Best Selling Books by Martin GILBERT

“Mr. Gilbert brings the strongest possible credentials to his history of World War II, and the result is a magisterial work” (The New York Times). In the hands of master historian Martin Gilbert, the complex and compelling story of the Second World War comes to life. This narrative captures the perspectives of leading politicians and war commanders, journalists, civilians, and ordinary soldiers, offering gripping eyewitness accounts of heroism, defeat, suffering, and triumph. This is one of the first historical studies of World War II that describes the Holocaust as an integral part of the war. It also covers maneuvers, strategies, and leaders operating in European, Asian, and Pacific theatres. In addition, this book brings in survivor testimonies of occupation, survival behind enemy lines, and the experience of minority groups such as the Roma in Europe, to offer a comprehensive account of the war’s impact on individuals on both sides. This is a sweeping narrative of one of the most deadly wars in history, which took almost forty million lives, and irrevocably changed countless more. “Gilbert’s flowing narrative is spiced with anecdotal details culled from diaries, memoirs, and official documents. He is especially skillful at interweaving summaries of military strategy with vignettes of civilian suffering.” —Newsweek “[A] masterful account of history’s most destructive conflict.” —Publishers Weekly

In this stirring book, Martin Gilbert tells the intensely human story of Winston Churchill''s profound connection to America, a relationship that resulted in an Anglo-American alliance that has stood at the center of international relations for more than a century. Winston Churchill, whose mother, Jennie Jerome, the daughter of a leading American entrepreneur, was born in Brooklyn in 1854, spent much of his seventy adult years in close contact with the United States. In two world wars, his was the main British voice urging the closest possible cooperation with the United States. From before the First World War, he understood the power of the United States, the "gigantic boiler," which, once lit, would drive the great engine forward. Sir Martin Gilbert was appointed Churchill''s official biographer in 1968 and has ever since been collecting archival and personal documentation that explores every twist and turn of Churchill''s relationship with the United States, revealing the golden thread running through it of friendship and understanding despite many setbacks and disappointments. Drawing on this extensive store of Churchill''s own words -- in his private letters, his articles and speeches, and press conferences and interviews given to American journalists on his numerous journeys throughout the United States -- Gilbert paints a rich portrait of the Anglo-American relationship that began at the turn of the last century. Churchill first visited the United States in 1895, when he was twenty-one. During that first visit, he was invited to West Point and was fascinated by New York City. "What an extraordinary people the Americans are!" he wrote to his mother. "This is a very great country, my dear Jack," he told his brother. During three subsequent visits before the Second World War, he traveled widely and formed a clear understanding of both the physical and moral strength of Americans. During the First World War, Churchill was Britain''s Minister of Munitions, working closely with his American counterpart Bernard Baruch to secure the material needed for the joint war effort, and argued with his colleagues that it would be a grave mistake to launch a renewed assault before the Americans arrived. Churchill''s historic alliance with Franklin Roosevelt during the Second World War is brilliantly portrayed here with much new material, as are his subsequent ties with President Truman, which contributed to the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan. In his final words to his Cabinet in 1955, on the eve of his retirement as Prime Minister, Churchill gave his colleagues this advice: "Never be separated from the Americans." In Churchill and America, Gilbert explores how Churchill''s intense rapport with this country resulted in no less than the liberation of Europe and the preservation of European democracy and freedom. It also set the stage for the ongoing alliance that has survived into the twenty-first century.

First published in 1969.

A chronological compilation of twentieth-century world events in one volume—from the acclaimed historian and biographer of Winston S. Churchill. The twentieth century has been one of the most unique in human history. It has seen the rise of some of humanity’s most important advances to date, as well as many of its most violent and terrifying wars. This is a condensed version of renowned historian Martin Gilbert’s masterful examination of the century’s history, offering the highlights of a three-volume work that covers more than three thousand pages. From the invention of aviation to the rise of the Internet, and from events and cataclysmic changes in Europe to those in Asia, Africa, and North America, Martin examines art, literature, war, religion, life and death, and celebration and renewal across the globe, and throughout this turbulent and astonishing century.

