Best Selling Books by Rick Atkinson

Integrating interviews with individuals ranging from senior policymakers to frontline soldiers, a look at the Persian Gulf War shows how the conflict transformed modern warfare.

Winner of the George Washington Prize Winner of the Barbara and David Zalaznick Book Prize in American History Winner of the Excellence in American History Book Award Winner of the Fraunces Tavern Museum Book Award From the bestselling author of the Liberation Trilogy comes the extraordinary first volume of his new trilogy about the American Revolution Rick Atkinson, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning An Army at Dawn and two other superb books about World War II, has long been admired for his deeply researched, stunningly vivid narrative histories. Now he turns his attention to a new war, and in the initial volume of the Revolution Trilogy he recounts the first twenty-one months of America’s violent war for independence. From the battles at Lexington and Concord in spring 1775 to those at Trenton and Princeton in winter 1777, American militiamen and then the ragged Continental Army take on the world’s most formidable fighting force. It is a gripping saga alive with astonishing characters: Henry Knox, the former bookseller with an uncanny understanding of artillery; Nathanael Greene, the blue-eyed bumpkin who becomes a brilliant battle captain; Benjamin Franklin, the self-made man who proves to be the wiliest of diplomats; George Washington, the commander in chief who learns the difficult art of leadership when the war seems all but lost. The story is also told from the British perspective, making the mortal conflict between the redcoats and the rebels all the more compelling. Full of riveting details and untold stories, The British Are Coming is a tale of heroes and knaves, of sacrifice and blunder, of redemption and profound suffering. Rick Atkinson has given stirring new life to the first act of our country’s creation drama.

The New York Times bestseller about West Point''s Class of 1966, by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Rick Atkinson. "A story of epic proportions [and] an awesome feat of biographical reconstruction."—The Boston Globe A classic of its kind, The Long Gray Line is the twenty-five-year saga of the West Point class of 1966. With a novelist''s eye for detail, Rick Atkinson (author of the Liberation Trilogy) illuminates this powerful story through the lives of three classmates and the women they loved—from the boisterous cadet years, to the fires of Vietnam, to the hard peace and internal struggles that followed the war. The rich cast of characters also includes Douglas MacArthur, William C. Westmoreland, and a score of other memorable figures. The class of 1966 straddled a fault line in American history, and Atkinson''s masterly book speaks for a generation of American men and women about innocence, patriotism, and the price we pay for our dreams

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The magnificent conclusion to Rick Atkinson''s acclaimed Liberation Trilogy about the Allied triumph in Europe during World War II It is the twentieth century''s unrivaled epic: at a staggering price, the United States and its allies liberated Europe and vanquished Hitler. In the first two volumes of his bestselling Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson recounted how the American-led coalition fought through North Africa and Italy to the threshold of victory. Now, in The Guns at Last Light, he tells the most dramatic story of all—the titanic battle for Western Europe. D-Day marked the commencement of the final campaign of the European war, and Atkinson''s riveting account of that bold gamble sets the pace for the masterly narrative that follows. The brutal fight in Normandy, the liberation of Paris, the disaster that was Operation Market Garden, the horrific Battle of the Bulge, and finally the thrust to the heart of the Third Reich—all these historic events and more come alive with a wealth of new material and a mesmerizing cast of characters. Atkinson tells the tale from the perspective of participants at every level, from presidents and generals to war-weary lieutenants and terrified teenage riflemen. When Germany at last surrenders, we understand anew both the devastating cost of this global conflagration and the enormous effort required to win the Allied victory. With the stirring final volume of this monumental trilogy, Atkinson''s accomplishment is manifest. He has produced the definitive chronicle of the war that unshackled a continent and preserved freedom in the West. One of The Washington Post''s Top 10 Books of the Year A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of 2013

From Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author Rick Atkinson (Liberation Trilogy) comes an eyewitness account of the war against Iraq and a vivid portrait of a remarkable group of soldiers. "A beautifully written and memorable account of combat from the top down and bottom up as the 101st Airborne commanders and front-line grunts battle their way to Baghdad.... A must-read."—Tom Brokaw For soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division, the road to Baghdad began with a midnight flight out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in late February 2003. For Rick Atkinson, who would spend nearly two months covering the division for The Washington Post, the war in Iraq provided a unique opportunity to observe today''s U.S. Army in combat. Now, in this extraordinary account of his odyssey with the 101st, Atkinson presents an intimate and revealing portrait of the soldiers who fight the expeditionary wars that have become the hallmark of our age. At the center of Atkinson''s drama stands the compelling figure of Major General David H. Petraeus, described by one comrade as "the most competitive man on the planet." Atkinson spent virtually all day every day at Petraeus''s elbow in Iraq, where he had an unobstructed view of the stresses, anxieties, and large joys of commanding 17,000 soldiers in combat. Atkinson watches Petraeus wrestle with innumerable tactical conundrums and direct several intense firefights; he watches him teach, goad, and lead his troops and his subordinate commanders. And all around Petraeus, we see the men and women of a storied division grapple with the challenges of waging war in an unspeakably harsh environment. With the eye of a master storyteller, the premier military historian of his generation puts us right on the battlefield. In the Company of Soldiers is a compelling, utterly fresh view of the modern American soldier in action.

