Well written and illustrated with photos.
Easy to find events.
Comprehensive for this period.
High recommend.

Truly a great book written more about the more personal contacts with dealings of World War Two. Very informative and intimate feelings with a number of families and people. Was a little disappointed in the fact that other World War Two books dealt more with facts and day by day excursions with each Company; where they were, who were fighting, what exactly was going on and when. Whereas this book seemed to take on a more personal level with certain individuals and follow their activities. All in all it was still very informative and interesting reading.

I'm very satisfied. The War book have a excellent apresentation, good quality and good argument for all people that apreciate the II War history.

Ken Burns and Geoffrey Ward have done it again with "The War." This handsome companion volume to the acclaimed PBS mini-series is a testament to the people who served, witnessed, and lived through World War II- both in Europe and the Pacific. Burns focuses, in particular, on the people of four diverse American cities and how their lives intersected with the War.

Included in this survey are firsthand accounts from soldiers, civilians, prisoners of war, and people back on the homefront. This over-sized companion volume is an excellent supplement, complete with a well-written prose narrative; ample full-color and b & w photos, maps and diagrams. Ward and Burns adeptly tie the powerful individual stories of those who were there into the greater historical narrative of the major events and turning points in the war.

This volume is a must-have for anyone interested in history, or in the stories of those who lived through it. Highly recommended!

World War II is an obvious choice for Burns. But this story is vast,
no one can retell all of it. Smartly, Burns limits the story to the
perspective of four cities, thus giving his story focus. Don't
expect an overview of the entire war, but what Burns collects here
is compelling and fascinating. And as always with Burns, the
pictures tell a large part of the story.
Steve Wiggins, author of "Streets of Warsaw"
Streets of Warsaw: A Novel of the Polish Resistance in World War II

This Documentary is the most detailed and rich historical project I have ever seen. The interviews, imagery, film, and music are all excellent. This project of Ken Burn's was intended to educate Americans about World War II and it does that and more. This film truly makes impression on the viewer that will not be forgotten.

Ipurchased this book after seeing the PBS series. It was a birthday gift for my son who prefers books to videos. His late father fought in France in WWII, but never spoke much about his experiences. It presented an opportunity for a baby boomer to learn more about the greatest generation.

This book was a gift for a friend who thrives on WW2 stories. He read the book in 2 days and has considered buying the DVD. I quickly reviewed the book and it seemed very comprehensive on the topic. Would recommend it for a serious reader, not a good choice for the casual or beginning reader on the topic. Could be a little overwhelming.

My husband is an avid WWII buff and has read numerous books on the subject including all of Stephen Ambrose's, which he swears are the best.

Having been to Normandy twice in the past 5 years he feels as though he has walked through many of the situations described in the book.

If you liked the DVD, you will love this book.

Every WWII buff will love this book!

Thank you for your fast response and shipment. The book was in excellent condition as promised!

It was as if Ken Burns work on Baseball and The Civil War were almost warmups for this ambitious project, both the documentary and the companion book. This book "speaks" to the reader in a way few such works ever do, engaging and encompassing in a way that eases one into the most tragic period in human history. It is easy to start thinking of the men and women profiled as old friends, distant relatives, neighbors down the street, your buddy's older brother and your aunt's friend from church, and that is exactly who they are. By focusing on the individual, the family, the neighborhood and the town the bigger picture of the war becomes less overwhelming yet more real and terrifying. A liberal dose of well-placed and poignant photographs add yet another layer of depth to the stories in the book. The writing is warm yet factual and straightforward. See the documentary first and then read the book, just the opposite advice I would give for most film/book combinations. The book, like the war and the documentary, is an epic and rising through the unimaginable and unspeakable tragedy of it all, comes a faith and hope about the best in humanity. A definite library keeper and a work that should be required reading in every high school history class in America.
Steven Bustin, Author: Humble Heroes, How The USS Nashville CL43 Fought WWII. Humble Heroes: How the USS Nashville CL43 Fought WWII

This book is a fantastic choice for anyone who is interested in WWII. By focusing on a small handful of American towns during the war it allows the reader to penetrate the time gap and really become absorbed in the intimacy of the war in daily life. I gave this book to my brother for Christmas and he truly enjoys it. The collection of photography is wonderful and when you're finished reading the book it lends itself into an intriguing coffee table book!! A great buy!

