About this title: Up until now, the Korean War has been the black hole of modern American history. "The Coldest Winter" changes that, giving readers a masterful narrative of the political decisions and miscalculations on both sides. He charts the disastrous path that led to the massive entry of Chinese forces near the Yalu, and that caught Douglas MacArthur and his soldiers by surprise. He provides astonishingly vivid and nuanced portraits of all the major figures - Eisenhower, Truman, Acheson, Kim, and Mao, and Generals MacArthur, Almond, and Ridgway. At the heart of the book are the individual stories of the ...
read more
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Macmillan
Date published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780230709904ISBN:0230709907
Description: New. Brand new books, maps and cd's available immediately from a reputable and well rated UK bookseller; despatched promptly and reliably worldwide. read more
Description: New. Please note that deliveries to addresses in the UK and Europe will be in 4-14 business days. Other countries should refer to Alibris standard times. ISBN10: 0330458507. read more
Description: Fine. 0230709907 SLIGHT SHELFWEAR. All orders dispatched by royal mail/airmail from UK within 2-3 working days. Unread copy. Over 500, 000 orders processed. read more
Description: New. Please note that deliveries to addresses in the UK and Europe will be in 4-14 business days. Other countries should refer to Alibris standard times. ISBN10: 0230709907. read more
Description: New. PLEASE NOTE: All books are promptly shipped from our UK warehouse using Royal Mail or DHL. International Priority mail for non-UK deliveries. Delivery is typically 2-4 working days for UK delivery. Heavier or more expensive books are shipped with a TRACKING NUMBER. Professional and reliable bookseller (est.1987). read more
Description: New. PLEASE NOTE: All books are promptly shipped from our UK warehouse using Royal Mail or DHL. International Priority mail for non-UK deliveries. Delivery is typically 2-4 working days for UK delivery. Heavier or more expensive books are shipped with a TRACKING NUMBER. Professional and reliable bookseller (est.1987). read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Gardners Books
Date published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780230709904ISBN:0230709907
Description: New. PLEASE NOTE: All books are promptly shipped from our UK warehouse using Royal Mail or DHL. International Priority mail for non-UK deliveries. Delivery is typically 2-4 working days for UK delivery. Heavier or more expensive books are shipped with a TRACKING NUMBER. Professional and reliable bookseller (est.1987). read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Gardners Books
Date published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780230709904ISBN:0230709907
Description: New. PLEASE NOTE: All books are promptly shipped from our UK warehouse using Royal Mail or DHL. International Priority mail for non-UK deliveries. Delivery is typically 2-4 working days for UK delivery. Heavier or more expensive books are shipped with a TRACKING NUMBER. Professional and reliable bookseller (est.1987). read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Hyperion
Date published: 2007
ISBN-13:9781401300524ISBN:1401300529
Description: Good. Only lightly used. Book has minimal wear to cover and binding. A few pages may have small creases and minimal underlining. Book selection as BIG as Texas. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Hyperion
Date published: 2007-09-25
ISBN-13:9781401300524ISBN:1401300529
Description: Good. Book is in good condition. Cover/book edges may have some wear/soiling. All pages are clean. Your satisfaction is guaranteed! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Hyperion
Date published: 2007-09-25
ISBN-13:9781401300524ISBN:1401300529
Description: Good. Book is in good condition. Cover/book edges may have some wear/soiling. All pages are clean. Your satisfaction is guaranteed! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Hyperion
Date published: 2007-09-25
ISBN-13:9781401300524ISBN:1401300529
Description: Good. Book is in good condition. Cover/book edges may have some wear/soiling. All pages are clean. Your satisfaction is guaranteed! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Hyperion
Date published: 2008-09-16
ISBN-13:9780786888627ISBN:0786888628
Description: Good. Edge of book has a little light smudging; cover corners creased. NOT an ex-library book; no publisher's remainder marks. Military (APO/FPO) orders are welcomed-Thank you for your service. read more
Edition: Large type / large print.
Publisher: Thorndike Press
Date published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780786298327ISBN:0786298324
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
"Sometimes we read a piece of history that is seems so important and relevant, but wonder why nobody teaches it in school or refers to it in public discourse. Such is the case of the Korean War. This is a great account of it. Halberstam provides a comprehensive view of a major turning point in American history that still shapes our politics and attitudes. The details about the battles, key military people, politicians, and conditions are vivid (beware when reading about the battles in that the carnage was horrific).
We see the gross miscalculations driven by hubris and ignorance, alongside brilliance. The heroism and the incapacitating fear of battle.
