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Rating: 
Summary: Morison's History an Epic
Review: Morison's 15-volume set is epic in scope, impressive in detail, and literary in execution. Written shortly after the war, and covering the every significant naval activity during the conflict, it is an impressive achievement of both history and writing. No history so expansive, and written so shortly after the war, can have all the details or rely on all the sources which come to light later, but Morison's history more than compensates for this by its immediacy. In many instances, Morison was there, or spoke with the participants shortly after the events and got their immediate impressions. Accurate or not, those perceptions are history too, and Morison did an impressive job filtering his first-hand material through after-acquired evidence to make a history which is personal, compelling and truthful. The volume on North African operations covers an important, although less dramatic chapter in World War II, and suffers a little because of it -- the landings in Morocco and Algiers, important as they were to the successful conclusion of the war, simply do not provide the dramatic moments of Midway, Pearl Harbor, or the naval battles surrounding Guadalcanal. Still, it covers a fascinating and little-known chapter in the war, and is well worth the read. Morison successfully conveys the uncertain and unprecedented nature of a trans-Atlantic invasion, along with the sense of unknown risks present at the time in the minds of the participants. And Morison's prose, as in the other volumes of his history, is a joy to read in itself.
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