Rating: 
Summary: A thorough account of WW2
Review: This book is very suitable for those looking for a purely military account of WW2. The sections that Keegan uses are well laid out. He explains each phase of the war to its completion.
Being the first Keegan book I've read, I would have to say his most outstanding quality is that he writes from an objective stand point. It was refreshing to find his writing unbiased to nationality (in contrast to Stephen Ambrose whose writing definately comes across as being American.)
As a warning, I give the book only 4 stars because it seems Keegan's vocabulary was too large for me. It was a bit difficult to understand at times.
Rating: 
Summary: Reads like a text book
Review: This book was one of the most descriptive books about WWII, that I have ever read. It had a lot of deatail, and it was hard to take all of it in. It has precise date's and is one of the most accurate book's about WWII. It would be a great book for researching, but it isn't the best recreational book.
Rating: 
Summary: The ultimate reference on the second world conflict
Review: This book was required reading in my World War II in Europe course at George Mason University. Highlights the origins of WW II and the events as well. Even though there are no color pictures the B&W ones are very good and the reading is very clear and concise. Keegan tells a masterful tale and he casts no doubt that he one of the leading historians on WW II. If you would like to learn more about this great conflict this is a good place to start.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Chronology
Review: This is a fine chronological overview of the war. It unfolds form the causes through the early years of Axis victory through the turning point and into final defeat. The one flaw in the book that I found myself dwelling upon as I read farther into it, was the lack of insight or opinion evidenced by the author. He seems to be reciting the events without relating much of the feeling as if in front of a class.His one concession to bias or insight seems to be his repeated justification or excuse for the actions or failures of Montgomery. Otherwise, he yields no reference to grasp his position on the telling of the events. This is a fine overview for those looking for just that. P-)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent introductory text.
Review: This is an excellent overview of the Second World War, well-written and thorough. It's being used as a textbook in my college's history department; a use I think it's ideally suited for, as it's broad enough for laymen but exacting enough for history buffs. The only notable flaws were a lack of a glossary, as terms like "Maquis", "place d'armes", "casus belli", and other latin/french/german phrases are dropped with nary an explanation. Some are discernable from context; others are not. It's no great task to consult a dictionary, but a glossary would have been helpful nonetheless. I also think that a general timeline, perhaps in an appendix, would've been a bonus, considering that the narrative often jumps from year to year in reference to previous events and battles in the war. A concise overview of the main events of the war, and the inclusion of a glossary, would've made this a five-star review. The prose itself is very erudite and engaging, though the British idiom can be a little confusing at times.
Rating:
Summary: John Keegan's First World War
Review: This is an excellent study of the First War. It is as good as any that I have read. Keegan as most British historians write with a fine command of English prose In order to get the most out of this book one ought to have an atlas of Europe close at hand. Without maps it gets a little difficult when one is especially reading the portions about the Eastern Front,ie Tannenburg, the Carpathians etc. The need for good maps is not only true about this volumn but I find it necessary to follow,with maps, any history of war that I have read, including biographies of famous generals. The publishers are not overly generous with maps in their books. It really makes a great deal of difference to follow with maps. I used a West Point Atlas of the First World War. These Atlases have been available online.
Rating: 
Summary: Keegan's war
Review: This is the history of the war as a conservative military historian would like it to be. It's not just the obvious ideology of Keegan's that is irritating. There are plenty of real factual errors. I've never heared of anyone claiming the Falaise pocket to be the largest tank battle of the war. Atrocious. It seems like he did not even research properly for his book and relied on someone else's ideas.
Rating:
Summary: Superb overview
Review: What Keegan's excellent "The Second World War" lacks in depth, it more than makes up for in breadth. The author does a superb job of condensing literally tons of sources, and a host of viewpoints, to capture the essence of the war. He does so by focusing on strategy; more specifically, the strategic dilemmas facing the major combatants. For example, how the U.S. could maintain a "Germany first" strategy after Pearl Harbor. He then goes on to capture the revolution in combat by considering the different kinds of battles fought in WWII. e.g. amphibious, airborne, urban, etc. Overall, "The Second World War" is an excellent volume, whether for someone new to the field, or an old hand. While the book is weighted towards the strategic/tactical aspects of the war, it is in these areas that Keegan truly shines. He is, after all, the world's foremost "military historian" not "economic", or "politcal" historian. Even so, this work is still an excellent "one-volume" history of WWII. Two final notes, one positive, one negative. The bad first; for a work that focuses largely on strategy the maps are entirely inadequate. Significantly more, and better, are required to capture the action being described. On a positive note, Keegan does an excellent job of making use of combat photography to supplement his work. While many authors of "serious" histories seem to shun illustration, Keegan realizes that a picture really can speak a thousand words...especially when it is capturing the horror of combat.
Rating:
Summary: Everything that need be said
Review: While Gerhard L. Weinberg's "A World at Arms" is probably the "best" one-volume treatment in terms of its awesome scope and depth of scholarship, Keegan's effort can be unreservedly recommended to anyone whose appetite for the subject does not extend to 1,200 pages. With seeming effortlessness, he reduces mountains of information to their essential core and presents it with clarity and wit. A perfect layman's volume.
Rating:
Summary: A Terrific Thematic Approach to Understanding WWII!
Review: While I do not agree that this is the single best one-volume treatment of World War Two available, I do agree it is a wonderful, eminently readable, and fascinating thematic approach that helps the reader look at the basic overarching themes to found in WWII. The introduction explaining how and why world wars became possible and attractive is worth the price of the book alone. Only Keegan could bring so much style, verve, and new perspective to such a widely covered subject as the Second World War. Therefore, understanding that the book is not an exhaustive and comprehensive history of the war on a battle by battle, theater by theater approach as one can find in other excellent one volume books such as Gerhard Weinberg's "A World At Arm" or Williamson Murray and Allan R. Millett's "A War To Be Won", it is still a singular tome with a unique and valuable perspective on the war that any self-respecting student of the war will not want to miss. Also, given Mr. Keegan's mastery of the written word and his way with a phrase, this is a book one lets drag on as you read it slowly, stopping to think about what he has just written in a particular paragraph and what it means. This is indeed great stuff! The book is organized chronologically but devotes specific chapters in the general narrative to particular important factors influencing the progress and direction of the war effort, such as the nazi bombing campaigns, the Allied war air over Germany, war production, organized resistance in occupied countries, and the various types and relative successes associated with espionage. Keegan's ability to marshal a stirring and articulate argument is unparalleled, and he relates the opposing forces' war strategies with an authority no one else can match. He also appreciates the many different levels of contribution to the overall war efforts ranging from unique leadership characteristics of specific individuals such as Montgomery, Patton, Eisenhower, and Marshall, but also pays attention to the massive contributions of ordinary soldiers, sailors, and war production civilians who made important efforts aiding ultimate victory. This is a very well-written and meticulously researched and documented book, and one I am glad to have on my World War Two bookshelf!
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