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Illustrated Book – Vision of war: art of the Imperial War Museums
The Imperial War Museum (IWM) holds one of the most significant collections of British art anywhere in the world. Claire Brenard, art curator at the IWM for more than a decade, charts the engagement between artists and conflict since 1914 in this richly illustrated book. Everyone from Great War artists such as William Orpen, who painted the haunting To the Unknown British Soldier in France, to contemporary artists such as Steve McQueen is included in this authoritative guide to modern war art, as well as a number of previously unseen works.
Visions of War: art of the Imperial War Museums, Claire Brenard, Imperial War Museum, hbk (£30), ISBN 978-1912423644
Arctic Convoys: Bletchley Park and the war for the seas
Between 1941 and 1945, more than 800 shiploads of supplies were delivered to the SovietUnion under the protection of Allied naval forces. David Kenyon here presents a vivid picture of the Arctic theatre of war, in which every journey was fraught with danger from the turbulent seas,extreme cold, and the constant threat of enemy torpedoes.
Arctic Convoys: Bletchley Park and the war for the seas, David Kenyon, Yale Books, hbk (£20), ISBN 978-0300269444
Blood on the Snow: the Russian Revolution, 1914-1924
This latest book by acclaimed historian Robert Service, author of biographies of Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin, encompasses two of the bloodiest wars of the last century: the First World War and the subsequent Civil War in Russia. With Blood on the Snow, Service presents a revisionist account of the causes of the Russian Revolution, and how it came to be brutally consolidated.
Blood on the Snow: the Russian Revolution, 1914-1924, Robert Service, Picador, hbk (£30), ISBN 978-1529065824
Winkle: The extraordinary life of Britain’s greatest pilot
Captain Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown enjoyed a remarkable flying career, one that encompassed combat against the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain, imprisonment in Nazi Germany (where he mastered the language and later used it to interview Belsen survivors), and a subsequent career as a record-breaking test pilot. Paul Beaver offers this definitive account of Winkle’s life.
Winkle: The extraordinary life of Britain’s greatest pilot, Paul Beaver,Penguin, hbk (£25), ISBN 978-0718186708
The Ones Who Got Away: Mighty Eighth airmen on the run in occupied Europe
Many American airmen were shot down above enemy lines in World War II. Some were lucky enough to avoid capture, making it back to friendly territory with the help of local resistance groups, who gave them false papers and civilian clothes. Drawing on newly uncovered archive material, Bill Yenne explores these fascinating stories of adventurous escape.
The Ones Who Got Away: Mighty Eighth airmen on the run in occupied Europe, Bill Yenne, Osprey Publishing, hbk (£25), ISBN 978-1472858719
Women of the Anarchy, Sharon Bennett Connolly
In 1135, Stephen of Blois usurped the throne, stealing it from his cousin, Empress Matilda (Maud), and sparking a 19-year civil war that would become known as The Anarchy, one of the bloodiest periods in English history. Sharon Bennett Connolly explores how women, unable to wield a sword, were nonetheless the prime movers in this often forgotten period of conflict and lawlessness.
Women of the Anarchy, Sharon Bennett Connolly, Amberley Publishing, hbk (£22.99), ISBN 978-1445691718
