Histories of the Unexpected: World War II

The Histories of the Unexpected series not only presents a new way of thinking about the past, but also reveals the world around us as never before. Traditionally, World War II has been understood in a straightforward way but the period really comes alive if you take an unexpected approach to its history. Yes, battles, bombs and bravery all have a fascinating history . . . but so too do handkerchiefs, furniture, Mozart, insects, blood, mothers, suicide, darkness, cancer and puppets! Each of these subjects is equally fascinating in its own right, and each sheds new light on the traditional subjects and themes that we think we know so well.

Sam Willis is a historian who has made 12 TV series for the BBC and National Geographic, including The Silk Road, and has written 14 books, including The Struggle for Sea Power and In the House of Victory. James Daybell is a historian who has written eight books and appeared in a number of historical BBC TV documentaries.

CONTENTS
A Personal Note. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Acknowledgements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
World War II: An Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1. Blood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2. King Arthur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3. Cancer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
4. Carrots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
5. Mozart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
6. Darkness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
7. Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
8. Pockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
9. Furniture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
10. Mothers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
11. Puppets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
12. Cows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
13. Handkerchiefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
14. Paperbacks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
15. Gates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
16. Zen Buddhism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
17. Insects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
18. Deafness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
19. Suicide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
20. Rubble. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Selected Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Illustration Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191