While one can certainly get a good sense of how the Second Wordl War unfolded from it, this book is rather oddly titled. It’s not actually a “history” of the war told through maps but rather a history of the role of maps in the war, arguably a far more useful work than yet another collection of maps illustrating the course of the war.

After an introduction, Prof. Black discusses the uses – and abuses – of maps in seven chapters: Geopolitics, Strategic, Operational, Tactical, Reportage, Propaganda, and Retrospective. So the reader will find a German map of the military geography of Britain, a navigational chart of the waters off Omaha Beach, an Australian map of the environs of Buna, in New Guinea, a tactical plan of the Battle of Matapan, a British intelligence map of Axis forces in the Balkans in December 1942, a map of Axis maritime routes in the Aegean, the September 1940 Luftwaffe targeting map of London, a prewar propaganda map showing the dispersal of the “Volk” across Europe, several maps prepared from both sides to illustrate the state of a front – tactical or operational -- at particular moments (one annotated by Erwin Rommel), even some maps on touring the battle sites, and much more.

Each map comes with a discussion, a page or more long, of its purpose, how it was constructed, and how it was used. There are also short, but concise looks at how FDR and Churchill used maps, the role of aerial reconnaissance in map making, and more.

A History of the Second World War in 100 Maps is a valuable work not only for anyone with an interest in the Second World War, but also in uses and abuses of maps and the craft of map making, and might even be useful in piquing the interest of younger persons in the history of the war.

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Note: A History of the Second World War in 100 Maps is also available in several e-editions.