Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as the first edition
Review: The first edition of this book was a true classic, demonstrating once again that histories can also be works of literature. The fine collection of photos and illustrations, and the selections of oral history, were narrated by C.L. Sulzberger, a master of English prose. Even his photo captions showed his appreciation for the English language.
This new edition has all the old photos and illustrations, plus a great many new ones. Steven Ambrose has also brought the text up-to-date with such new information as the Magic codebreaking operations. Unfortunately, these improvements are more than offset by the elimination of almost all of the oral histories and by Ambrose's uninspired writing style. I had no difficulty telling which was C.L. Sulzberger's original text and which was Ambrose's additions; the latter are utilitarian to the point of being clunky.
If you want lots of photos and up-to-date data and have a tin ear, this edition is probably satisfactory. If you enjoy oral history or have a deep appreciation for well-written English prose, find a copy of the first edition. I could probably have put up with Ambrose's writing style, but I almost wept when I discovered that the oral histories had been omitted.
Rating: 
Summary: Substantial Coffee Table Version For Your Use!
Review: This attractive and fairly substantive book is another welcome addition to the pantheon of books covering the Second World War, serving to introduce the neophyte to the massive worldwide conflict through the employment of a credible narrative with the clever and helpful photographs, maps and charts placed alongside the text to aid learning and understanding. While not the kind of masterful text as some other books on the subject, such as Gerhard Weinberg's superb "A World At Arms", or the even more recent "A War To Be Won" by Murray and Millett, this revised version of the American Heritage book is a good teaching resource for use at either the high school or introductory undergraduate college level course. It is expensive, and for that reason is likely less often utilized as a standard text that would otherwise be the case. Yet, given the average cost of a single hardbound text in school bookstores these days, its hefty price tag is not unreasonable given all the collected merits the book delivers. Featuring a new introduction by the late Stephen Ambrose, dean of the popular WWII authors until his recent demise, the book quite handily incorporates a lot of additional material into the text and uses dozens of new photographs as well as a bevy of updated maps, charts, and other devices all geared toward greater understanding of one of the most complex and far-fetched historical phenomena in modern history. As with the original version, the revised text features over 700 dramatic and visually haunting photographs, artist's renderings, cartoons, and state of the art computer-aided maps. Thus the student can gain a much-improved understanding of how battles progressed, the strategic importance of certain situations, and the ways in which opposing forces deployed and then redeployed to gain advantage over the course of a particular engagement. Given the fact that WWII has had such a monumental impact on the world and for subsequent history, this book provides a stunning opportunity to engage students, capture their imaginations, and compel learning by offering a plethora of meaningful media through which to do so. I highly recommend this book for use in the classroom, and for anyone wanting an entertaining, educational, and eminently useful book covering the waterfront that was World War Two. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Very good for beginers.
Review: This book is pretty good. It covers pretty much everything in the war to some extent. The book could of used a few more pages to talk about statistics and troop movements. It is very patriodic toward america ofcourse. The pictures are very cool and a good source for school projects. All in all it was a pretty good book, enjoyable, good for beginers, covers everything, but is a little to vague and petriodic.
Rating: 
Summary: An outstanding and educational Book!
Review: This book is the best book I have read about WWII.It talks about History's worst catastrophe. This book is by no means the whole story of the war. No one book can contain the complete history of it. However this book does a remarkable job by covering in words and pictures of one of the greatest human tragedies. This book has pictures on every page (more than 700 pictures). New computer generated color maps take you through the opening gambits of Germany to the Japanese surrender on board the Missouri in 1945. It takes you from the rise of Hitler, to the Battle of Britan, from the attack on Pearl Harbor to the Battle of El Alamein, from the war in the Soviet Union to the Battle of the Bulge. It talks about the secret war, spies, espionage, radar and sonar, jet aircraft developed by the Germans, to the Atomic Bomb dropped on Japan. It talks about Eisenhower, Patton, Montgomery, as well as Field Marshall Erwin Rommell (The Desert Fox) and Admiral Karl Donitz, as well as the atrocities of the Holocaust. This book does a remarkable job in showing you the various weapons each country had on its side. From Panzer tanks and Messerschmitt Me-262 jet aircraft to the B-29 flying-fortress and Stalin's best tank in the world. This book is a must buy, if you want to learn about WWII. V.Mego
Rating: 
Summary: This is "new" history?
Review: This is a work of absurd fluff. This is WW2 from a solipsistic, silly All-American perspective that really is a fantasy. 600 pages of WW2 "history" with 45! count'em-45 pages on the Eastern Front where the bulk of WW2 was actually fought. Its the same old boring photos we've all seen mixed with a an even more jingoistic editorial slant than the old American Heritage WW2 History. A more appropriate title would have been Stephen Ambrose's WW2 Fantasy; no pesky Russkies in this story.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: Wonderful pictures and a comprehensive, readable text make this one of the best world war two books out there.
Rating:
Summary: An excellently illustrated volume
Review: Zulzberger's book makes excellent use of photographs to enmesh the reader in the era of WWII. In addition, ample annotation and explanations are given. Highly recommended.
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