Synopses & Reviews
andldquo;This is revisionist history in the best sense of the word andmdash; it forces us to rethink assumptions and to reconsider the way that history unfolded . . . This bold argument is extensively researched, well stated, and will undoubtedly change the way we see Franklin Roosevelt.andrdquo; andmdash; Christian Science Monitor andldquo;A fine beginning to an important project.andrdquo; andmdash; Wall Street Journal
Based on years of archival research and interviews with the last surviving aides and Roosevelt family members, The Mantle of Command offers a radical new perspective on Franklin Delano Rooseveltandrsquo;s masterful andmdash; and underappreciated andmdash; leadership of the Allied war effort. After the disaster at Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt devised a global strategy that would save Churchill and the British and defeat Hitler and the Japanese. As Nigel Hamiltonandrsquo;s account reaches its climax and U.S. forces conduct Operation Torch andmdash; the successful invasion of French Northwest Africa andmdash; the tide of war turns in the Alliesandrsquo; favor, and FDRandrsquo;s genius for military command is clear. This intimate, sweeping look at a great President in historyandrsquo;s greatest conflict is gripping, essential reading.
Review
“Elegantly balances fact, thought and fresh, clear prose. . . . Roberts has set a high bar for future historians of mankinds greatest bloodbath; Roberts splendidly weaves a human tragedy into a story of wars remorseless statistics.” < b=""> < i=""> The Wall Street Journal <> <>
Review
“Gripping. . . . splendid history. A brilliantly clear and accessible account of the war in all its theaters. Robertss prose is unerringly precise and strikingly vivid. It is hard to imagine a better-told military history of World War II.” < b=""> Timothy Snyder, < i=""> The New York Times Book Review <> <>
Review
"Roberts underscores the factors that affected the war's outcome and raises a number of intriguing questions. . . . Accessible, meticulously researched, and executed with clarity." < b=""> < i=""> The Tucson Citizen <> <>
Review
“A magnificent book;It manages to be distinctive but not eccentric, comprehensive in scope but not cramped by detail, giving due weight both to the extraordinary personalities and to the blind economic and physical forces involved.” < b=""> < i=""> The Economist <> <>
Review
"A concise but comprehensive history that gets to the heart of one mankind's greatest struggles. . . . Thanks to Roberts's mastery of substance, style, and, yes, statistics, readers can now enjoy a one-volume history of that war that is far superior to most of the works preceding it." < b=""> < i=""> The American Spectator <> <>
Review
“Roberts is a great historian because of a rare triune mastery: of the movement of history, in both its broad sweep and particular revelatory detail; a felicitous prose style and gift for narrative; and a commanding moral vision.” < b=""> Roger Kimball, < i=""> The Daily <> <>
Review
“Andrew Roberts achieves a marvel of concision in producing a splendidly written, comprehensive new history of the greatest conflict in history, The Storm of Warparticularly good in its insights into Axis strategy.” < b=""> Sir Ian Kershaw, < i=""> The Guardian <> , Books of the Year <>
Review
“With his new book on the Second World War, British historian Andrew Roberts has not only written the single best history of that conflict but has also claimed his place as one of our top historians.” < b=""> Michael Korda, < i=""> The Daily Beast <> <>
Review
"Roberts gives readers a new, well-written retelling of the spectacular ebb and flow of World War II. . . .A well-sourced and well-told introduction for general readers that will also be enjoyed by those in the know." < b=""> < i=""> Library Journal <> (starred review) <>
Review
“Roberts is a first-rate historian. He has a sharp eye for a good subject and a knack of getting to its heart. The second world war, which cost more than 50 million lives, has a perennial fascination that Roberts conveys through an admirably lucid narrative.” < b=""> Piers Brendon, < i=""> The Sunday Times <> <>
Review
“In what might be his best book yet, Roberts gives us the war as seen from the other side of the hill. He has the knack of making complex military operations comprehensible and salting the grand strategic sweep with vignettes of how it felt to be a soldier.” < b=""> Nigel Jones, < i=""> The Sunday Telegraph <> <>
Review
“Robertss narrative gifts are such that it is almost impossible to read his retelling of these nightmares without some feeling of encountering the new. No history book can ever truly be definitive, but this comes close. Roberts never loses sight of the human side of this epic.” < b=""> < i=""> National Review <> <>
Review
"Many World War II books require numerous volumes and thousands of pages. But by marching across huge spans of time and territory with the eye of a determined battlefield soldier, British historian Roberts packs the whole war into one 768-page volume." < i=""> < b=""> The New York Post <> <>
Review
