This is a day-by-day account of the eighty-day struggle in 1940 between Hitler'poised on the edge of absolute victory'and Churchill'threatened by imminent invasion and defeat--on the eve of the second World War. "A masterful book'masterful in its portrayal of its protagonists, masterful in its overall understanding of the death-struggle in which they engaged, masterful, above all, in its vivid, suspenseful chronicling of the most momentous eighty days in the history of this century." 'Geoffrey Ward "This is a marvelous book. John Lukacs has lucid, unsentimental insight into the mind and character of both Churchill and Hitler." 'Conor Cruise O'Brien "A wonderful story wonderfully told." 'George F. Will "It is salutary to be reminded in this powerful study how close Hitler came to winning in 1940. . . . An impressive study . . . [written] with elegance and panache." 'Peter Stansky, New York Times "A master of narrative history on a par with Barbara Tuchman and Garrett Mattingly." 'Kirkus Reviews Read Less