What Churchill called the 'melancholy state' of a prisoner of war was not unique to the 20th Century. Since human beings first took up arms against one another, combatants had captured enemies. Never before, however, had so many prisoners of war been confined in so many places. Barbed-wire enclosures or their equivalents - electrified fences, bamboo stockades, barricades, walls of wood or stone - dotted the globe, from the United States and Canada through England, Italy, Germany and the Soviet Union, and into Asia, Australia, Japan and the islands of the Pacific. In addition to the millions of military captives whom the combatants formally classified as prisoners of war, the vast stretches of barbed wire contained untold numbers of other people - perhaps as many as 20 million. These were civilians who, by reason of their nationality, race, religion or simply their availability for forced labour, were held against their will.

Japan, for example, interned throughout the Pacific and in Asia more than 75,000 American, British, Dutch and other Allied civilians who, as missionaries, business people, diplomats, farmers or colonial administrators, happened to be in the wrong place when war came. Nazi Germany, to keep its war industries running, enslaved some five million labourers from Poland, France and other nations in occupied Europe. Germany also brought together in its infamous concentration camps, and then put to death, more than six million people, mostly Jews. The risks of captivity in wartime had never been greater. Yet, for the first time in history, the treatment of military prisoners was governed - on paper, at least - by an extensive body of international rules embodied in the Geneva Convention. Named for the Swiss city where it was signed in July 1929 by 47 nations - including all World War II belligerents except U.S.S.R. In practice, application of the rules was unpredictable: how a prisoner fared behind wire depended less upon the humanitarian provisions of the Geneva Convention than upon the widely varying customs and attitudes of his captors - and on wartime conditions.

Even when a nation generally adhered to the Convention, a prisoner's welfare might hinge upon the men who happened to be guarding him.

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Store Description

ThriftBooks is a fully independent seller of used books, having sold more than 160 million used and new books since we started in 2003. Each quality used book is sorted, graded, shelved and shipped by hand by our team of dedicated employees in our seven warehouses across the US. We have the best selection of books, in the right condition and format, at everyday low prices. We also have a dedicated, US-based Customer Service team, ranked in the top three by Newsweek for Best Customer Service in 2018 and 2019, so you can shop with confidence. We support and invest in our employees, appreciate and value our customers, and truly believe in the power of the written word to educate, energize, and engage readers of all ages and interests.

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Seller's business information

Thrift Books Global LLC
18300 Cascade Ave S, Seattle, WA, 98188, U.S.A.

Sale & Shipping Terms

Terms of Sale

We guarantee each book that we send you. If you have any problems, please contact
our dedicated customer service department. They will do everything possible to
ensure you are happy with your order.

Right of withdrawal

If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.

Information regarding the right of withdrawal

Statutory right to withdraw

You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.

The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.

To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.

To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.

Effects of withdrawal

If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).

We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.

We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.

We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.

We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.

You shall send back the goods or hand them over to ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A., without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.

Exceptions to the right of withdrawal

The right of withdrawal does not apply to:

The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.

Shipping Terms

All domestic Standard and Expedited shipments are distributed from our warehouses by OSM, then handed off to the USPS for final delivery.

2-Day Shipping is delivered by FedEx, which does not deliver to PO boxes.

International shipments are tendered to the local postal service in the destination country for final delivery – we do not use courier services for international deliveries.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.
Order quantity	4 to 8 business days	4 to 8 business days
First item	� 0.00	� 0.00

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.