My husband loves his book. It has so many wonderful details. It's evident much research and work went into this project. As World War History enthusist, we were very grateful for the time and energy expended to produce such a needed work.

This book seriously needs to be in our educational system. Everybody should know about these things

This is a great product alone but more complete with the PBS DVDs. This was bought for a WWII war buff and he is more than happy with the book. Highly recommended.

I purchased this book for a friend who was also receiving the DVD series. It is a great companion book to the series, and gives detailed information of the people highlighted in the film.

this book is a must have for anyone who likes history.... or not. I got it for my dad because he loves history, I dont, but when I looked at this book I was very interested in it. The pictures alone are worth the money!

Wonderful book. Very good quality and well published. Pictures were very clear. My brother in law loved it.

This was a gift for my father, a HUGE history buff and Veteran of the Navy. He spent two tours in Vietnam. Perfect gift for him, he loved it.

I am a big fan of the works of Ken Burns. I am so pleased that Ken Burns set his sights on World War II. Those that participated and survived and those who waited for them at home are leaving us daily. His bottoms up view of WWII helps us appreciate that our parents and grandparents were the heros of that war. The served selflessly. Their stories are important to tell. They made up the fabric of America. To honor them by remembering what they did is important to our history. Please consider visiting the Veterans History Project website and honoring your loved one.
Please make the effort to honor and remember the stories of those WWII Americans still alive and those fallen heroes who did not return. Mr. Burns' book tells the stories of ordinary Americans. I highly recommend this book!

Sincerely,

Bob Korkuc, author Finding a Fallen Hero: The Death of a Ball Turret Gunner

I purchased this book because my father loves the TV special and watches it every year on PBS. The book is very well done, and I think he's going to enjoy it. The pictures and maps are great, and the book itself is interesting and informative. I recommend this for anyone who is interested in WWII.

Oh my goodness, this is the best audio CD one could possibly have in their collection! It's read clearly and with perfect form and emotion. Any WWII buff or veteran will want this. Would make a great gift. Mine did!

Two photos are incorrectly captioned. (1) The B-17 with the damaged horizontal stabilizer is not strugling to keep its position in formation. The damage is fatal and the bomber followed the bombs into the city below. No parachutes were seen. (2) The photo of a Jap warship shows it under attack by B-17 bombers, and the caption indicates these planes sunk it. No B-17 ever struck a Jap ship in the Battle of Midway, much less sunk one. They did give it a nice try, however as did all the American planes involved in the battle. SBD Dauntless dive bombers disabled four Jap carriers, all of which sank in the battle or shortly thereafter.

Another remarkable achievement by Ken Burns. This is a compelling and insightful examination of the impact of war at the basic human level. We see both soldiers and the families they leave behind impacted by war in a way which is vitally important so that we don't forget. It is obviously written from the American perspective which is natural for an American historian of Burns' repute. For another equally compelling glimpse of the impact of war on common people, but with a broader, European aspect, I would highly recommend the just released, Night of Flames: A Novel of World War II, an outstanding historical novel, also by an American author.

This is a great book and DVD too (I bought both) If you are interested in history and/or WWII then this is the collection to get. It is very broad and expansive in its perspective and does a very good job of presenting many aspects of the war to end all wars...

The CD Book and the DVD video ar excellent. I recommend these to anyone who has some direct connection to WW II or wants to understand how horrific this war was.

History captured in photo's and a complete over view of the war from '41-'45. Great coffee table book anyone would appreciate ! Mine is on my table. Give a copy to a youngster and let them see and understand what our men and allies fought for, and what is still worth fighting for. Freedom.

We watched every minute of the TV Production. This book is a great followup to the series. We are glad we have it. Having grown up during World War II it brought back many memories to share with others. Ken Burns is to be congratulated for his efforts in preserving memories for all those who lived through that period.

I purchased this for a gift for a WWII hero who fought at Iwo Jima and survived! He was so appreciative! He said "beautiful book, beautifully done".

I bought this for my father who is a World War II veteran. It was for his birthday. Once he opened the package we could not get it away from him. The pictures are incredible. It is a very good complement to the PBS series on the War.

I probably own and have read upwards of 60 books on military history. Some 30 plus are on WWII. Of those many many photos and quotes are repeated either by direct printing or reference.
This book is unique as was the TV series containing several 'different' images and interviews with the 'common' soldier. It was interesting to see 'how things were' stateside and how resources were prioritized for a two front war. The book was also handy as a reference to details one might have missed while watching the series.

