Two books about the Second World War are highly recommended, writes Colin Gardiner.

The Malta book is an exquisite overall view of the conflict: a deeply personal study of the islanders' endurance under constant aerial bombardment.

The Searchers also takes up the role of the U-boat and how the Y Service provided valuable intelligence through "radio warfare", influencing the outcome of the submarine war in the Atlantic and the Battle of Britain. Normally a specialist on tank warfare, Macksey tracks the history of this particular form of espionage with many powerful examples.

Military buffs will find plenty of interest in Cassell's World History of Warfare (£25), written by historians who have taken the widest view of conflict across the globe. Its focus is the changes made to weapons of war from age to age, and how conflict affected societies.

Out of this maelstrom comes an understanding of the conquering armies.