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WWII: Purnell's History of WWII

Purnell's mammoth endeavour is arguably the crowning achievement of the 'partwork' fashion of the late 60s. Produced in collaboration with the Imperial War Museum, edited by Barrie Pitt and written by a host of eminent historians, scholars and veterans, the series is equally fortunate in having Liddell-Hart as editor-in-chief. Produced in 'magazine' format, the work as a whole makes full use of its size and space to create a lucid, vivid and valuable account of the conflict. The number, choice and quality of the photographs, illustrations and diagrams are worthy of special mention.

First published between 1966 and 1969, the work was planned originally as six volumes (ending with the Japanese surrender), but as the series neared its conclusion it was decided to extend it to eight volumes to include the global consequences of the conflict such as the birth of the nuclear era, the foundation of the UN and so on. It is worth pointing out that these 'extra' two volumes are far scarcer than the rest.

Technically the set is complete in the original six volumes (complete with  Chronologies and detailed Index issued at that point); an additional cumulative index was issued for those subscribers who wished to continue collecting the extended set. The series as a whole was reissued with considerable revision in 1970-72.

136 Results | Page 5 of 6

  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 5. No. 16. The Soviet View of ‘Liberation’

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 5. No. 2. Pre- D-Day. The Allied War Machine

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 5. No. 3. Pre- D-Day. Europe’s Secret Armies

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 5. No. 6. The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 5. No. 8. The Red Army Bursts into Poland

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 6. No. 11. Fire Raids on Japan

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 6. No. 14. Japan’s Last Hope

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 6. No. 16. The War. An Overview

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 6. No. 2. Bombing

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 6. No. 5. Iwo Jima

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 6. No. 7. Victory in Italy

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 7. No. 12. Heraldry of War

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 7. No. 6. Why was Gas never used?

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 8. No. 1. Life at Home

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 8. No. 14. Artists at War

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 8. No. 15. Chronology 1933-1944

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. Vol. 8. No. 16. Chronology 1945-1949. Bibliography

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. [First Edition.]

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt. First Edition]

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  • PURNELL'S HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR

    Purnell’s History of the Second World War. [Second Edition. Extended Set.]

    [Edited by Barrie Pitt.]

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  • HISTORY OF THE WORLD WARS

    Purnell’s History of the World Wars. Special. Allied Secret Weapons

    Edited by Ian V. Hogg and John Batchelor.

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  • HISTORY OF THE WORLD WARS

    Purnell’s History of the World Wars. Special. Battle of the Atlantic

    Edited by Andrew Kershaw.

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  • HISTORY OF THE WORLD WARS

    Purnell’s History of the World Wars. Special. Battle of the Pacific

    Edited by Andrew Kershaw and Ian Close.

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  • HISTORY OF THE WORLD WARS

    Purnell’s History of the World Wars. Special. Infantry at War 1939-1945

    Edited by J.B. King and John Batchelor.

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  • HISTORY OF THE WORLD WARS

    Purnell’s History of the World Wars. Special. Jet Fighters

    Edited by David A. Anderton and John Batchelor.

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  • HISTORY OF THE WORLD WARS

    Purnell’s History of the World Wars. Special. Naval Aircraft 1939-1945

    Edited by Louis S. Casey and John Batchelor.

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136 Results | Page 5 of 6