Victory: World War II In Real Time

 Originally released by Sterling Publishing

"A vivid account that has something to please most WWII buffs."
                                                                                   —Kirkus

World War II is one of the most documented conflicts in history, but Victory brings to life what is not so well-known: the story of the news as it unfolded while we fought the fight. This stunning book commemorates the 75 anniversary of our victory in World War II by covering 63 key events of the war from 1939 to 1945, plus includes human-interest accounts, as reported by the intrepid wartime journalists and photographers of The Associated Press—the main US chronicler of the conflict. 

The stories and photographs are presented in a breaking news format, organized by year, so that readers of today can experience the scope of the war in the same way people of that era learned of the events. The era is brought to life through vivid reportage from original AP news articles, newspaper front pages and maps, and more than 220 photographs that captured the action—including rare and never-before-seen images.

This book is a keepsake that honors the courage, dedication, and sacrifice of the valiant millions who fought in, reported on, and prevailed in this world-shattering war; it commemorates, as President Harry S. Truman proclaimed, “the victory of liberty over tyranny.”

Alan Axelrod has written more than 100 books, including the CEO and Real History series, Disruptors, and The Gilded Age. He was coauthor of the New York Times bestseller What Every American Should Know About American History (with Charles Phillips) as well as the Businessweek bestsellers Patton on Leadership and Elizabeth I, CEO.

The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. The AP teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. The AP provides content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands.

David Eisenhower is the Director of the Institute for Public Service at the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Eisenhower at War: 1943–1945, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in history in 1987 and Going Home to Glory: A Memoir of Life with Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961–1969. Educated at Philips Exeter Academy, Amherst College, and George Washington University Law School, he is the grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Les Krantz, producer and developer of Victory, is an award-winning publisher and author and president of Facts That Matter, Inc., a publishing company that produces books for The Associated Press and other notable organizations including the BBC, the Smithsonian, the American Management Association, and the Wall Street Journal. He has appeared as a guest author numerous times on the Today Show, CNN, NBC News, and other media. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Blanca Oliviery
Senior Manager
Marketing & Publicity
(646) 688-2548
boliviery@sterlingpublishing.com

AP marks centennial of World War I with new book

Originally posted on AP.org

The Associated Press announced today it has published “World War I: An AP Centennial Commemorative Edition,” in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the end of the war that was supposed to end all wars.

The new book collects a series of stories tracing the arc of the conflict, from Sarajevo where Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was slain, through the agony of trench warfare and America’s entry, which turned the tide against Germany and its allies.

World War I began with stirring words of patriotism and ended with 14 million dead, empires destroyed and the social order torn asunder. It spurred revolutions and counter-revolutions across the world, paving the way for the tyranny of Hitler and Stalin and an even greater global slaughter, World War II, a generation later.

“This project looks back at how the first World War impacted international relations in the immediate aftermath but also the ripple effect it continues to have on the current political landscape 100 years later,” said Peter Costanzo, AP digital publishing specialist. “It is a powerful reminder of how one major incident can change the course of history forever.”

"World War I" features more than 130 photographs from the AP archives and a comprehensive timeline of events. It serves as a must-have for anyone interested in the history of military conflicts.

The e-book is available now exclusively at Amazon and a paperback edition will soon follow.  

About AP
The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world's population sees news from AP. On the web: www.ap.org.

Contact
Lauren Easton
Director of Media Relations
The Associated Press
212-621-7005
leaston@ap.org

AP publishes special edition of ‘Pearl Harbor’ for 75th anniversary

Originally posted on AP.org

The Associated Press announced today it has published a special edition of its Pearl Harbor book to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the surprise attack on the U.S. naval base by Japanese forces.

“Pearl Harbor: An AP Special Anniversary Edition” is a comprehensive account of the history and events leading up to the attack on Dec. 7, 1941, which led the U.S. into World War II. It also examines the relationship between the U.S. and Japan and details the beginning of America’s involvement in the war.

The anniversary edition features more than 75 iconic and rare photographs, artifacts from the AP Corporate Archives, a narrative from a reporter at AP’s Washington, D.C., bureau who got the first message about the attack on Pearl Harbor, and President Franklin Roosevelt’s Dec. 8, 1941, speech to Congress declaring America’s entry into World War II.

Former AP war correspondent Richard Pyle writes in a new introduction:

Explosions reverberating from the vast naval bastion of Pearl Harbor left no doubt that the world was suddenly and irretrievably a different place, that is until a new generation of Americans would experience another harrowing surprise attack on September 11, 2001, near New York Harbor in lower Manhattan. Again, nearly 3,000 people were killed, the U.S. went to war and the world was forever changed. 

"The AP honors the memory of the Pearl Harbor attack from the unique perspective only reporters of The Associated Press can provide," said Peter Costanzo, AP's digital publishing and archival manager. "This special edition is a powerful keepsake that ensures we never forget those who perished on that harrowing day, as well as those who survived and went on to defend freedom at home and abroad."

"Pearl Harbor: An AP Special Anniversary Edition" is available in paperback and as an e-book on Amazon. 

About AP

The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world's population sees news from AP. On the web: www.ap.org.

Contact
Lauren Easton
Director of Media Relations
The Associated Press
212.621.7005
leaston@ap.org

Eisenhower biography reissued by AP on D-Day anniversary

Originally posted on AP.org

The Associated Press and Diversion Books have republished “Dwight D. Eisenhower,” a biography by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Relman Morin, on today’s 72^nd anniversary of D-Day.

Morin was an AP special correspondent who knew Eisenhower for 25 years and reported on many of his activities on the world stage.

Morin first met Eisenhower in North Africa during World War II and later helped to cover his two presidential campaigns for AP. Over the years he interviewed the general dozens of times so that the biography provides unique insights into the 34^th president’s life as a soldier, politician and statesman.

Morin also was granted access to the wartime leader’s personal files and associates while preparing the book, originally published in 1969.

The reissued biography includes a new foreword by a Medal of Honor recipient, retired Col. Jack Jacobs, and an additional report on Eisenhower’s secret trip to Korea in 1952 by another AP special correspondent, Don Whitehead.

“We felt this terrific biography deserved a new shelf life and hope it is rediscovered and appreciated by admirers of Eisenhower’s legacy,” said Peter Costanzo, AP’s digital and archival publishing manager.         

The book contains select photographs from AP’s archives and is available as an e-book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, GooglePlay, iTunes, Kobo and wherever e-books are sold.

About AP
The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world’s population sees news from AP. On the web: www.ap.org.

Contact
Paul Colford
Vice President and Director of Media Relations
The Associated Press
212.621.1895
pcolford@ap.org

In pursuit of Hillary Clinton with 'The Girls in the Van'

Originally posted on AP.org

“The Girls in the Van,” Associated Press journalist Beth J. Harpaz’s celebrated account of Hillary Clinton’s successful run for a U.S. Senate seat from New York in 2000, is back with new insights as her second fight for the Democratic presidential nomination intensifies.

First published in 2001, “The Girls in the Van” has been reissued as an e-book by AP and Diversion Books. It’s a remix of the original, with some passages dropped, a new opening chapter added and certain events given a context sharpened by time as Harpaz brings along readers in the press van that followed the former first lady from Buffalo to Brooklyn.

Then as now, questions about her authenticity, her marriage to former President Bill Clinton and an array of thorny issues have shadowed her chances.

“The Girls in the Van” was titled with a nod to a classic of politics and media, “The Boys on the Bus,” Timothy Crouse’s chronicle of the race that pitted President Richard M. Nixon against Sen. George McGovern, D-S.D., in 1972, when the candidates, their handlers and the reporters were all men.

Some things in “The Girls in the Van” will seem “terribly dated to today’s readers,” Harpaz writes. “The book was written just as old media was giving way to new media, when the daily deadlines of newspapers and TV broadcasts were replaced by the 24-hour cycle of cable news and the Internet. In the year 2000, we marveled that anyone could read email on a cellphone. We thought it was overkill to get a mere 12 emails a day (!!) from the campaign. We needed satellite equipment to send a photo to our offices ... As such, the book is a snapshot in time.”

“On the other hand,” Harpaz adds, “I believe my portrait of Hillary Clinton has withstood the test of time. She started out the Senate campaign as a buttoned-up, standoffish first lady who once insisted that the press be escorted out of a fundraiser while she ate. She didn’t take questions from reporters, she didn’t rub shoulders with the public; the Queen of England was more accessible than Hillary Clinton. That changed as the campaign wore on, and by the end, she thought nothing of standing in the middle of Grand Central, literally allowing herself to be engulfed by fans.”

“Beth offers a look back into Hillary Clinton’s history that feels notably familiar to those of us charged with covering her today,” AP national political writer Lisa Lerer writes in a new foreword. “Beth follows her on grueling campaign swings, traces her struggles to connect with voters and valiantly tries to analyze the back-and-forth of a never-ending stream of political outrage.”

Lerer adds: “Yes, the scandals have been updated: Emails and paid speeches, not parades and pardons, are the controversies of the day. A $300 million family foundation has replaced a White House intern as her most pernicious personal baggage …  And though technology has profoundly remade media and politics, so much about the experience of covering her hasn’t changed. The clashes with a strategically unhelpful campaign staff. The notably female press corps endlessly scrutinized for bias.  And the intense outpouring of emotion -- be it love or hate -- that Hillary seems to spark across the political spectrum.”

The new e-book is available from a number of outlets. A photo of Harpaz and a cover image are available on request.     

To learn about other AP books, visit our website.

About AP

The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world's population sees news from AP. On the Web: www.ap.org. 

Contact

Paul Colford 

Vice President & Director of Media Relations

The Associated Press

PColford@AP.org

212.621.1895

Lauren Easton

Media Relations Manager

LEaston@AP.org

212.621.7005