Providing comprehensive coverage of the literature on the Southwest Pacific Campaign of World War II, this book includes both a historiographical narrative and an annotated bibliography of over 1500 entries. Part I, the historiographical narrative, includes a general survey and review of the works listed in Part II, the annotated bibliography. The historiographical survey features critical analysis and an evaluation of the literature, makes an effort to place each work in context, and also points to gaps in the literature. The bibliography section includes descriptive and evaluative annotations. Works cited in Part I are cross-referenced to Part II.

The book reviews, evaluates, and integrates a comprehensive collection of popular and scholarly literature on the Southwest Pacific Campaign. Coverage includes operations in all dimensions—land, sea, air, underwater, and combinations of these. The work covers personnel and their experiences, and includes memoirs, diaries, autobiographies, biographies, and oral histories. It also covers intelligence matters, diplomacy, logistics and supply, and cultural aspects, such as journalism, fiction, film, and art. Available archival, research, and library facilities and materials are also described. There is an introductory historical essay, a chronology, and comprehensive indexes.