As time passes and fewer members of the Greatest Generation are around to tell their stories, first-person accounts of the events surrounding WWII have become increasingly popular. In this third volume of the Eyewitness series, following installments on the Civil War and WWI, an exhaustive look at the Second World War is presented in the form of letters, memoirs, diaries, and official reports. Various perspectives are offered, from low-ranking soldiers to top generals, from Allied to Axis, from civilians on the home front to those caught in the war’s path. The book opens with “A World Gone Mad,” a detailed look at the causes of the war that places the reader back in time with large period photographs accompanied by brief explanations of world events that contributed to the outbreak of the conflict. This section begins with a haunting photograph of Adolph Hitler looking into the camera amid swastika banners as he ascends to a podium to speak to a crowd of tens of thousands. The rest of the work is divided into six chapters, beginning with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, continuing through the fighting in the European and Pacific theaters, and ultimately ending with victory. Chapters include a section called “Through the Lens”—essentially a photographic essay on topics like the air war, naval warfare, and the Holocaust. There are numerous rare and powerful photographs throughout the volume, such as the one of a woman forced to give the Nazi salute with one arm while crying into her handkerchief with the other. Even the illustrations can be stunning, such as the painting of a Nazi soldier planting skulls in the earth. The visual power of these period photographs is striking and perhaps is the greatest strength of this resource. Recommended for most libraries, where it may do well as a circulating resource. –Michael Tosko