The book, The D-Day Invasion: World War II Collectors Edition is part of a series of landmark books covering the many fascinating aspects of World War II.  This book covers all the details behind the thorough planning that led up to the actual invasion.  The attack at Normandy occurred on June 6, 1944 and represented the stunning climax of a master plan called Operation Overlord whose primary goal was to break through Hitler's great Atlantic Wall and in so doing come to the rescue of Europe which had been under German domination for four long years.  The reader of this volume will get a behind-the-scenes look at the secret conference rooms in which this great battle was planned.  In addition to thorough planning and a massive build-up of arms in England in anticipation of this assualt, the Allies also employed many clever deceptions which tricked the German Army High Command into thinking that the landing would actually occur at the Pas-de-Calais rather than Normandy.  This book also goes on to describe in blow-by-blow fashion the post landing combat action.  The reader will learn the important role played by the Allied invasion fleet and their seaborn cannon fire.  The role of the Allied Air Forces in bombing and straffing the target beaches code named Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword is also revealed.  Combat action reports, as filed by Allied war corrsespondents like Ernest Hemingway, are discussed as are the many heroic efforts and stories of individual valor that occurred during this epic struggle.  This book was prepared through the exhaustive review of voluminous amounts of original war records and firsthand reports a fact that makes the story that much more poignant.  The major sections of this book are as follows: 1) Rehearsals for Invasion; 2) Overtures to Overlord; 3) The Airborne Assault; 4) American Landings; 5) British Beachheads and 6) The Fighting Inland.  The many Picture Essays contained in this book include the following: 1) Hitler's Atlantic Wall; 2) Aftermath of a Tragic Raid; 3) The Big Build-up; 4) Supreme Commander; 5) Yanks in Britain; 6) The Invasion Armada; 7) Ordeal at Omaha; 8) Britain's Shock Troops; 9) Those Wonderous Tanks and 10) New Work on the Beaches.  Also included in this book are the following closing sections: 1) Bibliography; 2) Picture Credits; 3) Acknowledgements and 4) Index.  In addition to an informative narrative, this book includes the following features: 1) Approximately 133 vintage black and white photographs; 2) 1 black and white illustration; 3) 14 color illustrations and 4) 3 maps.  This book is 208 pages and is in excellent condition.  The author is Douglas Botting.  Edition published in 1998.