The Korean War has often been regarded as a forgotten war, although that
is certainly unfair. It was, if anything, a rather crucial war within
the ambit of the Cold War, started by North Korea in 1950 and, although
the bulk of the fighting was over by 1954, peace has never been
concluded and the two sides still face off over the demilitarized zone.
On the other side of the zone is South Korea, which has since become a
very prosperous and democratic country, while North Korea has achieved
relatively little. So, that war is certainly not forgotten by the
Koreans. And, given the large number of deaths and casualties, it is
still remembered by many in the United States and other allies, as well
as China and the Soviet Union. This Historical Dictionary of the Korean
War, now in its second edition, does much to jolt our memory and inform
us about the war. This is done first in a lengthy chronology, tracking
the war but also the path to war and what happened after. The
introduction covers the war as a whole, trying to make sense of it. The
dictionary section provides all of the necessary details on significant
persons, places and events, battles and other engagements, military
units and material, as well as the political, economic and social
background. There are also maps and a list of acronyms. This is really
the ideal source for information, in addition to which, it also has an
extensive bibliography.