"This is history as it should be written. Award-winning historian Roberts, a master storyteller, combines a comprehensive command of sources, a sophisticated analytical dimension, and fingertip balance between great events and their personal dimensions." < i=""> < b=""> Publishers Weekly <> (starred review) <>
Review
"Roberts has produced a lucid narrative stream that makes his book flow like a novel. I couldn't put it down." < i=""> < b=""> The Shreveport Times <> <>
Review
"Andrew Roberts's latest offering is a sparkling addition to the groaning shelves. Roberts offers refreshing judgments on the politicians and commanders in lively prose and his denunciation of the murder of millions of Jews is as measured as it is moving." < b=""> Robert Service, < i=""> The Observer <> <>
Review
"Roberts's book is tightly written, every page packed with terse comment, well-organised facts and, often, telling details. Engrossing to read." < b=""> Paul Johnson, < i=""> The Spectator <> <>
Review
“In one irresistibly readable book, Roberts has done what I thought was impossible--given us the whole bloody second world war from the brass buttons of the generals down to the mud-filled trenches and stretching across the globe.” < b=""> Tina Brown, < i=""> Newsweek <> <>
Review
“The best full history of World War II yet written.” < b=""> Simon Sebag Montefiore, < i=""> The Wall Street Journal <> <>
Review
andquot;
The Mantle of Command is splendid: Itandrsquo;s the memoir Roosevelt didnandrsquo;t get to write.andquot;
andmdash;New York Times Book Reviewandquot;Masterly.andquot;
andmdash;Wall Street Journalandquot;A definitive volume on this aspect of Rooseveltandrsquo;s career and essential reading for anyone interested in WWII, the Roosevelt Presidency, and presidential leadership.andquot;
andmdash;Publishers Weeklyandquot;This convincingly written and gripping volume is essential for historians, political scientists, and history buffs, for a deeper understanding of the principle of civilian supremacy of the military in the U.S. political system.andquot;
andmdash;Library Journal, STARREDandquot;A deeply engrossing study of the first year of Franklin Rooseveltandrsquo;s prescient military leadership in World War II...Lively, elucidating, elegant and highly knowledgeable.andquot;
andmdash;Kirkus, STARREDandquot;Hamilton is tantamount to the amanuensis for the memoir FDR never wrote...well researched and confident in its conclusions, Hamiltonandrsquo;s study ably augments the gallery of WWII leaders.andquot;
andmdash;Booklistandquot;Nigel Hamiltonandrsquo;s Mantle of Command is a stirring and noteworthy book about Rooseveltandrsquo;s crucial role as commander-in-chief during World War II. Hamilton writes with insight, passion, and a great grasp of history. I believe this book will become the standard by which other books about FDRandrsquo;s role in World War II will be measured.andquot;
andmdash;Carlo Dandrsquo;Este, author of Patton: A Genius for War and Warlord: A Life of Churchill at War, 1874andndash;1945andquot;This is not the Roosevelt (or Churchill) youand#39;d expect. From the start, an aggressive, in-charge FDR emerges from a wonderful weaving of established scholarship and the fascinating bits and pieces that make history live. Churchill is an inspirational nag, with a busy, unfocused strategic vision. A key entry into the ongoing debate over who made grand strategy in the early war years andmdash; Roosevelt or Churchill?andquot;
andmdash;Warren F. Kimball, author of Forged in War: Roosevelt, Churchill, and the Second World Warandquot;Nigel Hamilton in Mantle of Command presents a very different wartime Franklin Delano Roosevelt than the one we are used to seeing. Whether or not one agrees with all his conclusions, Hamilton clearly shows that FDR was an extremely strong and effective commander-in-chief. This volume should go a long way to dispelling popular myths about Roosevelt as a naandiuml;ve and weak war leader.andquot;
andmdash;Mark Stoler, editor of the George C. Marshall Papers and Professor Emeritus of History, University of Vermontandquot;Nigel Hamilton has written a spirited and thoughtful andlsquo;revisionistandrsquo; study of Franklin Delano Roosevelt as commander-in-chief during the first phase of U.S. involvement in the Second World War. Hamiltonandrsquo;s narrative skill brings alive the human dramas, logistic hurdles, and strategic debates to show how FDRandrsquo;s indispensable drive and forward-looking leadership tamed his own andlsquo;team of rivalsandrsquo; and set the United States and its Allies on the road to victory over the Axis. The books enlivens the often murky worlds of bureaucratic struggle and military detail to demonstrate how important it was for the United States to andlsquo;get it rightandrsquo; early in the war and how FDR accomplished this.andquot;
andmdash;Michael Schaller, author of Douglas MacArthur and Regents Professor of History, University of Arizona
Synopsis
World War II lasted for 2174 days, cost $1.5 trillion and claimed the lives of over 50 million people. Why did it take the course that it did? In The Storm of War, best-selling historian Andrew Roberts follows up his book Masters and Commanders with an in-depth analysis of Axis strategy during World War II, and discusses the reasons behind the Axis defeat.
