THE DUEL

The title mano-a-mano pitted Hitler against Churchill in 1940 when the latter was the former's chief antagonist on the international scene. Lukacs uses this crucial period to challenge widely held historical principles. His book is, therefore, as much a "think piece" as nonfiction narrative. Narrator McDonough has an appropriate and listenable sound. He gives the impression of a professor discussing his research among colleagues. Other pluses: the tracks on these CDs are so pristine that on a good stereo, you'd think McDonough is in the room with you. Also, the tracks are electronically indexed for bookmarking. Y.R. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 00]