“A stunning achievement of research and storytelling” that weaves together the major fronts of WWI into a single, sweeping narrative (Publishers Weekly, starred review). It was to be the war to end all wars, and it began at 11:15 on the morning of June 28, 1914, in an outpost of the Austro-Hungarian Empire called Sarajevo. It would officially end nearly five years later. Unofficially, however, it has never ended: Many of the horrors we live with today are rooted in the First World War. The Great War left millions of civilians and soldiers maimed or dead. It also saw the creation of new technologies of destruction: tanks, planes, and submarines; machine guns and field artillery; poison gas and chemical warfare. It introduced U-boat packs and strategic bombing, unrestricted war on civilians and mistreatment of prisoners. But the war changed our world in far more fundamental ways than these. In its wake, empires toppled, monarchies fell, and whole populations lost their national identities. As political systems and geographic boundaries were realigned, the social order shifted seismically. Manners and cultural norms; literature and the arts; education and class distinctions; all underwent a vast sea change. As historian Martin Gilbert demonstrates in this “majestic opus” of historical synthesis, the twentieth century can be said to have been born on that fateful morning in June of 1914 (Publishers Weekly, starred review). “One of the first books that anyone should read . . . to try to understand this war and this century.” —The New York Times Book Review

A thorough analysis of Allied actions after learning about the horrors of Nazi concentration camps—includes survivors’ firsthand accounts. Why did they wait so long? Among the myriad questions of what the Allies could have done differently in World War II, understanding why it took them so long to respond to the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps—specifically Auschwitz—remains vital today. In Auschwitz and the Allies, Martin Gilbert presents a comprehensive look into the series of decisions that helped shape this particular course of the war, and the fate of millions of people, through his eminent blend of exhaustive devotion to the facts and accessible, graceful writing. Featuring twenty maps prepared specifically for this history and thirty-four photographs, along with firsthand accounts by escaped Auschwitz prisoners, Gilbert reconstructs the span of time between Allied awareness and definitive action in the face of overwhelming evidence of Nazi atrocities. “An unforgettable contribution to the history of the last war.” —Jewish Chronicle

Martin Gilbert, author of the multivolume biography of Winston Churchill and other brilliant works of history, chronicles world events year by year, from the dawn of aviation to the flourishing technology age, taking us through World War I to the inauguration of Franklin Roosevelt as president of the United States and Hider as chancellor of Germany. He continues on to document wars in South Africa, China, Ethiopia, Spain, Korea, Vietnam, and Bosnia, as well as apartheid, the arms race, the moon landing, and the beginnings of the computer age, while interspersing the influence of art, literature, music, and religion throughout this vivid work. A rich, textured look at war, celebration, suffering, life, death, and renewal in the century gone by, this volume is nothing less than extraordinary.

"As a researcher and collector of historical source material, Mr. Gilbert has no peer among contemporary historians." --The New York Times According to Jewish tradition, "Whoever saves one life, it is as if he saved the entire world." In The Righteous, distinguished historian Sir Martin Gilbert explores the courage of those who, throughout Germany and in every occupied country, took incredible risks to help Jews whose fate would have been sealed without them. Indeed, many lost their lives for their efforts. From Greek-Orthodox Princess Alice of Greece to the Ukrainian Uniate Archbishop of Lvov, from priests and soldiers to employees and neighbors, many risked, and sacrificed, everything to help their fellow man. Drawing from twenty-five years of original research, Gilbert re-creates the remarkable stories of the non-Jews who have received formal recognition by the State of Israel as Righteous Among the Nations.

The harrowing history of the Nazi attempt to annihilate the Jews of Europe during the Second World War is graphically portrayed in 316 highly detailed maps. Over 40 photographs and extensive passages of text further illustrate these events.

Renowned Churchill historian Sir Martin Gilbert examines Winston Churchill’s War Leadership. Continue to Pester, Nag and Bite is the complete text of the 2004 Barbara Frum Historical Lecture, given at the University of Toronto. This annual lecture “on a subject of contemporary interest in historical perspective” was established in memory of Barbara Frum and will be broadcast on CBC Radio One’s Ideas. “The problem is not winning the war, but persuading people to let you win it.” —Winston Churchill Continue To Pester, Nag And Bite is a brilliant, in-depth look at Winston Churchill’s leadership during the Second World War, written by the world’s top authority on Churchill. By looking behind the public figure and wartime propaganda images, Gilbert reveals a very human, sensitive and often tormented man, who nevertheless found the strength to lead his nation forward from the darkest and most dangerous of times, towards the defeat of a tenacious enemy. Today’s readers will be fascinated to compare Churchill’s tactics and attitudes with those of modern-day leaders. By looking behind the public figure and wartime propaganda images, Gilbert reveals a very human, sensitive, and often tormented man, who nevertheless found the strength to lead his nation forward from the darkest and most dangerous of times, towards the defeat of a tenacious enemy.