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In the first volume of his monumental trilogy about the liberation of Europe in World War II, Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Atkinson tells the riveting story of the war in North Africa. The liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is a story of courage and enduring triumph, of calamity and miscalculation. In this first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson shows why no modern reader can understand the ultimate victory of the Allied powers without a grasp of the great drama that unfolded in North Africa in 1942 and 1943. That first year of the Allied war was a pivotal point in American history, the moment when the United States began to act like a great power. Beginning with the daring amphibious invasion in November 1942, An Army at Dawn follows the American and British armies as they fight the French in Morocco and Algeria, and then take on the Germans and Italians in Tunisia. Battle by battle, an inexperienced and sometimes poorly led army gradually becomes a superb fighting force. Central to the tale are the extraordinary but fallible commanders who come to dominate the battlefield: Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, Montgomery, and Rommel. Brilliantly researched, rich with new material and vivid insights, Atkinson''s narrative provides the definitive history of the war in North Africa.

In the second volume of his epic trilogy about the liberation of Europe in World War II, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Atkinson tells the harrowing story of the campaigns in Sicily and Italy.

This is a glimpse into my life, including growing up in a rough area of South East London as a child in the 70''s, through to the 80''s, 90''s, and up to the present day. You will join me on a journey that at times will take you on a roller-coaster ride to hell and back, as I try to navigate my way through the dark world of drugs, robbery and other hard core elements of crime and general skulduggery. I will lead you to underworld places that most people wouldn''t care or even dare to frequent, from seedy gambling clubs hidden within the labyrinth type back streets of Soho, to the blood stained world of old school gangster activity, and then to the depths of despair whilst locked away within the murky spine-chilling walls of her Majesty''s prisons. There are moments when you will laugh with me and laugh at me as I share some of my many fun and sexy times I had whilst going through my teens and early 20''s. When you buy this book you''ll find it is packed full of sleazy one night stands, punch-ups, burglarys, murderers and the odd attempted murder. Inside Out will have you turning the pages with anticipation right to the end in eagerness to discover what happened next.

Presents a collection of over 170 images and archival photographs that trace the history of Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC.

This book takes a nostalgic look back at the years when dogs were the sole means of travel in Antarctica; it is also indicative of a relationship that is fundamenta l and has stood the test of time. It includes stories from 3 0 contributors. ''

In the second volume of the landmark American Revolution trilogy by the Pulitzer Prize–winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author of The British Are Coming, George Washington’s army fights on the knife edge between victory and defeat. The first twenty-one months of the American Revolution—which began at Lexington and ended at Princeton—was the story of a ragged group of militiamen and soldiers fighting to forge a new nation. By the winter of 1777, the exhausted Continental Army could claim only that it had barely escaped annihilation by the world’s most formidable fighting force. Two years into the war, George III is as determined as ever to bring his rebellious colonies to heel. But the king’s task is now far more complicated: fighting a determined enemy on the other side of the Atlantic has become ruinously expensive, and spies tell him that the French and Spanish are threatening to join forces with the Americans. Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson provides a riveting narrative covering the middle years of the Revolution. Stationed in Paris, Benjamin Franklin woos the French; in Pennsylvania, George Washington pleads with Congress to deliver the money, men, and materiel he needs to continue the fight. In New York, General William Howe, the commander of the greatest army the British have ever sent overseas, plans a new campaign against the Americans—even as he is no longer certain that he can win this searing, bloody war. The months and years that follow bring epic battles at Brandywine, Saratoga, Monmouth, and Charleston, a winter of misery at Valley Forge, and yet more appeals for sacrifice by every American committed to the struggle for freedom. Timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the Revolution, Atkinson’s brilliant account of the lethal conflict between the Americans and the British offers not only deeply researched and spectacularly dramatic history, but also a new perspective on the demands that a democracy makes on its citizens.

