The construction of the railway between Thailand and Burma in the Second World War using forced labour and prisoners of war has been the subject of numerous memoirs, novels and the famous Hollywood film The Bridge over the River Kwai. Yet documentation and primary sources offering an account of the railway from a Japanese, Allied, POW and post-war perspective are scarce. This six-volume collection uses documents from archives in Australia, Great Britain, India, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the United States, Myanmar, Thailand and Japan to present a complete picture of the reality of the 'death' railway.

If there was an honour roll of bibliographies of the Malayan campaign and the Japanese occupation of Malaya, Singapore and Borneo, this work would come close to the top of the list. With over 4,000 entries, it is a formidable collection and there is no doubt that Justin Corfield's efforts will be valuable to scholars working on this important aspect of military as well as Malayan and Singapore history. Corfield has compiled a virtual treasure trove of hitherto seemingly untouched material in the form of original diaries and other unpublished personal accounts, including material not only in English and Dutch, but also in Malay and Chinese. Three indices greatly facilitate the looking up of entries.

The first general history of death and bereavement in twentieth century Australia. Starts with the culture of death denial from 1920 to 1970 and discusses increased openness about death since the 1980s.