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Rating: 
Summary: Pretty cover, but mediocre maps and photos
Review: As a professional cartographer, I was excited to add this atlas to my map research collection, but I was disappointed by the quality of the maps and photographs. The maps are numerous and reasonably clear, but the cartography is 30 years old, and they look like photocopies. Same for the pictures--poor contrast, grainy, and ugly. I've seen some of the same stock photos in other books, where they were given a much better treatment.The scope of the atlas reaches wide, but not deep. Nearly every campaign is covered, but in little detail. I would have appreciated more footnotes and sources also. The price is reasonable for a thick atlas, but I would've gladly paid twice the price for a better looking product.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic Military Atlas with minor flaws
Review: Let me first state the main flaw before it gets too far overshadowed in my mind by the positive aspects of the book. A flaw is that the book sticks to battles and often neglects the bigger picture by coverring individual battles out of chronology.
That said, it seems to me that this is a necessary evil. Battles ae arranged by theater of war... each theater is arranged in chronology, so my above complaint doesn't present itself too often. What is lost by this format is that when we look at the battle of the bulge we aren't really made aware of what is happening in russia or japan at the same time. Each map covers the area of action with frequent "zoom-in" maps for busy areas of a battle. Each battle is accompanied by a superbly detailed account of the battle that corresponds easily with the map. Each section of the book has a two paged introduction that is a summary of the events in said section's theater of combat... this helps to allieviate the bigger picture problem. I have casually read this book several times, and the great text, maps and relevant pictures never cease to entertain me. Not detailed enough for the ww2 scholar, but certainly good enough for a casual history buff such as myself.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Military Atlas with minor flaws
Review: Let me first state the main flaw before it gets too far overshadowed in my mind by the positive aspects of the book. A flaw is that the book sticks to battles and often neglects the bigger picture by coverring individual battles out of chronology.
That said, it seems to me that this is a necessary evil. Battles ae arranged by theater of war... each theater is arranged in chronology, so my above complaint doesn't present itself too often. What is lost by this format is that when we look at the battle of the bulge we aren't really made aware of what is happening in russia or japan at the same time. Each map covers the area of action with frequent "zoom-in" maps for busy areas of a battle. Each battle is accompanied by a superbly detailed account of the battle that corresponds easily with the map. Each section of the book has a two paged introduction that is a summary of the events in said section's theater of combat... this helps to allieviate the bigger picture problem. I have casually read this book several times, and the great text, maps and relevant pictures never cease to entertain me. Not detailed enough for the ww2 scholar, but certainly good enough for a casual history buff such as myself.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but map colors are poor
Review: This book covers all of WWII. It is like reading a book with text, pictures, and maps. It is full of information. The biggest draw back to this book is the map colors. The only colors you will see is black, gray, red, pink, & white.
Rating:
Summary: Companion to Any WWI Book in Your Library.
Review: This is a wonderful resource that details every part of the world affected by the battle between the Axis and Allied powers. Along with incredibly detailed maps showing troop movements, there is a summary of each major battle that effected the war. I keep it right next to me when I am reading about the Eastern Front so that I can pinpoint the exact Army groups and positions held during the moments of my reading. It is invaluable. I recommend this to wargamers, military buffs, fans of history, or anyone else interested in the way World War Two shaped our world. It is a vital resource.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but map colors are poor
Review: this is truly one of the few books that is worth much more than its asking price. I use this as a companion to all of my WWII studies; right now that consists of "Crisis In the Philipines" by Gerald Astor and "The Story of World War II" by Donald Miller (both excellent books). The maps here are detailed enough that they contain all necessary information including troop movements, CO names, dates, and geographic features - and, as an added bonus, the book lies flat when opened. That means you can open to the map of your study, put the book on your desk or kitchen table or bed in front of you, and have your other history book in your hands, looking over at the maps when you need to spot a reference. Absolutely fantastic. Additionally, each map has a very brief account of the battle and its outcome, good for a quick review. This atlas covers all campaigns, African, Asian, European and Pacific, and all with equal attention to detail. I have the now out-of-print "Pacific War Atlas" as well, but this book does the same job, and does it with more detail and in a more convenient format. I will soon be reading "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Day Of Infamy" and know that this book will be open through the text of both of them. there can't be a higher reccommendation than that. High quality binding and thick paper stock round out the package. If you have even a slight interest in the Second World War, buy it now.
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