HISTORY - EUROPEAN HISTORY - 20TH CENTURY

SECOND THOUGHTS OF AJP TAYLOR

    I remember the first time that I met him very clearly. At that time,  I was reading madly about the World War II, in the process of which I was constantly being told more or less the same story. Then I took a book called "Origins of the World War 2". AJP Taylor instantly became my star. Although none of the other writings of his impressed me as much as the "Second Thoughts" part of his Origins of the WW2, he still continued to be one of my personal favorites.
    Although it is very important for a historian to be impartial, and AJP Taylor always looks at the events from above and not from any side, he may, for some people,  seem to on the side of controversy. But I believe that it is those new ideas, even they may be wrong , that make the difference between a history enthusiast who just learns history and a historian who, after learning, writes about what he learned. Of course, for the process of writing, one should mention here the need for a fascinating style, which AJP Taylor is undoubtedly well endowed with.

    Second thoughts is the addition that he made to the second edition of his book "The Origins of the Second World War" possibly as a reply to harsh criticisms. Th

        Other books of AJP Taylor that I read.

• "The First World War" (1963), (D521 .T39 1966): A very nice book written on an interesting subject in the usual Taylor style (little detail, lots of insight). It is also illustrated ( I really like illustrated books, sometimes a picture can tell what pages of description can't tell... After all, remember the Nazi Extermination Camps of the WW2: Rumors of the humanity crimes committed there had long been in the air, but it was only after the pictures of dead skinny bodies piled up, when the public opinion raged.)

• "How Wars Begin" (1979) (ISBN 0-241-10017-8, LOC call code D299 .T37 1979): He states interesting points that he had in his mind about the big wars of the industrialized civilization.

• "The Second World War" (1975), ( ISBN 0-14-004135-4,  LOC call code D743 .T39 1975): Like the "First World War", it is also illustrated.
  
• "From Sarajevo to Postdam" (1966) ( LOC call code CB425 .T38 1966 ): Accounts of the events from pre-WW1 to post-WW2.
  
• "English history, 1914-1945" (1985), (LOC call code DA566 .T38 1985): A very good account of the early 20th century Britain.

        A search I made in my sister's university's library revealed 21 of his books. Other than those listed here, I ran into an introduction written by him in a book about German history called, "Basic History of Modern Germany" by Louis L. Snyder
Library of Congress card no: 57-11308

•         For a formal introduction to AJP Taylor follow this link to his entry in Britannica Online.

•         Professor Kathleen Burk of the UCL is to publish a book on the life and history of A J P Taylor.