Books published by Imperial War Museum

Firsthand accounts and more than one hundred and fifty photographs of the Battle of Britain from the archives of the Imperial War Museums. In the summer of 1940, the Nazi Blitzkrieg had blown through much of western Europe, seizing control of territory right up to the French coast and preparing to invade Britain. Standing in their way was Fighter, Bomber, and Coastal Commands and the Royal Navy, all determined to prevent invasion, fighting off enemy forces in the air and in the water to protect the British shores. Published to coincide with Battle of Britain Day in 2022, this illustrated book tells the heroic story of those five months using artifacts, interviews, documents, film, art, and photographs from the vast Imperial War Museums archives. Personal testimony from those who were there helps bring to life this unique visual retelling of one of the most important moments of World War II.

Based on the author‿s own experience with the British Army and specifically the Royal Armoured Corps, Mailed Fist brings this extraordinary story of tank warfare to life.

A visual tour of twentieth-century royalty. From George V to Elizabeth II, fifty incredible color and black-and-white photographs reveal the prominent role royalty played in both world wars. An introduction from an Imperial War Museums historian opens the book and short captions provide critical context.

The iconic plane is brought to life through fifty incredible photographs. Part of a new series from Imperial War Museums showcasing their vast photography archives, this book features fifty of the best Spitfire images from the museum's vast collection. An introduction from an Imperial War Museums historian opens the book and short captions provide critical context.

Fifty of the best and most famous photographs of animals in war. From dogs and horses to bears and pigs, animals have accompanied men and women into combat throughout history. Part of a new series from Imperial War Museums showcasing their vast photography archives, this book presents fifty stunning images of animals that aided war efforts. An introduction from an Imperial War Museums historian opens the book and short captions provide critical context.

A reexamination of the narrative of genocide. Personal stories help audiences consider the cause, course, and consequences of this seminal period in world history. In The Holocaust, historian James Bulgin presents a wealth of archival material--including emotive objects, newly commissioned photography, and previously unpublished personal testimony from those who were there--to examine the role of ideology and individual decision-making in the course of World War II and the Holocaust. The book is published to coincide with the opening of Imperial War Museums's groundbreaking new Second World War and Holocaust Galleries.

Monica Felton's 1945 novel gives a lively account of the experiences of a group of men and women working in a munitions factory during the Second World War.

Stunning images by the famed British photographer. Part of a new series from Imperial War Museums showcasing their vast photography archives, this book features fifty of the best Cecil Beaton images, selected from the more than seven thousand in the museum's vast collection. An introduction from an Imperial War Museums historian opens the book and short captions provide critical context.

In September 1939, shortly after war is declared, Anthony Rhodes is sent to France, serving with the British Army. In the spring of 1940, the men are ordered to retreat to the coast and the beaches of Dunkirk, where they face a desperate and terrifying wait for evacuation.

Britain at War in Colour showcases 100 of the best rare and original colour images of the Second World War from the IWM photograph collection. Featuring new and never-before published images in a beautiful hardback album format, these graphic and powerful images bring the Second World War to life.

It is 1943, and a month into their service as Land Girls, Bee, Anne and Pauline are dispatched to a remote farm in rural Scotland. Here they are introduced to the realities of 'lending a hand on the land'.

In the summer of 1940, the Battle of Britain rages in the skies over southern England. Nineteen-year-old Pilot Officer Peter Stuyckes arrives at RAF Westhill and is immediately put to the test. Published to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

Based on Peter Elstob's own wartime experiences, Warriors for the Working Day follows one tank crew as they proceed from the beaches of Normandy into newly liberated Western Europe, brilliantly evoking the claustrophobia, heat and intensity of tank warfare.

1943, the North African desert. Major Tim Sheldon, exhausted and battle weary, is asked to carry out a futile and unexpected patrol mission. This intimate, tense novel puts this so-called minor mission centre stage, as over the course of the day Sheldon reminisces about his time as a soldier, his own future, and what it means to confront fear.

Using rare footage from the film archive at IWM, this flip book shows the famous Sherman tank move up to the front, as a tank squadron prepares for action north of Caen in early July 1944.

More than 170,000 British prisoners of war (POWs) were taken by German and Italian forces during the Second World War. Guests of the Third Reich will provide an overview of what daily life was like for prisoners, from staging theatre productions to keep morale up to working allotments and planning audacious escape attempts.

October 1941. Twenty-one-year-old Alan Mart is posted to India, and soon after the Japanese advance on Singapore is deployed to Malaya. What follows is a quietly shattering and searingly authentic depiction of the claustrophobia of jungle warfare and the futility of war.

Allied victory in the Second World War owed much to air power. Following the success of The Second World War in Colour, this book presents a further selection of original colour photographs from the IWM collection, focusing on Allied aircraft and airmen.

Tells the story of London during one of the most eventful points in its history - the Second World War - through IWM's unique collections, using diaries, letters, objects, photographs and maps. Includes fascinating images of London 'then and now'. A highly visual and accessible history.

The major art installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red at the Tower of London marked one hundred years since the first full day of Britain's involvement in the First World War. Featuring forewords by Paul Cummins and Tom Piper and stunning photography of the installation, this is the only official publication to mark this landmark event.

* Uncovers the first-hand story of Churchill's Second World War as it unfolded at the time * Features quotations from Churchill's speeches, articles, letters and secret memos * Gathers together wartime quotations about Britain's bulldog leader * Accompanying narrative provides context and commentary * Features around 100 images