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Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World
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Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War Hardback - 2021

by Malcolm Gladwell

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Reader reviews for Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War

From the publisher

An exploration of how technology and best intentions collide in the heat of war

A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice

In The Bomber Mafia, Malcolm Gladwell weaves together the stories of a Dutch genius and his homemade computer, a band of brothers in central Alabama, a British psychopath, and pyromaniacal chemists at Harvard to examine one of the greatest moral challenges in modern American history.

Most military thinkers in the years leading up to World War II saw the airplane as an afterthought. But a small band of idealistic strategists, the "Bomber Mafia," asked: What if precision bombing could cripple the enemy and make war far less lethal?

In contrast, the bombing of Tokyo on the deadliest night of the war was the brainchild of General Curtis LeMay, whose brutal pragmatism and scorched-earth tactics in Japan cost thousands of civilian lives, but may have spared even more by averting a planned US invasion. In The Bomber Mafia, Gladwell asks, "Was it worth it?"

Things might have gone differently had LeMay's predecessor, General Haywood Hansell, remained in charge. Hansell believed in precision bombing, but when he and Curtis LeMay squared off for a leadership handover in the jungles of Guam, LeMay emerged victorious, leading to the darkest night of World War II. The Bomber Mafia is a riveting tale of persistence, innovation, and the incalculable wages of war.

Details

  • Title Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War
  • Author Malcolm Gladwell
  • Binding Hardback
  • Pages 320
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Little Brown and Company
  • Publication date 2021-04-27
  • Large Print Yes
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Bibliography, Dust Cover, Illustrated, Large Print
  • ISBN 9780316309851 / 0316309850
  • Weight 0.9 lbs (0.41 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.2 x 5.1 x 1.3 in (20.83 x 12.95 x 3.30 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 1940's
    • Cultural Region: Asian - Japanese
    • Cultural Region: Oceania
  • Category History - Military / War
  • Library of Congress subjects World War, 1939-1945 - Aerial operations, Large type books
  • Dewey Decimal Code 940.544

About the author

Malcom Gladwell is the author of seven New York Times bestsellers: The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, What the Dog Saw, David and Goliath, Talking to Strangers, and The Bomber Mafia. He is also the cofounder of Pushkin Industries, an audiobook and podcast production company. He was born in England, grew up in rural Ontario, and now lives in New York.

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The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War
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The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War

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The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War
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The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War

by Gladwell, Malcolm

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The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War
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The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War

by Gladwell, Malcolm

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The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War
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The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War

by Gladwell, Malcolm

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The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War
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The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War

by Gladwell, Malcolm

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The Bomber Mafia : A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War
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The Bomber Mafia : A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War

by Gladwell, Malcolm

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The Bomber Mafia : A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War
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The Bomber Mafia : A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War

by Gladwell, Malcolm

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780316309851 / 0316309850
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Little Brown & Company. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, A Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War

The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, A Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War

by Malcolm Gladwell

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Little, Brown and Company, 2021. Large Print Edition. Hardcover. Used like new. Used like new hardcover in new dust jacket. Text is clean and free of marks or underlining. 5.6 x 1.2 x 8.25 inches) Includes B&W photo plates and notes. 320 pp. Fast shipping in a secure book box mailer with tracking. **Large Print Edition** Dive into this “truly compelling” (Good Morning America) New York Times bestseller that explores how technology and best intentions collide in the heat of war—from the creator and host of the podcast Revisionist History. In The Bomber Mafia, Malcolm Gladwell weaves together the stories of a Dutch genius and his homemade computer, a band of brothers in central Alabama, a British psychopath, and pyromaniacal chemists at Harvard to examine one of the greatest moral challenges in modern American history. Most military thinkers in the years leading up to World War II saw the airplane as an afterthought. But a small band of idealistic strategists, the “Bomber Mafia,” asked:… Read more
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The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, A Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War
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The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, A Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War

by Malcolm Gladwell

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War

by Gladwell, Malcolm

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