One of the world’s leading historians re-examines World War II and its outcome

If history really belongs to the victor, what happens when there’s more than one side declaring victory? That’s the conundrum Norman Davies unravels in his absorbing new book No Simple Victory. Far from being a revisionist history, this is instead a clear-eyed reappraisal, offering new insight by reevaluating well-established facts, as well as pointing out lesser-known ones.

Davies asks readers to reconsider what they know about World War II, and how the received wisdom might be biased or incorrect. He poses simple questions that have complicated and unexpected answers. For instance, Can you name the five biggest battles of the war in Europe? Or, What were the main political ideologies that were contending for supremacy? The answers to these and other questions — and the implications of those answers — will surprise even those who feel that they are experts on the subject.

Norman Davies has established himself as one of the preeminent scholars of World War II history, in the tradition of John Keegan and Antony Beevor. No Simple Victory is an invaluable contribution to twentieth century history and an illuminating portrait of a conflict which continues to raise questions and provoke debate today.

Norman Davies is a supernumerary Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford, Fellow of the British Academy and of the Royal Historical Society, and Professor Emeritus at London University. His books include Europe: A History (a New York Times Notable Book), The Isles: A History, and the definitive history of Poland, God’s Playground.