Concise Historical Atlas of World War Two: The Geography of Conflict

Story's Concise Historical Atlas is an excellent overview of the war, probably the best brief treatment I've seen. The maps are clear, brightly colored. Most of them are easy to grasp. The main battles and campaigns are well covered. There also are some nice surprises, such as continental Africa, Spain, the Chinese Communist Long March, the building of the bomb, and the Japanese camp system, that war surveys don't usually include. The maps stretch over a huge 50-year period, which is a big help in conveying the roots and consequences of the war. The commentaries that go with each map are also good. The writing is crisp, with lots of good basic information, useful insights. They have a dramatic quality that's quite powerful and makes you want to keep turning the pages. Some people might think there's too much coverage of the Eastern Front and mainland Asia, and there are a few errors and typos that need to be corrected in a future edition. Overall, though, a successful effort. Oxford is to be commended.