I recently revisited a piece of my childhood through a book I found at a second-hand store called Life's Picture History of World War II. There had been a copy at my grandmother's house, which had belonged to my grandfather, a veteran of both world wars. When I was growing up, my cousin Bob and I both enjoyed looking at it, together and separately. Published in 1950, a scant five years after that conflict had ended, it presented a visual account of the war through Life magazine's archive of photos and illustrations with a minimal amount of interpretive text. Although not necessarily intended as such, it was a good introduction to the conflict for a young reader. I even used it as a source for a paper I wrote on the Blitzkrieg in ninth grade. When I had it in my possession for that project, I really did not want to give it back.
Toward the end of her life, my grandmother passed many treasured belongings to family members, who would appreciate them. Although I would have enjoyed having that book, it went to Bob. I respect the fact that my grandmother took the time to make carefully considered decisions about her belongings, and I am happy that he has it and will one day pass it down to his son, yet I've long thought that I'd like to find a copy of it for myself. I have often looked for it on the shelves of second hand book stores, but until recently, I haven't even seen another copy.
Having not seen the book in about 40 years, I had forgotten the exact title, which made searching for it a little more difficult; in fact, when I found my copy, I wasn't sure at first that it was the same book, but leafing through it quickly convinced me, even though it had a different cover. The copy I remember from childhood had a red leatherette cover and may have originally come with a paper dust jacket, while the one I bought has a tan, cloth binding with a brown spine and a matching slipcase, but for the two dollars I paid for it, I can't complain; in fact, it is a rather handsome edition.
Having the exact title, I was able to take a look online to get an idea of how rare this book actually is. Second hand copies are readily available both on eBay and Amazon and prices are all over the place, ranging from about $4 to $75, which makes my $2 investment for the more deluxe slip cased edition a real bargain. When looking for this book, be aware that there is a later and entirely different book called Life Goes to War: A Picture History of World War II, which was published in the 1970s. Interestingly, one version has a cover that could easily be confused for this earlier volume.
Looking through that coffee table sized volume after so many years, I was struck by a couple of things. One was just how many of the images I vividly remembered from back then, but also how I regard them differently, viewing them through adult eyes. For one thing, the book is definitely a product of its time, making liberal use of terms we would deem offensive today, such as 'Jap', and editorial choices that represent an almost propagandistic mindset, the same that would have existed at Life, or any other American publication, during the war. Any atrocities depicted in the photos were being committed by Germans or Japanese, not Americans or their allies, and any grievously wounded soldiers mangled corpses were always those of the enemy. The few images of wounded G.I.'s depicted them receiving first aid for fairly minor injuries.
In a broader sense, it is interesting to note that despite the patriotic tone, the book presents a surprisingly unflinching look at the grim realities of war, neither glorifying nor condemning it. That said, one shocking omission from the book is the lack of any mention of the Holocaust or Nazi concentration camps, which would have been common knowledge by the time the book came out. Perhaps that also is a product of its time.
While I am glad to finally have my own copy of Life's Picture History of World War II, even if it is not the one I enjoyed looking at when I was a kid, I'm not sure how often I will be looking through it. My feelings toward war and its destruction are much different today, and I'm not as fascinated by it as I once was. Still, the connection to family history makes it a special addition to my library.
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