 9780670025169
ISBN 10: 067002516X
Publication Date: 05 April 2022
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Reviews for Blood and Ruins: The Last Imperial War, 1931-1945

Blood and Ruins is a monumental work; it is hard to imagine that a more comprehensive study of World War II could possibly be contained between two covers. Richard Overy has given us a powerful reminder of the horror of war and the threat posed by dictators with dreams of empire. -- The Wall Street Journal Startling yet persuasive...brilliant. --Kirkus (starred review) Astute and incisive. WWII buffs should consider this a must-read --Publishers Weekly One of the great historians of the Second World War. --Sunday Times Probably the most important book published on the history of the second world war this century. --Richard J. Evans, The Guardian on The Bombing War Tremendous ... a masterpiece of the historian's art. --The Times on The Bombing War A superb work, comprehensive and written with rare fire and intelligence. --The Observer on The Dictators Stimulating and enjoyable ... essential reading. --The Guardian on The Road to War This book is [Overy's] magnum opus (in every sense of the phrase). --Times Literary Supplement