The War of the World
Astonishing in its scope and erudition, The War of the World grapples with perhaps the most challenging questions of modern history: Why was the twentieth-century history's bloodiest by far? Why did unprecedented material progress go hand in hand with total war and genocide? Ferguson’s quest for new answers takes him from the walls of Nanjing to the bloody beaches of Normandy, from the economics of ethnic cleansing to the politics of imperial decline and fall. The result, as brilliantly written as it is vital, is a great historian's masterwork.
Praise for The War of the World
"A work of originality and depth, history at its most challenging and controversial. No one can afford to overlook it."
— The Times
"His descriptions of atrocities will purge readers with pity and terror. [His] statistics are copious and telling."
— The Independent
"This thought-provoking, highly engaging, and nearly-impossible-to-put-down book challenges readers to think outside the box."
— Library Journal
"Big, bold, and brilliantly belligerent."
— The Sunday Telegraph
"Fascinating, supremely readable, and thought-provoking."