World War II on the Web: A Guide to the Very Best Sites

From Publishers Weekly
Part of the Very Best Sites series, this reference guide rates those containing WWII primary source material. Each chapter, covering a particular subtopic (theaters, leaders, soldiers' recollections, women and African-Americans who served, the Holocaust, etc.), begins with cursory introductory material, continues with capsule site reviews and ends with a suggested reading list. Smith, who teaches at Occidental College in Los Angeles, and Jensen, professor emeritus of history at the University of Illinois, emphasize America's participation, more recently produced material (possibly because it may be more readily available) and, generally, the familiar. "Unit Histories," for example, caters to the current popularity of some subject matter (such as the 506th Parachute Infantry, on which the Band of Brothers miniseries was based), but leaves out a number of important forces. Smith manages a Web site devoted to reviewing academic books, and the reviews here have a pleasant fluency. The obvious highly changeable nature of cyberspace, acknowledged in the introductions, means readers should expect regular updates. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

John Orloff, writer of HBO's epic World War II miniseries, "Band of Brothers"
"A very handy volume."

James Bradley, author of Flags of our Fathers
"I keep this book on my desk at all times."

The Roanoke Times
You don't actually have to go online to enjoy this book, but it definitely will inspire you to browse."

The Dallas Morning News
"For anyone wanting to undertake an exploration of World War II on the Web, this is an invaluable treasure map."

Book Description
Fueled by recent films and TV series such as Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers and popular books by Stephen Ambrose and Tom Brokaw, interest in World War II has soared. As a result of this surge of attention, the number of websites on World War II has exploded. Many are excellent sources of information, but how can they be found among the massive number of sites? Search engines can't tell the good from the bad, making the process of uncovering quality World War II sites a frustrating and time-consuming process of sifting through hundreds of thousands of hits.p But now, web users overwhelmed by this colossal task have a place to turn.p World War II on the Web gives history buffs all the tools they need to zero in on the most useful sites.p The authors-experts in web research-have examined and evaluated thousands of websites. In this new book, they have included only the most well constructed, informative, attractively designed sites on World War II. This book/CD-ROM is modeled on SR Books' bestselling Civil War on the Web, another indispensable guide to exceptional websites.p World War II on the Web includes:br = Detailed reviews of the top 100+ sitesbr = A one- to five-star rating of each site's content, aesthetics, and navigationbr = A list of approximately 150 additional recommended sites including URLs and brief descriptionsbr = Free CD-ROM (IBM and MAC compatible) with hotlinks to all sites in the book-the top 100+ sites as well as the 150 additional recommended sites. Users can simply click on the link to be taken to the site they've chosen.p The first part of the book highlights the best 100+ sites and is divided into sections on the following topics: general sites on the war; political and military leaders; European/Atlantic/Mediterranean Theater of Operations; Pacific Theatre of Operations; the soldiers' stories; the homefront; women and African Americans; the Holocaust and war crimes; and unit histories. The second part of World War II on the Web offers an extra 150 distinguished sites.p This is the only guide of its kind now available! World War II on the Web is the essential alternative to hours of discouraging navigation, the definitive link to the web's finest World War II sites.p uAbout the Authors/ubr Richard J. Jensen is professor emeritus of history at the University of Illinois. In 1992, he founded H-Net, the groundbreaking and highly successful web-based book review and information source for the academic community. Jensen was a visiting professor at both West Point and Moscow State University during the Cold War and has written extensively on World War II. p J. Douglas Smith is currently teaching at Occidental College in California. Dr. Smith specializes in World War II and twentieth century history. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, and many other publications.

About the Author
Richard J. Jensen is professor emeritus of history at the University of Illinois. In 1992, he founded H-Net, the groundbreaking and highly successful web-based book review and information source for the academic community. Jensen was a visiting professor at both West Point and Moscow State University during the Cold War and has written extensively on World War II. J. Douglas Smith is currently teaching at Occidental College in California. Dr. Smith specializes in World War II and twentieth century history. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, and many other publications.


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I wish this invaluable source existed when I wrote Flags of our Fathers. Now I keep this book on my desk at all times.  — author of Flags of our Fathers


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