The Second World War, 1939-1945. A Popular Military History by various Authors. Arms and the Men [with] The Campaign in Italy [with] Norway. The Commandos. Dieppe [with] Greece and Crete [with] NW Europe [with] Five Ventures. THE SHORT OFFICIAL HISTORY COMPLETE IN UNCLIPPED DUSTWRAPPERS

HMSO,, 1950[-1954]. 6 vols., 8vo., First Edition, with very numerous plates and maps in the text, three volumes with endpaper maps, one volume with signature on front free endpaper; red cloth, gilt backs, a very good, bright, clean set in unclipped dustwrapper. The set comprises: Ian Hay: Arms and the Men (1950); Eric Linklater: The Campaign in Italy ((1951); Christopher Buckley: Norway. The Commandos. Dieppe. (1951); Christopher Buckley: Greece and Crete 1941 (1952); John North: North-West Europe 1944-45. The Achievement of 21st Army Group (1953); Christopher Buckley: Five Ventures. Iraq. Syria. Persia. Madagascar. Dodecanese (1954). The 'Short Official History' was promulgated by H.M. Government to furnish the general reader with a short military history of the Second World War pending the publication of the numerous Official Histories then commissioning or in progress. The authors were selected by reputation and for their previous association with official sources (most notably in the well-known HMSO wartime pamphlets) and were granted unusual access to official documents and sources of information. As a result, and despite their 'temporary' status, the volumes are not only vividly written but remarkably detailed and well-illustrated. . The series was originally intended to comprise eight volumes but two of those projected, 'The Campaigns in Africa' and 'The Far East 1941-1945' were never published, possibly because by then the first cluster of Official Histories was nearing publication stage. ALL VOLUMES ARE ELUSIVE IN THIS CONDITION; COMPLETE SETS (ESPECIALLY IN DUSTWRAPPERS) ARE SELDOM OFFERED FOR SALE. Enser pp.202, 228, 298, 191, 76 and 273 respectively.