Allies in Memory: World War II and the Politics of Transatlantic Commemoration, c. 1941–2001 by Sam Edwards, and: The Cambridge History of the Second World War, Volume III: Total War: Economy, Society and Culture eds. by Michael Geyer and Adam Tooze, and: The Oxford Illustrated History of World War II ed. by Richard Overy (review)

These three works under review include a collected set of essays aimed at a general academic audience, The Oxford Illustrated History of World War II edited by Richard Overy, a scholarly reference work, the third volume of the Cambridge History of the Second World War focusing on economy, society, and culture edited by Michael Geyer and Adam Tooze, and a monograph examining transnational memories of this conflict on both sides of the Atlantic, Allies in Memory: World War II and the Politics of Transatlantic Commemoration, c. 1941–2001 authored by Sam Edwards. All three works belong on the shelf of any respectable college or university library.

The Oxford Illustrated History is intended to serve as a relatively concise work while still attempting the full story of the Second World War. Although the fourteen individual essays in this volume lack specific citations, the volume includes an excellent bibliography and maps. Among the illustrations there are a number of gems, such as "The Song of the League of Nations," and ample imagery documenting the Soviet role in the war. Heavily weighted on the military history of the war, this work begins with an overview chapter by Overy followed by Patricia Clavin's piece examining the coming of the Second World War. All three Axis Powers, Japan (Steven Hugh Lee), Italy (Nicola Labanca), and Germany (Richard Overy) merit individual chapters. The Allied road to victory is told through two chapters, one examining the naval war (Eric Grove), and another on the land war (Evan Mawdsley). Especially praiseworthy is Michael Snape's piece focusing on the social history of armed forces during this work, underscoring the divergent military cultures of the major belligerents.

David Welch's chapter focusing on wartime culture deserves special praise for not only the broad sweep of his argument, but also his excellent use of ably paired illustrations to advance his argument regarding visual arts and the war. Among the most erudite chapters of this fine volume, Welch's contribution is sensitive to the complicated relation between artists and the demands of the wartime state and the role of both in shaping the artists' aesthetic, especially in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. If there is one limitation regarding this chapter, and the majority of those in the volume, it is their Eurocentric focus. For instance, Welch's chapter on ideas, arts, and propaganda examines Britain, Germany, the Soviet Union, and the United States, but does not include a single Asian nation. Nicola Labanca offers extensive discussion of the Italian invasion of France in 1940, complete with excellent illustration of bicycle troops, but makes only passing mention of the war in Ethiopia and subsequent campaigns in East Africa. The Eurocentric bias of this work is reflected in the illustrations selected for this work, with only two of the twenty-eight colored plates depicting images dealing with Asia and none for Africa.

As an editor of several reference works, I find the ability of Michael Geyer and Adam Tooze to assemble such a superb range of authors and have them produce such high quality chapters for the third volume of Cambridge History of the Second World War to be nothing short of remarkable. The introduction to this volume is especially erudite, and this short review cannot do justice...