In researching this unique history, Roberts has explored the key battlefields of the war, and uncovered many important yet unpublished documents. He looks at the major figures on both sides of the war, and asks whether, with a different decision-making process and a different strategy, the Axis might even have won.
Andrew Roberts is the author of Masters and Commanders and A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900. His other books include Napoleon and Wellington, Eminent Churchillians, and Salisbury, which won the Wolfson History Prize. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Roberts writes regularly for The Wall Street Journal.
"The Storm of War is a great achievement, an immensely readable, nicely paced feat of historical condensation ... An excellent one-volume history of the war." -- Ian Pindar, the Guardian
--
Nigel Jones, The Sunday TelegraphSynopsis
"Roberts'spopulist approach makes for a rollicking good read and never comes at theexpense of accuracy. His mastery of the huge variety of subjects is trulyimpressive and his ability to marshal these subjects into a single compellingnarrative stunning." —
The Daily TelegraphHailedby The Economist as “Britains finest military historian” forbestsellers such as Masters and Commanders and Waterloo, AndrewRoberts offers a magisterial new history of World War II and the Axis strategythat led the Germans and Japanese to their eventual defeat. Perfect for readershoping to gain new insight into WWIIs pivotal battles and campaigns, fromDunkirk to D-Day, The Storm of War is a powerful, penetrating, andcompulsively readable examination of the causes, currents, and consequences ofthe Second World War.
Synopsis
Andrew Roberts's acclaimed new history has been hailed as the finest single-volume account of this epic conflict. From the western front to North Africa, from the Baltic to the Far East, he tells the story of the war—the grand strategy and the individual experience, the brutality and the heroism—as never before.
Meticulously researched and masterfully written, The Storm of War illuminates the war's principal actors, revealing how their decisions shaped the course of the conflict. Along the way, Roberts presents tales of the many lesser-known individuals whose experiences form a panoply of the courage and self-sacrifice, as well as the depravity and cruelty, of the Second World War.
Synopsis
A dramatic, eye-opening account of how FDR took personal charge of the military direction of World War II.
Synopsis
Longlisted for the National Book Award andldquo;This bold argument . . . will undoubtedly change the way we see Franklin Roosevelt.andrdquo;
andmdash;Christian Science Monitor
andldquo;Masterly.andrdquo; andmdash; Wall Street Journal
A dramatic, eye-opening account of how FDR took personal charge of the military direction of World War II
Based on years of archival research and interviews with the last surviving Roosevelt aides and family members, The Mantle of Command offers a radical new perspective on Franklin Delano Rooseveltandrsquo;s masterful andmdash; and underappreciated andmdash; leadership of the Allied war effort. After the disaster of Pearl Harbor, we see Roosevelt devising a global strategy that will defeat Hitler and the Japanese, rescue Churchill and the British people, and quell a near insurrection of his own American generals and War Department. All the while, Hamiltonandrsquo;s account drives toward Operation Torch andmdash; the invasion of French Northwest Africa andmdash; and the outcome of the war hangs in the balance. The Mantle of Command is an intimate, sweeping look at a great President in historyandrsquo;s greatest conflict.
About the Author
Andrew Roberts is the author of Masters and Commanders and A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900. His other books include Napoleon and Wellington, Eminent Churchillians, and Salisbury, which won the Wolfson History Prize. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, he holds a PhD in history from Cambridge University and writes regularly for The Wall Street Journal and The Daily Beast. He lives in New York City.