A fully satisfactory one-volume history of the Second World War may be an impossibility, but this tome doesn't come close. Its worst faults are its weird misallocations of space (pages and pages on British social developments and Japanese politics in the 1930's, for example, but only a single chapter on the Russian front) and its very summary treatment of most military developments. As a result it is not very useful as a reference. Although the political and diplomatic history of the war is emphasized, the analysis of this area is disjointed and undeveloped, bogged down by details that are never fitted into a framework. Lesser faults are sloppy writing and editing in many places and a preachy and moralistic "PC" tone that misses no opportunity to denigrate the Allies and especially the United States. The only recommendation, and this is only for buffs, is that you may well find some factual nuggets that you were previously unaware of.

I found the previous review of this book uncharitable. True, no one who buys it should expect a page-turner. The book is dense, very well written, and delves more carefully into causes and effects of the war than most popular history. Calvocalressi is one of the most noted WWII historians, and he gives detailed accounts of the events leading up to the war, its military aspects, the home-front political concerns of the combatents, and the motivations of the actors (his sketches of Churchill, Hitler, Roosevelt, Mussolini, and Stalin are both unforgettable and essential to understanding the shape the war took.) The book is a marvel of compression--Calvocalressi fits into 600 pages an amazing amount of data, and I found that when I turned to other, more expanded accounts of incidents that took a paragraph or two to outline in this book, there was little of importance that Calvocalressi had left out. I confess I haven't read the second half of the book, about the war in the East, because that is not my area of interest, but for a compressed and intelligent account of the war in Europe, Calvocalressi is an excellent starting point.

This volume, previously published by Viking in hardcover and by Penguin in paperback as Total War: The Causes and Courses of the Second World War, has now been accorded the highest seal of recommendation available to its publishers who have relaunched it as their flagship Penguin History of the Second World War.

The new edition, like its 1995 reprint, unobtrusively improves upon the extraordinarily well-received 2nd edition published in 1989, is a far cry from the 1st edition published as long ago as 1972 (in its day also widely regarded as the finest single-volume history of the Second World War). The changes to the half of the volume devoted to the war against Germany and Italy are subtle but significant. The changes to the second half of the volume which concerns the war against Japan are far more sweeping and amount to a radical re-interpretation of the war and its context. Fortunately, the critical acclaim which accompanied the appearance of the 1989 and 1995 editions has proven that the transformation was entirely successful, and both the authors and the publishers look forward to its continued success as it meets the needs of a wide readership in the Twenty-First Century.

Here's what professional historians have said about the book:

"It combines elegance of style with mastery of the subject.... [I]t retains its pre-eminent position.... This massive investigation into the causes & courses of the Second World War has been extensively revised... an impressive level of detail." -The Sunday Times

"Few written records deserve, like Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, to rank for generations to come as the authoritative work on decisive events in world history. This is fairly certain the category in which Total War belongs." -H.M. Consuls List

"Of the large number of general histories published in the past two decades... the best single-volume account of the conflict since it first appeared in 1972. The new edition enhances its reputation.... Not the least of this splendid volume's merits is its comprehensive and moving account of the terrible costs of the war in material destruction and suffering." -Brian Bond & Michael Dockrill, British Book News

"If you want a really sound history of the conflict from origins to denouement, then be grateful.... Its fluency and clarity are even more unusual than the separate treatment of western and eastern theatres, which gives a satisfying feeling of getting two hefty books for the price of one." -Dat Van Der Vat, The Guardian

"For the student, eager to understand better what led to the war, how it was fought and ended, and what happened afterward... well recommended." -Alan Brown, Morning Star

"Still longer, and still finer... promises to be much the best of all the books that salute a great war's anniversaries." -The Economist

"especially strong on Asia and the Pacific.... The result is a riveting and challenging analysis which is sure to stand the test of time." -Hatchards Guide to the Best Books on World War Two

"The new revised edition... remains such a crucial account. The book has been brought up to date in the light of the latest research." The contribution made "an impressive young historian, John Pritchard" is especially noteworthy: "Few of the original chapters by the late Guy Wint remain untouched. Pritchard has added a whole new dimension to our understanding of the Japanese internal situation and the international environment in which its leaders operated." Moreover, "Drawing upon his extensive knowledge of the Japanese war trial records and his own work in the archives, Pritchard takes a highly original view of British policy towards Japan in 1939 and a strong revisionist line on 1941.... This remains a key work." -Zara Steiner, Financial Times

"A book that merits exhaustive study, and will almost certainly become a collector's item... will surely become the definitive textbook on total war."- The Sunday Independent

"Its original insights and excellent writing make it outstanding.... a model of compressed clarity.... Indeed, taking almost any subject from the Russo-Finnish War to the V bombs, one finds a similarly clear, concise discussion.... Pritchard shares with the late Louis Allen that ability, rare in British writers, to convey a 'feel' for Japanese motivation and thinking." -E.D. Doyle, The Irish Times

"If only one book were to be chosen on World War II history, this would be tops in line for the nomination: it is exhaustive yet personal; technical in its research, yet involving in its presentation. The new, expanded edition offers insights beyond the original publication and should be considered a standard reference work for any history collection." -Diane Donovan, The Midwest Book Review

"more sophisticated, and has been much strengthened by use of documentary material not previously available" -Robert Key, The Observer

"Excellent." - Dr. David Reynolds, The Independent Observer "Immense tome... to which students or writers of military history can refer" -Field Marshal Lord Carver, The Times Literary Supplement

"The wartime term "blockbuster is one which could well fit this particular volume, running as it does to no less than 1,315 pages... The second revised edition illustrates how much fresh documentary material and expansive memoir publication coupled with the passage of time can enrich judgments and qualify evaluations.... This volume, at first intimidating, is enlivened by a fluent narrative style and illuminating, pointed pen portraits of ... the commanding personalities of wartime leadership.... Books will proliferate, but for those who wish to grasp what "total war" meant... this is an innocuous but penetrating blockbuster, well worth the price. Even more important, it is a book well worth pondering at length." -John Erickson, The Scotsman Supplement

"A book that merits exhaustive study, and will almost certainly become a collector's item... It will surely become the definitive textbook on total war." -The Sunday Independent

This was the very first book of World War Two I ever read. My WWII library now contains about 1,000 books. I was excited and eager to read the book. It was "reward" for finishing my final exams and entering my career. I could finally read what I WANTED to read, not what was required.
To my dismay, I found this was an Anti-American, British-based book that almost totally discounted America's contribution to the war. Guadacanal was almost totally unmentioned. The term "Battle of the Bulge" was never used in 950 pages. The battles Americans were born and raised on were treated as an afterthought. To be fair, Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of Russia by Germany is barely mentioned in America and nobody has heard of the Kursk Salient, but I feel BOTH should have been presented.
There is intensive information on the facts leading up to the War, which is of vital importance, but can be frustrating when one yearns to get to the "meat" of the war. Even then, the history is fragmented into different sections so one aspect of the war is looked at from beginning to end, then another, so one loses the concurrent perspective of simultaneous events.
There is a dramatic amount of minutia written, so main events can be lost in the verbage as one's eye's glaze over.
I would recommend this book only as a reference book, and then only as a loan from the library. Read "Rising Sun" to understand a magnificent book about how well a book on the war can be written.
I've found that Cliff-note-like synopses of the war leave one with a greater understanding of the overall battles, strategy, and planning than this book