The Routledge Atlas of the Arab-Israeli Conflict traces the tangled and bitter history of the Arab-Jewish struggle from the early twentieth century to the present and illustrates the move towards finding peace.

''The public owes a great debt to Martin Gilbert for producing this book... This more concise account of Churchill''s long period out of office - 1929-39 - lacks nothing.'' - Contemporary Review In 1928, Winston Churchill was at the height of his career. Chancellor of the Exchequer and a powerful and popular orator, leadership of the Conservative Party seemed within his grasp. A year later, all had changed. The Conservatives were defeated and, when a National Government was formed in 1931, Churchill was not asked to join it. Though he was a lone figure from this point, his acute political sense, foresight and courage were undiminished. Fed with secret inside information, Churchill consistently warned of the Nazi danger, even before the rise of Hitler. The British government, led by Stanley Baldwin and later Neville Chamberlain, fought him at every turn, even refusing him the right to broadcast. But he never gave up. It was as a direct result of his dogged perseverance that the British public came to realise the truth of his warnings - and a bond was formed that would be so vital in the years to come.

This edition presents a series of clear and detailed maps, accompanied by informative captions, facts, and figures, updated with additional maps and text. The complete history of America is unrolled through vivid representations of all the significant landmarks.

A work forty years in the making—Sir Martin Gilbert’s illustrated survey of the pre- and post-war history of the Jewish people in Europe. Masterfully covering such topics as pre-war Jewish life, the Warsaw Ghetto revolt, and the reflections of Holocaust survivors, Gilbert interweaves firsthand accounts with unforgettable photographs and documents, which come together to form a three-dimensional portrait of the lives of the Jewish people during one of Europe’s darkest times. “This volume introduces the crime to a new generation, so that it knows of the atrocities and the seemingly futile acts of defiance taken, in the words of Judah Tenenbaum, ‘for three lines in the history books.’” —Booklist

A portrayal of the prime minister and a look at "the Agatha Christie side of the historian''s art."

"In 1922, Churchill established on the bedrock of international law the right of Jews to emigrate to Palestine. Gilbert sheds new light on Churchill''s support of the Jewish people around the time of the Holocaust and World War II. As late as 1960, during his meeting with David Ben-Gurion, Churchill presented the Israeli prime minister with an article he had written praising Moses." "Drawing on a wide range of archives and private papers, speeches, newspaper coverage, and wartime correspondence, Gilbert opens a window on an underappreciated and heroic aspect of the brilliant politician''s life and career."--BOOK JACKET.

These memoirs of the literary life and theatrical times of Giles Gordon - agent-to-the-Royals, ex-publisher and theatre critic. They recount his life from priggish adolescence in Edinburgh to the wider shores of publishing, agenting and theatre criticism in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He pricks egos and literary pretensions, brings theatre to life, and paints pen-portraits of the great, the good, the brilliant and the monstrous, from Prince Charles and Andrew to Fay Weldon, Carmen, David Godwin, Stevie Smith, Ackroyd, Unsworth, Maxwell, Gielgud, Orton, Amis pere et fils and Bernard Ingrams. Giles Gordon is the editor of Best Short Stories.

From one of the most popular historians writing today comes a book as fascinating as the bestsellers of Karen Armstrong and Reza Aslan. In this captivating chronicle, Martin Gilbert shines new light on a controversial dilemma in the modern world: the troubled relationship between Jews and Muslims. Beginning at the dawn of Islam and sweeping from the Atlantic Ocean to the mountains of Afghanistan, Gilbert presents the first popular and authoritative history of Jewish peoples under Muslim rule. He confronts with wisdom and compassion the stormy events in their dramatic story, including anti-Zionist movements and the forced exodus to Israel. He also gives special attention to the twentieth century and to the current political debate about refugee status and restitution. Throughout, Gilbert weaves a compelling narrative of perseverance, struggle, and renewal marked by surprising moments of tolerance and partnership. A monumental and timely book, Jews under Muslim Rule is a crowning achievement that confirms Martin Gilbert as one of the foremost historians of our time.

