A new book in my library

I don't have his book on WW2, so I cannot comment.
Irrespective of that, his book on WW1 can still be used as a template now for a book on WW2.
I do not think that there is one single book about Romania in WW2 written before 1989 that accurately reflects the truth. The communists were simply unwilling to adress the Romanian activity in Russia. Now we can discuss that openly without fear. So, it is the perfect opportunity to write a proper book on WW2.
Radu

I can agree to that! Also WWI was used as propaganda material for every side involved in a political "battle"...
The writing of a "proper" ww2 book presumes quite a lot of documentation, knowledge and work-hours (I'd go as far as "work-years"...), which could not be done witout proper funding! And here's where the money and interests appear... because if X is willing to pay "zece mii dă dolaaaaari, banii meeeeeeei", then surely he would like to "have a say" in the matter! And then the "proper" part is quite over!
There's one more thing in here: the "old" historians are "broke" (aka partisans of some thesis) and the new ones are simply too new (even Cioroianu, which wouldn't have what it takes to do that, IMHO) to be believable.
But we're getting out of topic here.
Getting back to Mr. Kiriţescu (Sr., that is), no problem with not possessing his ww2 book - no loss there!
Cheers,
Mihai

Well, if you get Jiji to sponsor you, you get what deserve.

Shortage of funds is an issue for anyone. But most books/projects that I have been involved with were driven by passionate people who spend their own time and money to get anything done. Personal passion may get things done, but money might not. Unde dragoste nu e, nimic nu e. And trust me, if you want to make your way into "Academia Romana" someday, you better get busy writing. But if you want to make your way into "Forbes Top 100", writing history books ain't it.

Some day, we will have a good book about WW2. We need it!

Radu

I fully agree with Radu. One does not necessarily need sponsors to write a history book. Passion and dedication would suffice (paired with proper knowledge and open mind, of course).

For someone to write a detailed book about a country's army during WW2, a decade is certainly needed. Perhaps even more. See, for example, my own long-lasting project to map everything to do with the Hungarian Army in the 1919-1945 time period. I started the project well over ten years ago, and it's only now, after switching Publishers, that the publication is within grasp.

And yes, we certainly need a good, objective book on the military history of Rumania during WW2 (a notable publication, but with shortcomings, is Mark Axworthy's book often quoted in this forum).

Gen. Dénes

P.S. I believe this interesting issue would deserve it's own topic.

This post has been edited by Dénes on October 03, 2011 06:23 pm

I agree with your idea of separate topic, but I also want to underline it's not about "a history book", but rather a "monster", a time-consuming one. The endless debate could be given just by the summary...

There is a saying: "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!".

Yes, a book of this kind needs to be big because it is a big subject, but if Kiritzescu could hand-write a 1000-page book about WW1, surely using word processors (or dictation-to-text programs), computerised file management systems and cross-file search engines could make it a tad easier nowadays. The truth is that there are some good books available on the subject and they cover many disparate areas, but I was thinking more about a unified large piece of work similar to Kiritzescu's book on WW1. Axworthy's book is indeed a good effort.

Denes, I am glad to hear that your book is on its way. I have been "watching" it on Amazon for more than one year.

What is the name of Kiritzescu's book on WW2? I did not know that it existed and I cannot find anything about it either.

Radu

This post has been edited by Radub on October 03, 2011 06:30 pm

My copy is titled" România in al doilea razboi mondial" (Vols. 1 and 2). Editura Univers Enciclopedic, Bucuresti, 1996.

And it was a disappointment...

Gen. Dénes

Ditto! Quite a disappointment for me, as well! Perhaps the fact that it wasn't edited by him is decisive.

This post has been edited by MMM on October 04, 2011 10:23 am

Ditto! Quite a disappointment for me, as well! Perhaps the fat tht it wasn't edited by him is decisive.

Still, I would not mind getting it. Anyone has one for sale?
Radu

Although it's not so good, I won't sell my copy; the funny story is that I've acquired it during my second year in college from a guy who sold it because "he didn't like the style". But in those "Early Ages" (1997), there weren't any other good - or at least decent - books on the subject! The market was flooded with junk-style writings from J. C. Drăgan, if you know what I'm talking about...

Very good book!, quality of the paper is excellent.

Paper quality very good!

Excellent book!, Excellent paper!

Good quality paper.

Very good book from 1995 with veterans testimonies, 551 pages (including maps) + 24 pages with photographs, unfortunately the photos are printed on low quality paper.