History of World War II

Philadelphia, PA: Universal Book and Bible House, 1945. Armed Services Edition [stated]. Presumed first printing. Hardcover. Good. x, [14], 966, [2] pages. Color frontis. Illustrations. Maps. Sources. Chronology. Some discoloration inside boards, Cover has some wear and soiling. Some wear at spine. Three pages of "Service Record", unfilled. Francis Trevelyan Miller (1877-1959) was an American writer and filmmaker. He is known for his books about exploration, travel and photography. He wrote many books about the American Civil War, including The Photographic History of the Civil War, in Ten Volumes (New York: The Review of Reviews Co., 1912). He also wrote History of WWII: Armed Services Memorial Edition. He made several feature films and wrote the screenplay for the 1919 film Deliverance, about Helen Keller. Miller was contacted by Margaret Mitchell for historical accuracy when writing her book "Gone with the Wind." In 1955 his photograph of children at a Chicago funfair was selected by Edward Steichen for MoMA's world-touring The Family of Man exhibition. This is the first History of World War II to present a complete panorama of the greatest struggle in human history, with authentic text, official photographs, maps, records, and documents in a single volume. Its service is to give homes, schools, and libraries a standard work in which the reader may obtain a comprehensive understanding of the epoch-making events through which we have passed. Here we witness the organization of the greatest armies, navies, and air forces the world has ever known - the gigantic battles on land, sea, and in the air - the might of industrial power and production. The records of World War II, as set forth in this volume, challenge the imagination. The official lists of numbers killed and wounded are a tragic commentary on civilization: more than 20,000,000 causalities; 30,000,000 more men, women, and children driven from their homes; 10,000,000 more massacred; hundreds of thousands of homes left in ruins. The authors have endeavored to make this History of World War II a human history, treating men and events as they directly affect our own lives. The causes which created this human tragedy are herein analyzed, with sketches of the leading personalities and backgrounds of the nations involved.