Historical Dictionary of World War II

Anne Sharp Wells is the assistant editor of The Journal of Military History and the assistant editor of The Papers of George Catlett Marshall (vols. 6–7) for the George C. Marshall Foundation. Her previous World War II publications include Historical Dictionary of World War II: The War Against Japan and the coauthored works From Pearl Harbor to VJ Day: The American Armed Forces in World War II and A Time for Giants: Politics of the American High Command in World War II.

This extensive dictionary by Wells (assistant editor, The Journal of Military History; author, Historical Dictionary of World War II: The War against Japan), begins with an excellent essay. It takes a high-level view of WW II in Germany and Italy, and of the roots of the conflict; the essay alone is an excellent resource for anyone looking for a good historical overview. The middle section of the book is in standard alphabetical dictionary format, with the author covering all of the major nations, individual players, and battles of the conflict. The 300-plus entries are concise and well written and include some images and maps. The most important part of this book is the excellent 300-plus page bibliography, complete with its own table of contents. This section contains a myriad of primary and secondary sources that scholars will find extremely helpful in continuing their studies on the conflict and its origins. This volume is a must for public and academic libraries. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers.