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Frozen Hell brings to life the battles of the Finnish Winter War - Bestselling book into a new enhanced e-book iPad-application

Frozen Hell is the first enhanced book to describe the dramatic early battles of the Second World War between the Soviet Union and Finland in the winter of 1939-1940. Based on a Finnish bestseller, the unique interactive book includes stunning photographs and film material that demonstrate how the small nation of Finland overcame an enemy many times bigger in unbearably cold conditions.

The very easy-to-use enhanced e-book application is based on a Finnish bestseller, and the text has been translated into English directly from the contents of the original. To support the reading experience, the enhanced version adds dramatic photographs, authentic film material, detailed maps describing the course of the fighting and much more to bring the events of the Battle of Raate Road to life as never before. The app provides a step-by-step account of the fighting with a wealth of information about events during the battle and its aftermath.

- Frozen Hell is an impressive experience even for those who might not be highly interested in military history. The readers get to see video material not shown in public since 1940, and the authentic pictures and other features help realise the conditions the soldiers had to endure, Mika Koivula, Director from Gummerus Digital says.

The enhanced e-book format works especially well for non-fiction, where the complementary material brings real additional value to the text and helps the reader understand the reality over 70 years ago.

A remarkable piece of military history retold in an innovative way

One of the few enhanced books about the Second World War, Frozen Hell focuses on the legendary Battle of Raate Road. The battle marked the turning point in the war between Finland and the Soviet Union, and it had a decisive effect on Finland's ability to remain independent.

- The Battle of Raate Road is well known and often referenced in military history, and it continues to interest people all over the world. This particular battle is often used in many military schools as a prime example of defeating an enemy far greater in numbers and equipment, explains the author and historian Mika Kulju.

Book-app features include

- Archive documentary videos from 1939 to 1940 subtitled in English
- Video clips totalling 30 minutes
- Colour maps describing the course of the fighting
- English translation of the original bestseller published in Finland
- Thermometer indicating the temperatures of the "Frozen Hell" that the soldiers were forced to withstand
- Military power meter indicating the relative fighting strengths of the adversaries as the battle progressed
- Over 70 outstanding original photographs of the battle and war loot
- And much more

The app is available for download now in the Apple Store.

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Gummerus Publishers

Frozen Hell enhanced book is produced by the Gummerus Digital. Its purpose is to tell glowing stories and to offer interesting content in brand new ways to new audiences. The Gummerus Digital takes a different approach to books and their contents: it produces audio books and e-books, as well as different kinds of mobile applications, such as reference works for phones and enhanced books for the iPad. These digital products have either been created by us from the beginning, or in co-operation with various other companies. We also buy rights to finished products which we adapt for the Finnish market.

Gummerus Digital is part of Gummerus Publishers which is one of the biggest, and the oldest publishing house in Finland. The company was founded in 1872, and has been run as an independent family business ever since.

The publishing programme includes both domestic and translated fiction, non-fiction, and reference books, as well as dictionaries and language study books. Gummerus publishes 160 new titles and around 200 reprints every year. Gummerus employs some thirty publishing professionals, with an annual turnover of about 10 million euros.