Art and Culture
British publisher launches book on PH history
Author Miguel Miranda said writing about the Battle of Manila has been an opportunity for him to confront a very dark period in Philippine history, one that remains misunderstood today. (PNA Photo)
MANILA – After nearly a quarter of a century, a new book on the events that transpired in the Battle of Manila back in 1945 has been published as part of the United Kingdom’s Pen & Sword multi-volume series, History of Terror.
The 128-page “Battle of Manila”, which recounts the clashes from Feb. 3, 1945 to March 3, 1945 that ended Japanese military rule in the Philippines, is eager to impress a global readership with more than 70 photographs collected from public archives in the country and abroad.
Author Miguel Miranda said writing about the Battle of Manila has been an opportunity for him to confront a very dark period in Philippine history, one that remains misunderstood today.
To amass the wealth of research and insight for his latest work, he pored over volumes of official histories and archives, assembling a detailed narrative on the topic.
“It is written for both casual readers and serious enthusiasts who will appreciate a slim volume of historical tragedy,” Miranda said in a statement sent to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Friday.
Miranda’s book is the first major work by a Filipino author about the subject since Alphonso Aluit’s “By Sword and Fire” was published 24 years ago.
The title’s official release last April 16 came months after James M. Scott’s “Rampage”, a well-received best-seller that has revived interest in the tragic events befalling Manila in the final weeks of occupation by the Japanese military.
Following its release at the Pen & Sword Books online store, “Battle of Manila” is now available for pre-order on Amazon, Target, WH Smith, and other venues.
Other titles in the series are “Irgun: Revionist’s Zionism”, “Russian Civil War: Red Terror”, “White Terror”, “Emperors of Rome: The Monsters”, “The Shanghai Massacre”, and “Armenian Genocide”.
