Robin Prior's new book is a military history of Britain across both world wars. The scope makes a lot of sense. For all the changes taking place during the years 1914-45, the commonalities and contrasts between these colossal conflicts were such that comparisons help us understand the whole. Few books have taken such an approach – and understandably so. It takes a historian with Prior's breadth of knowledge and authority to make sense of it all.
As with his previous books, is rooted in a close personal engagement with the archival sources, and is written with great verve. The book as a whole has to take a high-level approach, but Prior is good at swooping down to provide the reader with a telling example from a thinks.
