Ballantine's Illustrated History of World War II

Discussion in 'Books, Films, TV, Radio' started by spider, Dec 12, 2010.

  1. spider

    spider Very Senior Member

    Between 1968 and 1975 Ballantine Books published an extensive series of military history books. This guide gives a brief background to the series, and lists all the titles and authors.
    Ballantine's Illustrated History of World War II, later re-titled Ballantine's Illustrated History of the Violent Century, was a series of paperback books printed in both the USA and UK. The series deals with all aspects of Twentieth Century conflict, and each volume has a wealth of detailed information and illustrations. Many of the titles were written by well-known military authors, including Anthony Farrar-Hockley and Peter Young.
    The Ballantine Publishing Group is a major American book publisher, now part of the Random House group. It was founded by Ian Keith Ballantine (1916-1995), a pioneering American publisher who had set up the distribution of Penguin Books in the United States during the Second World War. In 1945, with his wife Betty, he was involved in the formation of Bantam Books, becoming the first president of Bantam.
    The Ballantines formed Ballantine Books in 1952, and quickly gained a reputation as one of the leading publishers of paperback science-fiction and fantasy. Their military history series Ballantine's Illustrated History of World War II/the Violent Century consists of 156 titles. Each book is a 5¼ by 8¼ inch volume with around 160 profusely illustrated pages.
    Editor-in-Chief for the series was journalist, author and editor Barrie Pitt. After active service in both Europe and the Middle East during the Second World War, Barrie had written several successful military history books. He had also edited, under the overall editorship of Sir Basil Liddell-Hart, Purnell's History of the Second World War. This was a 96-instalment mass circulation series launched in 1966 at the Imperial War Museum. Barrie was therefore ideally qualified to become Editor-in-Chief of the Ballantine's Illustrated History series, and proved an unfailing source of support for the younger historians on the series.
    The 156 books in the Ballantine's Illustrated History of World War II/the Violent Century themselves are organised into six different colour-coded groups: the Campaign Series - Beige/khaki; the Battle Series - Red; the Weapon Series - Blue; the War Leader Series - Purple; the Politics In Action Series - Black; the Human Conflict Series - Yellow, plus two Special Colour Series titles.
    The full list of titles and authors is:

