The enormous popularity of all aspects of World War II over the last half century has produced thousands of books but no single collection of biographies of American military and naval leaders during the war. This is the first definitive book containing biographical material on all of our country's generals and flag officers who served any active duty from December 7, 1941 to September 2, 1945. It includes general officers of the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, the National Guard, and the U.S. Marine Corps and flag officers of the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard. In addition to regular officers, it includes officers called to active duty from the Reserves, officers brought from retirement to temporary active duty, and officers promoted to high rank directly from civilian life.

As the first and only definitive collection of all American generals and flag officers who served in World War II, the book will be a useful resource for both librarians and those interested in World War II.

This evaluation of the senior leadership in the U.S. army is based, in part, on the personal experience and wisdom of former Chief of Staff General Edward C. Meyer. But it is supplemented by scores of interviews that the authors conducted with the individuals (and the leaders) who shaped the military since World War II. Many of the issues that had an impact on the leadership of the military over the period discussed are quantifiable, but many are not. Those that are not are evaluated from Meyer's experience and from the experience of the other authorities interviewed.

For the last several years Adm. James Stavridis and his co-author, R. Manning Ancell, have surveyed over two hundred active and retired four-star military officers about their reading habits and favorite books, asking each for a list of titles that strongly influenced their leadership skills and provided them with special insights that helped propel them to success in spite of the many demanding challenges they faced. The Leader's Bookshelf synthesizes their responses to identify the top fifty books that can help virtually anyone become a better leader. Each of the works--novels, memoirs, biographies, autobiographies, management publications--are summarized and the key leadership lessons extracted and presented. Whether individuals work their way through the entire list and read each book cover to cover, or read the summaries provided to determine which appeal to them most, The Leader's Bookshelf will provide a roadmap to better leadership. Highlighting the value of reading in both a philosophical and a practical sense, The Leader's Bookshelf provides sound advice on how to build an extensive library, lists other books worth reading to improve leadership skills, and analyzes how leaders use what they read to achieve their goals. An efficient way to sample some of literature's greatest works and to determine which ones can help individuals climb the ladder of success, The Leader's Bookshelf is for anyone who wants to improve his or her ability to lead--whether in family life, professional endeavors, or within society and civic organizations.