I bought this as a gift for my dad, a WWII veteran. He has really enjoyed going through this book. As usual, Burns has done a good job.

Fantastic research and photographs. Very well done. All US citizens need to read and give thanks. Ken Burns is a genius.

Very elaborate and a bit confusing material - but most importantly: this book is way too expensive. There are better books about WWII on the market for less than half this price!

Started watching the dvd set a few days ago and couldn't stop watching it until I saw the next one. An absolute educational piece along with a great mixture of stories involving 4 U.S. towns in the U.S. and testimonies from veterans and relatives of those veterans.

This set was so great that the only setback to it was that it wasn't long enough, but this is usual for Ken Burn's work. His work is so detailed and fantastic that it makes you just want more.

This piece is perfect for the education of youngsters in school who do not know the history of this country and how it united during that time period and how one man's lust for power and desire to conquer the world displayed the ultimate display of evil that had to be stopped and was at God's will...

Ken Burns revolutionized the television documentary. First it was "The Civil War," then "Baseball" and "Jazz." Each of these topics had been adequately covered in the past, but never to the extent of what has come to be known as the "Burnsian style." For each project, he and his dedicated staff painstakingly assembled hundreds of still photos, which they made come alive through careful camera movement. He gathered letters and other documents and engaged dozens of familiar performers to act as "agents," reading from these materials to dramatically present the smaller stories that pieced together the larger fabric of his chosen topic.

Burns and his writing partner, Geoffrey C. Ward, have combined to once again take a familiar theme --- in this case THE WAR: An Intimate History, 1941-1945 --- and transform it into an emotional reading, as well as a viewing, experience.

In interviews about their project, the authors have noted that Americans of that "greatest generation" are dying at the rate of almost 1,000 a day. Anxious to tell their stories before it is too late, Burns, Ward and company once again performed Herculean research to acquire such knowledge.

The end result is another superb published representation of the 15-hour, seven-part series that airs on PBS from September 23rd thru October 2nd. One can almost hear the background music (the soundtrack to "The Civil War" was a bestseller after the PBS miniseries aired) and see the images move as the veterans, their families and other civilians tell their harrowing stories.

A core of "main characters" takes readers from the "day of infamy" --- December 7, 1941, when Japan's forces bombed Pearl Harbor --- to VJ Day some four years later. The shock and anger build slowly over the course of the program/book as America is pulled deeper and deeper into the fracas. These fighting men recall the intensity of battle, the overwhelming fear for their own lives and those of their comrades in far-off places like Bataan, Iwo Jima, the Battle of the Bulge and, of course, D-Day. But the horrors of war were also felt at home as families had to deal with the absence of their loved ones and the constant fear of receiving the telegram that bore the news of death, injury or, perhaps worse, someone missing in action.

Other books about WWII concentrate on individual battles, but in their effort to cover so much territory in such a compact space, the authors of THE WAR have to economize; it is of no major consequence, as the accompanying photos and other illustrations prove that less can be more. Ward and Burns pull no punches, as they edit their data to describe the perilous fighting that constantly plagued America's forces (the project is almost exclusively presented through an American point of view).

After reading so many accounts of "snafus," it seems a wonder that the Allied forces ultimately were able to defeat their enemies. THE WAR is at times almost too graphic in its presentation, but it serves as an excellent lesson in sacrifice, patriotism and a lost innocence that was irretrievable for millions of Americans and their progeny.

--- Reviewed by Ron Kaplan

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT BOOK. IT REALLY FEELS LIKE YOUR LIVING THRU IT. I LISTENED TO THE CD VERSION WHILE DRIVING AND IT MAKES THE TRIPS GO SO MUCH FASTER. I WAS REALLY INTO IT. I COULD NOT WAIT TO LISTEN TO THE NEXT CD. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TO ANYONE. IT IS BOTH A HISTORY LESSON AND A STORY.

Very nice book. Good information and interesting with the interviews from the people involved in the war here in the USA and the people fighting the war.

I find this book to be an excellent companion the video series, 'The War.' Much of the information in the series is reinforced in the book and the book also presents enough sidelights to make the reading enjoyable. There are many photographs which are almost as interesting as the reading. I would say this is a must for any WW II buff.

Geoffery C. Ward and Ken Burns have captured the essence of fears, hatefulness and zealous support for one's country by those of us who have lived through those horrible years of "The War."