We get in depth looks at larger than life figures such as MacArthur (think about Donald Rumsfeld when you read it) in all his glory and vainglory. There are miserable excuses for generals that finally are brought to account in this book, and unsung great leaders that history has buried.
We lost a great journalist in Halberstam. At least we have his books."
"I was deeply moved by this, the last book by David Halberstam before his untimely death in a car accident in 2007. Halberstam got the idea for a book on Korea while talking to officers who had served there when he was reporting from Vietnam in the early 1960s. Halberstam went to Vietnam in 1962 and ended up writing a book called "The Making of a Quagmire" in 1964 which proved prophetic. "The Coldest Winter" is about the terrible fighting in 1950 and 1951, after North Korea invaded South Korea and the U.S. and U.N. intervened to stop them. Called the "forgotten war", the Korean War had some of the worst battles since World War I and featured the longest retreat in the history of the U.S. Army after American troops were surrounded in North Korea after the Chinese intervened with 300,000 troops in November, 1950. The winter is cold, the soldiers surrounded, the Chinese disciplined and seemingly their leadership indifferent to casualties.
There are many heroes, and many villains, including a scathing assessment of General MacArthur, who pushed north of the 38th parallel and provoked an intervention with China. Halberstam covers all the bases in this one, (as he always did) and lets us in on the motivations of Kim Il Sung, Syngman Rhee, (the president of South Korea) Mao, MacArthur, President Truman and the real-life Dark Lord, Stalin, who originally gave the go-ahead for the North Koreans to invade, (but don't expect us to give you our troops! That's what the Chinese are for!) After early 1951, the Korean War was simply a stalemate for the remaining 2 and a half years, a "limited war" the strategy for both sides resembling the Battle of Verdun. "Bleed the other side white" was the goal. In many ways, the "Forgotten War" was the worst war this country ever fought, in the worst terrain, mountain after mountain, no roads to speak of, terrible cold and terrible heat and humidity, rain, mud, the works. This is a great book."
"This volume typifies the care with which the author develops his books. The start is the surprise appearance of Chinese troop at Unsam in October of 1950. Their vast numbers and surprise attack shredded American forces, which had advanced by then deep into North Korea. The discussion of the fighting is classic Halberstam, with a lot of veterans reporting their experiences here, with great detail to provide a sense of the confusion and chaos as the Chinese attacked. And, amazingly, General Douglas MacArthur proceeded as if all was well as the Chinese melted back into North Korea after the attack, no longer to be seen. The continuing march to the Yalu River, of course, was to have dire consequences for the American and Allied forces.
The book then examines the context for the outbreak of the Korean War, with a look at key actors--from MacArthur (no longer, apparently, at the top of his game), Mao Zedong, Kim Il Sung (the leader of North Korea), Syngman Rhee (the South Korean leader), Harry Truman, to Joseph Stalin. Many other characters are portrayed as well, such as Dean Acheson and George Kennan and Chiang Kai-shek. The depiction of these characters in the unfolding drama provides context, as does placement of Korea in the historical context of repression under the Japanese for much of the first half of the 20th century.
One example: the detailed discussion of Douglas MacArthur is not very flattering. But the description of his relationship with his father (a Civil War hero) and mother (a "stage mother" to her son's military career) and his need to always be right and to have control helps understand some of the decisions made early in the war. Many will doubtless be upset about this portrayal of the General, but it is one of those detailed descriptions for which Halberstanm is well known.
Then, the actual invasion of the South by the North in June, 1950 is laid out. The discussion includes the dawning realization in Japan (MacArthur's HQ) and Washington D. C. of what is happening "on the ground" and their military and political response. In great detail, the book considers the battlefield picture, including the surprise and effective counterattack by MacArthur's forces at Inchon, the rolling up of the North Koreans, and--then--the emergence of Chinese troops to turn the picture around once more--and finally, to the deadly stalemate near the line from which the war had begun.
Some of the more valuable aspects of the volume are the interviews by the author with surviving veterans. These data provide invaluable richness to the text and make the nature of the fighting come alive for the reader.
In short, another epic work from David Halberstam. He died shortly after completing the book in a car crash, so this represents his last major work. It represents the author still at the peak of his powers. A book well worth attending to."
"This is a magisterial treatment of the Korean war. It is well written, well researched, and spares no one in
pointing out judgmental errors. It also shows the
hardships endured and bravery demonstrated by those who had to fight the war. More, it describes the political uses made of the war by the politicians in Washington. Not only do I recommend this book, I have given it as a gift to others."
We guarantee every item's condition, as described on Alibris. If you are not satisfied that an item is as described, return your purchase for a refund.
rating