In 1996 Martin Gilbert was asked to lead students on a tour of the places in Europe that were the stage of one of history''s greatest human tragedies. The two-week journey that resulted, with England''s leading Holocaust and World War II scholar as its guide, culminated in this powerful travel narrative.

This illustrated history provides both personal and public accounts of May 8, 1945, the day World War II ended in Europe.

An in-depth look at the misguided foreign policy of appeasement towards Hitler and the Third Reich during World War II—from a world renowned historian. World War II and its attendant horrors arguably began in the British policy of appeasement of the Nazi rise to power between the First and Second World Wars. In this compelling work, Martin Gilbert walks the reader through several decades of behavior that, in retrospect, is hard to accept. Gilbert’s incisive focus on primary sources uncovers the real reasons for the appeasement policy, from the search for a just peace to attempts to avoid another war at all costs—illuminating the historical underpinnings of a fatally flawed policy and its tragic consequences for the Jewish people. This book also contains a chronology of appeasement policy as well as five specially drawn maps and five appendices—including a transcript of British statesman and politician David Lloyd George’s conversation with Hitler at Berchtesgaden in 1936.

A thoughtful and rigorous examination of the Jewish experience under Hitler’s “Final Solution”—based on eyewitness accounts and contemporary evidence. Focusing on firsthand narratives from survivors and supported by contextual scholarship, Gilbert presents a masterful cross-section of the experiences of the millions of European Jews who lost their homes, careers, families, and lives at the hands of Hitler’s “Final Solution.” The accounts of these journeys are at once unique and unified by both their tragedy and by their triumphs. Gilbert’s vast knowledge on the subject, coupled with his frank and readable style, makes Final Journey accessible to readers and scholars alike. The text is supported by eighty-four photographs—many of which were published for the first time in 1979—and twenty-four pages of maps prepared by the author, which help bring the stories of the men, women, and children back to life in unflinching detail.

An atlas of Jewish history around the world.

The Battle of the Somme, fought between July and November 1916, was among the bloodiest conflicts of all time. The aim was to end the stalemate on the Western Front - the result was carnage. In a total of just over a hundred days of fighting, the death toll reached 310,459. Half the bodies were never recovered. At the close of the battle, the British and French forces had not even reached the line they set themselves for the first day. Yet, despite its horrific destruction, the fighting at the Somme was characterised by incredible individual bravery. In commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the battle, Martin Gilbert, one of Britain''s most distinguished historians, graphically recreates the tragedy. He interweaves individual stories, wartime documents, letters and poetry in a deeply moving, succinct narrative. From gripping descriptions of struggles on the battlefield to poignant evocations of the memorials and cemeteries that stand there today, this is a definitive guide to the Somme. It is a story of unparalleled folly and heroism, from which, as it unfolds, there emerge deep implications that are shared by all wars.

In the early hours of November 10, 1938, Nazi storm troopers and Hitler Youth rampaged through Jewish neighborhoods across Germany, leaving behind them a horrifying trail of terror and destruction. More than a thousand synagogues and many thousands of Jewish shops were destroyed, while thirty thousand Jews were rounded up and sent to concentration camps. Kristallnacht—the Night of Broken Glass—was a decisive stage in the systematic eradication of a people who traced their origins in Germany to Roman times and was a sinister forewarning of the Holocaust. With rare insight and acumen, Martin Gilbert examines this night and day of terror, presenting readers with a meticulously researched, masterfully written, and eye-opening study of one of the darkest chapters in human history.

Tracing the world-wide migrations of the Jews from ancient Mesopotamia to modern Israel, this atlas spans over 4000 years of history. With over 130 maps, the atlas depicts Jewish achievements and the Jewish way of life, presenting a clear picture of their persecution and their reaction to it - whether by dispersal, acceptance or defence.

Biographical notes: side 342-355