How did the United States become the country it is today? What led to its creation? Adapted from Pulitzer Prize–winner Rick Atkinson’s deeply researched and stunningly vivid The British Are Coming, the young readers edition explores these questions and so much more as it delves into the American Revolution. A collection of key battles from the beginning of the war, including Lexington and Concord and the Battle of Bunker Hill, sets the scene, telling a story of liberation fraught with contradiction and intrigue. History buffs and newcomers alike will be drawn into this fascinating, photo-illustrated account.

The definitive chronicle of the Allied triumph in Europe during World War II, Rick Atkinson''s Liberation Trilogy is now together in one ebook bundle From the War in North Africa to the Invasion of Normandy, the Liberation Trilogy recounts the hard fought battles that led to Allied victory in World War II. Pulitzer Prize-winning and New York Times bestselling author Rick Atkinson brings great drama and exquisite detail to the retelling of these battles and gives life to a cast of characters, from the Allied leaders to rifleman in combat. His accomplishment is monumental: the Liberation Trilogy is the most vividly told, brilliantly researched World War II narrative to date. WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Looks at the Battle of the Bulge, Adolf Hitler''s failed offensive into Belgium in December 1944.

Presents a young reader''s adaptation of "The Guns at Last Light," tracing the Battle of Normandy and the Allied liberation of Western Europe through the end of World War II.

Este libro, galardonado con el Premio Pulitzer de Historia 2003, ha sido considerado por el Wall Street Journal como el mejor relato sobre la segunda guerra mundial, desde las obras clásicas de Cornelius Ryan El día más largo y Un puente demasiado lejano. La liberación de Europa y la destrucción del Tercer Reich es una historia épica de valor y sufrimiento, de aciertos, errores y de triunfo final. Pero ningún lector de nuestros días puede entender la victoria de los Aliados sin partir del inmenso drama que se desarrolló en el norte de Africa en 1942 y 1943. El relato de Atkinson comienza con la operación «Antorcha» y la lucha inicial contra los franceses para proseguir con el enfrentamiento de las tropas aliadas con el ejército alemán. En aquel escenario terrible fue donde aquéllas aprendieron el coste de vencer a un enemigo formidable y donde se forjaron la mayoría de los grandes generales de la segunda guerra mundial como Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley o Montgomery frente a guerreros tan prestigiosos como Rommel o Kesselring. Pero más allá de los grandes nombres, Atkinson nos conduce hasta la primera línea de fuego donde el combate, la muerte en las trincheras y las anónimas tragedias comunes a todas las guerras nos muestran el rostro profundamente humano de una batalla crucial para el destino de la civilización. «Un ejército al amanecer se convertirá en un clásico de la historia militar y de los estudios de estrategia. Atkinson escribe con increíble perspicacia y maestría sobre los detalles cotidianos sin perder nunca de vista el panorama general. Sin perder un solo detalle, nos lleva desde la más alta política hasta el fondo de la trinchera más miserable. Esto es historia con mayúsculas». General Wesley Clark, ex comandante supremo de la OTAN PREMIO PULITZER DE HISTORIA 2003

Este libro, galardonado con el Premio Pulitzer de Historia 2003, ha sido considerado por el Wall Street Journal como el mejor relato sobre la segunda guerra mundial, desde las obras clásicas de Cornelius Ryan El día más largo y Un puente demasiado lejano. La liberación de Europa y la destrucción del Tercer Reich es una historia épica de valor y sufrimiento, de aciertos, errores y de triunfo final. Pero ningún lector de nuestros días puede entender la victoria de los Aliados sin partir del inmenso drama que se desarrolló en el norte de Africa en 1942 y 1943. El relato de Atkinson comienza con la operación «Antorcha» y la lucha inicial contra los franceses para proseguir con el enfrentamiento de las tropas aliadas con el ejército alemán. En aquel escenario terrible fue donde aquéllas aprendieron el coste de vencer a un enemigo formidable y donde se forjaron la mayoría de los grandes generales de la segunda guerra mundial como Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley o Montgomery frente a guerreros tan prestigiosos como Rommel o Kesselring. Pero más allá de los grandes nombres, Atkinson nos conduce hasta la primera línea de fuego donde el combate, la muerte en las trincheras y las anónimas tragedias comunes a todas las guerras nos muestran el rostro profundamente humano de una batalla crucial para el destino de la civilización.

La Trilogía de la Liberación es la crónica definitiva sobre la liberación de Europa en la segunda guerra mundial. Un ejército al amanecer. La guerra en el norte de África, 1942-1943 -ganadora del premio Pulitzer- , El día de la batalla. La guerra en Sicilia y en Italia, 1943-1944 y Los cañones del atardecer. La guerra en Europa, 1944-1945 describen las arduas batallas que marcaron la victoria de los Aliados en la segunda guerra mundial. Rick Atkinson narra con exquisito detalle estas batallas y da vida a un importante elenco de personajes.