What an extraordinary historical background about ordinary people for the young folks to see the one's who have given them the freedom and lifes' they enjoy today.

Well done, book and TV series are the same. A great presentation of that history in our lives.

Great book to go along with vidio.I have read over 25 books and seen over 20 videos and these are by far the best on WWII.

WWII was an occassional topic at the dinner table at my Grandparents house so I've always wanted to learn more about it. The view from the various Hometown, USA was terrific. A perfect way to go about telling the story of the War. This book is filled with photos and text that will take you there. It should be on every American's bookshelf.

The War is the Ken Burns treatment of WW2 that we've all been waiting for since his spectacular civil war series. It treats the tewntieth century's most significant event in a very rational way, looking at the war's effect on individual people. It tells the story of a dehumaizing catastrophe in a very humane, sensitive manner. Bravo! For another look at the courage and perseverance of common people caught up in the ravages of war check out, Night of Flames: A Novel of World War II

I enjoyed this tour-de-force whose humanity and humor make it as interesting as any novel on today's best seller list. This is crowd-pleaser that gives the reader not only words, but proof postive in pictures.

I could not enjoy this tour-de-force knowing that while the early 20th century American ostriches pulled their head's out of the sand in time to see a happy ending. That will not be the case for the hatchlings of the middle of the 20th century.

I could not enjoy this wonderful book with the knowledge that while the early 20th century American ostriches pulled their head's out of the sand in time to see a happy ending. That will not be the case for the hatchlings of the middle of the 20th century.

I found this book captivating in every respect. Written from close personal accounts from several different towns in the US, the reader gets a perspective like nothing I've read before. Not knowing very much about the War in the South Pacific, or the intimate details of the imprisoned in Manila, I found the accounts poignant, heartbreaking, and gratifying.

Ken Burns seems to pick his projects with more heart than many documentarians, and always brings something special to the work. "The War" is even more unique than usual. This is a must read book and if possible the PBS series (or DVD) should be viewed to be even more fully appreciated.

"The War" is not narrated by generals or politicians but told from the viewpoint of the common soldier and the sense of purpose they brought to the project is striking. The homefront is given a large part, and that too adds to the specialness of the documentary. The melding of the two theaters of conflict, the homefront efforts and the honesty with which it is told raises it above the average war story.

Those of us whose fathers (uncles, grandfathers, etal,) went off to war as foot soldiers - my father spent 34 consecutive months in the Pacific theater in places like Guadacanal, Leyte Gulf, Mindinao and Tarawa and never talked about it, and he passed in 1996 without our ever knowing what he knew and it haunts us. We are told that every day 1000 veterans pass and their experiences are going with them. This records some of them for posterity. Ken Burns has brought back some of the "reality" of war without the glamor, and that is what war is: horrible, dirty, painful, frightening and sheer chaos. WWII was perhaps a necessary war, but it can never again be said it was a good war. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to those who worked researching, interviewing and putting together this project before it fades even more.

Some critics feel that it is not complete, or that the repeated use (in the videos) of repeat footage took something away, but seen as it is there is still so much we never knew, and still more we no doubt will never know, but that is history, sometimes glamorized, sometimes re-written but seldom "real." "The War", for any real or imagined flaws is unique and full of truths, and visions that define the horrible uselessness of war, all war, necessary and those that are not is all examined here.

What sets this book apart from most personal accounts of WW2 is the brutal frankness with which it goes in to detail about the cruelty and the horrors of the war.

Unlike so many other history books which sanitize war for our delicate senses, this book has made a brave gesture by giving us an honest glimpse of the often gruesome, terrible events that our fellow Americans went through...including exposing their own in-humanity towards our enemies, which is something we don't often hear too much about in this country. The victors usually paint themselves as puritans, lest they be judged the equal of the vanquished.

But the point of Burns book is not to vilify our country, or certain individuals (brutality and unimaginable cruelty were not foreign to either side), but rather Burns seeks to make the point that ALL wars are barbaric. And even when wars have to be fought (as WW2 truly did), it is important for those who were lucky enough NOT to have had to experience the horrors of the war, to at least understand a little bit better what was asked of the ones who did. It was a LOT to ask.

With his "no-holds-barred" approach to this documentary, Burns has given us fresh insight in to what those who fought in the war already know, as a result of their experiences in seeing humanity at it's worst;

War should be avoided by the greatest of efforts, whenever possible.