Beevor sees sales boom in war books

Back in 1995, historians and publishers were horrified to realise that their books marking the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II just weren't selling.

British historian Antony Beevor, then working on his epic history of the Battle of Stalingrad, wondered if it was the end of interest in the topic.

Yet the subject has boomed, as his own success with Stalingrad and subsequent titles attests.

He puts it down to a number of reasons.

'We are living in a post-military society and in a health and safety environment and particularly the younger generation needs to find out what it was like at this time when people had no control over their own fate,' he told AAP....