World War I Illustrated Atlas
In fine and comprehensive detail, this book plots key battles and the exact course of the global land, sea, and air campaigns that made the First World War, enabling the reader to trace the ebb and flow of the fortunes of all sides. With more than 180 full-colour maps, every theatre of the war is covered – from the Western Front to Penang, from Gallipoli to Galicia, from Dogger Bank to Dalmatia, from Romania to Rhodesia, and from the Falklands to Togo and the Sinai Desert.
World War I Illustrated Atlas, Michael S Neiberg, Amber Books, hbk (£19.99), ISBN 978-1838860912.
The Last Viking: the true story of King Harald Hardrada
Perhaps unfairly remembered only for his violent death at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066, the curtain-raiser to the events at Hastings later the same year, King Harald Hardrada was in fact one of Norway’s legendary kings. Don Hollway explores a life whose ambition took the king across the medieval world, from Scandinavia to Byzantium.
The Last Viking: the true story of King Harald Hardrada, Don Hollway, Osprey Publishing, hbk (£20), ISBN 978-1472846525.
Devil-Land: England under siege, 1588-1688
To foreign observers, England in the 17th century was a ‘Devil-Land’, a failed state that endured heretical and incompetent monarchs, civil wars, terrorism, and foreign invasions. Clare Jackson guides us through this turbulent period in the country’s history, from the descent of the Spanish Armada in 1588 to the not-so ‘Glorious Revolution’ a century later.
Devil-Land: England under siege, 1588-1688, Clare Jackson, Allen Lane, hbk (£30), ISBN 978-0241285817.
Operation Jubilee – Dieppe, 1942: the folly and the sacrifice
On a warm, moonless night in August 1942, an Allied flotilla aimed to seize and destroy the German-held port at Dieppe. But the operation turned to carnage, with nearly two-thirds of the attackers ending up dead, wounded, or captured. Using recently declassified source material, Patrick Bishop brings to life a tragic episode of ambition, courage, and folly.
Operation Jubilee – Dieppe, 1942: the folly and the sacrifice, Patrick Bishop, Viking, hbk (£20), ISBN 978-0241389669.
Soviet Fighters of the Second World War
With the launch of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, hundreds of Soviet fighters were destroyed by German forces in a matter of days. But many of these were obsolete biplanes, and the Soviets quickly re-equipped. This book is a comprehensive guide to the aircraft that ultimately helped them win the war, complete with previously unpublished colour profiles.
Soviet Fighters of the Second World War, Jason Nicholas Moore, Fonthill Books, hbk (£40), ISBN 978-1781558256.
Soldiers: great stories of war and peace
Bestselling historian and author Max Hastings brings together more than 300 stories of soldiers from down the ages. Some are famous figures – Cromwell, Wellington, Siegfried Sasson, and Evelyn Waugh – but he also includes many other individuals of varying backgrounds, who are responsible for wonderful achievements and, sometimes, dreadful crimes.
Soldiers: great stories of war and peace, Max Hastings, William Collins, hbk (£20), ISBN 978-0008454234.