    Campaign Series - Beige/khaki
    1 Afrika Korps: Kenneth J Macksey
    2 The Raiders, Desert Strike Force: Arthur Swinson
    3 Sicily, Whose Victory?: Martin Blumenson
    4 Breakout, Drive to the Seine: David Mason
    5 Defeat in Malaya, The Fall of Singapore: Arthur Swinson
    6 France, Summer 1940: John Williams
    7 Bomber Offensive, The Devastation of Europe: Noble Frankland
    8 The Nuremberg Rallies: Alan Wykes
    9 Japan, The Final Agony: Alvin D Coox
    10 Normandy Bridgehead: H Essame
    10 Liberation of the Philippines: Stanley Falk
    11 Barbarossa, Invasion of Russia 1941: John Keegan
    13 New Guinea, The Tide is Stemmed: John Vader
    14 Guadalcanal, Island Ordeal: Graeme Kent
    15 New Georgia, Pattern for Victory: D C Horton
    16 Fall of the Philippines: Ward Rutherford
    17 Schweinfurt, Disaster in the Sky: J Sweetman
    18 Carpathian Disaster, Death of an Army: Geoffrey Jukes
    19 Opening Moves 1914: John Keegan
    20 Tanganyikan Guerilla, East Africa Campaign 1914-18: J R Sibley
    21 Pacific Onslaught, 7th Dec 1941 / 7th Feb 1943: Paul Kennedy
    22 Operation Torch, Anglo-American Invasion North Africa: Vincent Jones
    23 Over the Hump, Airlift to China: William Koenig
    24 The Winter War, Russia Against Finland: Richard W Condon
    25 Pacific Victory: Paul Kennedy
    26 Tobruk, The Siege: James W Stock
    27 Six Day War: A J Barker
    28 Bloodiest Victory - Palaus - America's Pacific Offensive 1944: Stanley Falk
    29 Yom Kippur War: A J Barker
    Battle Series - Red
    1 D-Day, Spearhead of Invasion: R W Thompson
    2 Their Finest Hour, The Battle of Britain 1940: Edward Bishop
    3 Stalingrad, The Turning Point: Geoffrey Jukes
    4 Bastogne, The Road Block: Peter Elstob
    5 The Siege of Leningrad: Alan Wykes
    6 Battle for Berlin, The End of the Third Reich: Earl F Ziemke
    7 Kursk, The Clash of Armour: Geoffrey Jukes
    8 Tarawa, A Legend is Born: Henry I Shaw Jr
    9 Airborne Carpet, Operation Market Garden: Anthony Farrar-Hockley
    10 Pearl Harbor: A J Barker
    11 Leyte Gulf, Armada in the Pacific: Donald MacIntyre
    12 Okinawa, Touchstone to Victory: Benis M Frank
    13 The Defense of Moscow: Geoffrey Jukes
    14 Raid on St Nazaire: David Mason
    15 Anzio, The Bid for Rome: Christopher Hibbert
    16 Cassino: Dominick Graham
    17 London's Burning: Constantine FitzGibbon
    18 Kasserine, Baptism of Fire: Ward Rutherford
    19 Battle of the Reichswald: Peter Elstob
    20 Midway, The Turning Point: A J Barker
    21 Battle of the Ruhr Pocket (WWII Series): Charles Whiting
    22 Beda Fomm, The Classic Victory: Kenneth Macksey
    23 Bir Hacheim, Desert Citadel: Richard Holmes
    24 Salerno, Foothold in Europe: David Mason
    25 Armoured Onslaught, 8th August 1918: Douglas Orgill
    26 Vimy Ridge 1914-18: Kenneth Macksey
    27 Rhine Crossing: James W Stock
    28 Argonne 1918, The AEF in France: Barry Gregory
    29 Rotterdam, Invasion of Holland: Wilhelmina Steenbeck
    30 Ploesti, Oil Strike: John Sweetman
    31 Zeebrugge, 23rd April 1918: James W Stock
    32 Iwo Jima: Michael Russell
    33 Dien Bien Phu: John Keegan
    Weapon Series - Blue
    1 U-Boat, The Secret Menace: David Mason
    2 Panzer Division, The Mailed Fist: K J Macksey
    3 Aircraft Carrier, The Majestic Weapon: Donald MacIntyre
    4 ME109: Martin Caidin
    5 German Secret Weapons, Blueprint for Mars: Brian J Ford
    6 Spitfire: John Vader
    7 Commando: Peter Young
    8 SS and Gestapo: Roger Manvell
    9 Zero Fighter: Martin Caidin
    10 The Luftwaffe: Alfred Price
    11 The Guns, 1939-45: Ian V Hogg
    12 Airborne: Charles MacDonald
    13 PT Boats: Bryan Cooper
    14 Pacific Hawk, Kittyhawks: John Ward
    15 Tank Force, Allied Armor in World War II: Kenneth Macksey
