Empires in the Balance; Japanese and Allied Pacific Strategies to April 1942

Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1982. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. xxiii, [1], 487, [1] pages. Endpaper map. Maps. Illustrations. Footnotes. Standardization of Names. Bibliography. Index. DJ has slight wear and soiling. Minor edge soiling. H. P. Willmott, a member of the Royal Historical Society, has written more than a dozen books on modern naval and military subjects, including the final work in his trilogy, Grave of a Dozen Schemes, and the critically acclaimed history of the Second World War, The Great Crusade. He holds a doctorate from London University and has taught military history at institutions in both Great Britain and the United States. The respected British military historian H. P. Willmott presents the first of a three-volume appraisal of the strategic policies of the countries involved in the Pacific War. Remarkable in its scope and depth of research, his thoughtful analysis covers the whole range of political, economic, military, and naval activity in the Pacific. This first volume comprehensively covers events between December 1941 and April 1942, concluding with the Doolittle Raid on April 18. When published in hardcover in 1982, the book was hailed as an eloquent portrayal of great empires on trial that no one should miss. Willmott's stimulating and original approach to the subject remains unmatched even today.