by John D. Lukacs (Author)
This is a day-by-day account of the eighty-day struggle in 1940 between Hitler-poised on the edge of absolute victory-and Churchill-threatened by imminent invasion and defeat--on the eve of the second World War.
A masterful book-masterful in its portrayal of its protagonists, masterful in its overall understanding of the death-struggle in which they engaged, masterful, above all, in its vivid, suspenseful chronicling of the most momentous eighty days in the history of this century. -Geoffrey Ward
This is a marvelous book. John Lukacs has lucid, unsentimental insight into the mind and character of both Churchill and Hitler. -Conor Cruise O'Brien
A wonderful story wonderfully told. -George F. Will
It is salutary to be reminded in this powerful study how close Hitler came to winning in 1940. . . . An impressive study . . . [written] with elegance and panache. -Peter Stansky, New York Times
A master of narrative history on a par with Barbara Tuchman and Garrett Mattingly. -Kirkus Reviews
Format: Paperback
Pages: 272
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 11 Mar 2001
ISBN 10: 0300089163
ISBN 13: 9780300089165
The duelers are Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler, and Lukacs has taken eighty crucial days in 1940, dug up the papers of all the people involved, and produced a dramatic, ground-eye view of a period during which the direction of World War II balanced precariously. -Adam Smith, The Week
A masterful book-masterful in its portrayal of its protagonists, masterful in its overall understanding of the death-struggle in which they engaged, masterful, above all, in its vivid, suspenseful chronicling of the most momentous eighty days in the history of this century. -Geoffrey Ward