En Un ejército al amanecer –que fue ganador del Premio Pulitzer de Historia 2003- Rick Atkinson proporcionaba una historia dramática y autorizada del triunfo de los aliados en África del Norte. Ahora, en El día de la batalla, sigue a los reforzados ejércitos norteamericanos y británicos es su camino para invadir Sicilia en julio de 1943 y luego, milla tras milla de sangre, hacia el norte. El resultado de la campaña nunca fue cierto; de hecho, Roosevelt, Churchill y sus consejeros militares se enzarzaron en un acalorado debate sobre si esa invasión era una buena idea. Pero una vez en camino, el compromiso de liberar Italia de los Nazis no flaqueó, a pesar del precio atrozmente alto. Las batallas en Salerno, Anzio, y Monte Cassino fueron particularmente difíciles y mortales pero, sin embargo, con el transcurso de los meses las fuerzas aliadas siguieron empujando a los alemanes hacia el norte de la península italiana. Y con la liberación de Roma, en junio de 1944, la victoria por fin comenzó a parecer inevitable. Utilizando una serie asombrosa de fuentes primarias, y escrito con gran dramatismo y fluidez, este libro constituye una historia narrativa de primera línea.

Nel luglio 1943 gli Alleati sbarcano sulle coste della Sicilia: un evento che imprimerà una svolta decisiva alle sorti della Seconda guerra mondiale e cambierà per sempre la storia italiana...

Mentre la pallida luce dell''alba si diffondeva sulla Manica, un corpo d''invasione composto da centotrentamila unità si apprestava a sbarcare sulle coste della Normandia. Era il 6 giugno 1944, il D-Day, «il giorno più lungo», che avrebbe cambiato il corso della seconda guerra mondiale e della storia del Novecento. «È suonata l''ora per la quale siamo nati» proclamava il «New York Times», l''ora che lasciava intravedere l''inizio della fine della Germania nazista. Ma per i soldati stivati nei mezzi da sbarco, paralizzati dal freddo e dalla paura, che a migliaia sarebbero caduti sulle spiagge presto divenute celebri di Omaha e Utah, l''assalto alla Fortezza Europa era solo all''inizio. Sarebbe trascorso un altro anno prima che nella Berlino circondata dall''Armata rossa il cadavere di Hitler bruciasse in uno squallido cortile. Un anno di combattimenti atroci, di battaglie epocali e di luoghi destinati a rimanere per sempre nella memoria e nella coscienza dell''Occidente: il porto di Cherbourg, la valle del Rodano, i boschi delle Ardenne, le lanche del Reno, la foresta di Hürtgen. La strada verso il cuore del Terzo Reich sarebbe stata ancora lunga e lastricata di incomprensioni, dissidi strategici, rivalità personali oltreché di innumerevoli vite spezzate. Un lungo cammino che avrebbe confermato, ancora una volta, che la guerra non è mai lineare, ma è un''impresa caotica, disordinata, fatta di errori e di slanci, di successi e di rovesci. Dopo Un esercito all''alba, sulla guerra in Nordafrica, e Il giorno della battaglia, sui drammatici mesi della campagna d''Italia, Rick Atkinson ripercorre la storia della liberazione dell''Europa da parte degli Alleati. Basato su documenti d''archivio e fonti di prima mano - lettere, diari, rapporti ufficiali -, Una guerra al tramonto è la narrazione intensa e drammatica di uno sforzo bellico senza precedenti per dimensioni, costi, dispiegamento di materiali, uomini, armi e tecnologie; l''affresco imponente dell''ultimo anno di guerra, in cui alle voci dei politici e dei generali - da Churchill ad Eisenhower, da Patton a Montgomery, a De Gaulle - si affiancano le testimonianze dei soldati e dei corrispondenti dal fronte: un racconto epico e corale per celebrare il coraggio e l''umiltà di quanti cercarono di dare un senso al sacrificio della loro vita.

All contributing authors are recipients of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing.

"Staff writer Rick Atkinson describes the effort by the U.S. military to combat the improvised explosive devices used by insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq from 2002 until Summer 2007. The series in drawn from more than 140 interviews over the past six months with military and congressional officials, contractors, scientists and defense analysts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Washington and elsewhere. ... Ten senior officers or retired officers, each of them intimately involved in the effort to combat IEDs, were asked to review the findings for accuracy and security consideration."--Page 2.