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THE HARDEST VICTORY

Name: THE HARDEST VICTORY
Author: Denis Richards
ISBN: 0-393-03763-0

RAF BOMBER COMMAND IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR

by Denis Richards ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1995

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A diligent, workmanlike account of the frequently overlooked (or deprecated) contributions to the Allied cause made by the UK's Bomber Command during WW II. While Richards (who will never be mistaken for a prose stylist) breaks no new ground in evaluating the aerial damage inflicted on the Nazi war economy, he does offer an exhaustive chronological briefing on the one military arm that for many months constituted Great Britain's sole offensive threat in its lonely struggle to survive Hitler's onslaught. Starting with an evenhanded audit of the RAF Bomber Command's pre-1939 order of battle, resources, and training methods, the author provides detailed human-scale rundowns on its performance during the early stages of the conflict. Among other accomplishments, Richards notes, the command helped avert an invasion of England with successful raids on the Franco-Belgian ports where Wehrmacht forces were mustering for a cross-channel thrust. He goes on to deal forthrightly with the controversial practice of area (as opposed to precision) bombing, which leveled most of the Third Reich's populous industrial centers at no small cost in civilian casualties. The author also recaps the upper-echelon disputes about target policy and tactics, and the constant doubts about the command's effectiveness, whether in close support of ground troops or in carrying out strategic bombing. Covered as well are the valorous exploits of the men who braved the flak and Luftwaffe fighters deployed to block their nightly passages to the continent. Such considerable successes as were achieved carried a high price. Citing the command's best-known leader, Sir Arthur (a.k.a. Bomber) Harris, Richards (coauthor of The Battle of Britain, not reviewed) estimates one of every two operational crewmen suffered wounds, internment as a POW, and/or death. An almost too judicious reappraisal of a workhorse outfit, redeemed in large measure by the heartfelt tributes it pays to those who did the fighting and dying. (photos, maps)

Pub Date: April 1, 1995

ISBN: 0-393-03763-0

Page Count: 384

Publisher: Norton

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1995

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.