Hopkins (history, U. of Liverpool) offers a basic and brilliantly illustrated history of the Cold War, reaching both before and after from 1917 to 1991 and into the early 21st century. He focuses on monumental figures and government policies, as well as "those who were caught up in major events." The major actors are the US, the USSR, Eastern and Western Europe, and China, but he also considers the impact of the Cold War in Africa, Latin America and the Middle-East. Hopkins writes for a very general readership looking for a basic over-view of official Cold War history. Only a few times does a page appear without some colorful photo or propaganda image. Toward the end is a useful time-line of events. In the very back, a pocket includes sealed facsimile documents, samples of literature, propaganda and comics in English, Chinese, Spanish and Russian. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Read Less