    16 Waffen SS, The Asphalt Soldiers: John Keegan
    17 B29, The Superfortress: Carl Berger
    18 Barrage, The Guns in Action: Ian V Hogg
    19 Allied Secret Weapons, The War of Science: Brian J Ford
    20 Rocket Fighter: William Green
    21 T-34, Russian Armour; Douglas Orgill
    22 Suicide Weapon: Alan Baker
    23 Hitler's High Seas Fleet: Richard Humble
    24 Mosquito, Wooden Wonder: Edward Bishop
    25 Infantry Weapons: John Weeks
    26 P51 Mustang, Bomber Escort: W N Hess
    27 The Guns 1914-18: Alan Baker
    28 Trench Fighting 1914-18: Charles Messenger
    29 Flying Tigers, Chennault in China: Ron Heifernan
    30 Lancaster Bombers: D B Tubbs
    31 Merrill's Marauders: Alan Baker
    32 German General Staff: Barry Leach
    33 Japanese High Seas Fleet: Richard Humble
    34 Chindits, Long Range Penetration: Michael Calvert
    35 Condor Legion: Peter Elstob
    36 Indestructible Jeep: D Denfeld & M Fry
    37 Grenades & Mortars: Ian V Hogg
    38 Wellington Bomber: Edward Bishop
    39 Hitler's Bodyguards, SS Leibstandarte: Alan Wykes
    40 B17, Flying Fortress: W N Hess
    41 German Armour: Douglas Orgill
    42 Midget Submarines: J Gleason & T Waldron
    43 Gas: Ian V Hogg
    44 DC3: Arthur Pearcy
    War Leader Series - Purple
    1 Patton: Charles Whiting
    2 MacArthur: Sydney L Mayer
    3 Hitler: Alan Wykes
    4 Stilwell: D D Rooney
    5 Bradley: Charles Whiting
    6 Mountbatten: Arthur Swinson
    7 De Gaulle: Phillipe Masson
    8 Göring: Roger Manvell
    9 Eisenhower: Martin Blumenson
    10 Tito: Phyllis Auty
    11 Skorzeny: Charles Whiting
    12 Slim: Michael Calvert
    13 Mussolini: Christopher Hibbert
    14 Himmler: Alan Wykes
    15 Student: A H Farrar-Hockley
    16 Churchill: David Mason
    17 Goebbels: Alan Wykes
    18 Lawrence of Arabia: Douglas Orgill
    19 MacArthur in Japan: Sydney L Mayer
    20 Guderian: John Keegan
    21 Stauffenburg: G S Graber
    22 Heydrich: Alan Wykes
    23 Churchill 1914-18: David Mason
    24 Yamashita: A J Barker
    25 Rundstedt: John Keegan
    26 Halsey: Benis M Frank
    27 Rommel: J R Sibley & M Fry
    28 Zhukov, Marshall of the Soviet Union: O Chaney
    29 Montgomery: R Thompson
    30 Tojo: Alvin D Coox
    31 Stalin: Rose Tremain
    Politics In Action Series - Black
    1 The Conspirators: (Pan/Ballantine Version) Roger Manvell
    2 The Blackshirts, Fascism in Britain: David Shermer
    3 The Reichstag Fire, Ashes of Democracy: R John Prichard
    4 Rape of Ethiopia: A J Barker
    5 Warsaw Rising: Gunther Deschner
    6 Hitler Youth, The Duped Generation: H W Koch
    7 Night of the Long Knives: Nikolai Tolstoy
    8 Nuremberg Trials: Leo Kahn
    9 The Fight for Freedom for Women: Rose Tremain
    10 Berlin Blockade: John Man
    Human Conflict Series - Yellow
    1 Olympiad 1936, Blaze of Glory for Hitler's Reich: Judith Holmes
    2 Lidice, Sacrificial Village: John Bradley
    3 Death Railway: Clifford Kinvig
    4 Genocide, The Jews in Europe 1939-45: Ward Rutherford
    5 Bloody Ulster: A J Barker
    Special Colour Series
    1 Nazi Regalia: Jack Pia
    2 SS Regalia: Jack Pia
    Although some of the titles in the series are now nearly 40 years old, the wealth of detail and sheer number of illustrating photographs makes them a valuable addition to your military library today.

    Information from eBay
     
  2. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

  3. Paul Reed

    Paul Reed Ubique

    I have owned/own quite a few of them but had no idea there was quite that many!
     
  4. spider

    spider Very Senior Member

  5. Smestarz

    Smestarz New Member

    Can it be possible to get scanned copies of these books? These are good books to read and understand.
     
  6. Smestarz

    Smestarz New Member

Share This Page