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Loading... The First World War: New Illustrated Editionby John Keegan
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.  hippypaul | Dec 29, 2009 |  Very thorough and full of detail though lacking that extra little bit. (  ) Trotsky731 | Jun 8, 2009 | It is astonishing how much data Keegan has packed into such a comparatively short book. No part of the fighting that took place between 1914 and 1918 is overlooked. He describes the battles with excellent detail but avoids political comments about the generals who butchered so many soldiers. This is not anti-war stuff but rather just a carefully crafted report on what happened. (  ) DeaconBernie | Dec 20, 2008 | An excellent one-book overview of the First World War, at the strategic level. Although I've had these topics before in various classes, having one chronological history to pull this together was helpful. Professor Keegan covers the war both in Europe and abroad in full - giving credit where it is due - the major campaigns, and yes, the disasters. The invocation of the Somme in particular is great in its awfulness, while the slow disintegration of the will to fight is so readily apparent. The one lack - and an understandable one - is due to its scope it cannot concentrate on any one unit or group for long: at best, a passing acquaintance with the generals is the most personal this reaches. However, from here it's easy to find more specific history to touch what you're interested in. (  ) parelle | Oct 27, 2008 | Millions of people died and entire generations were bled white by the first World War. Why and how this happened is the subject of Keegan's book. It discusses the strategies, logistics and politics of conducting the war in fascinating detail. It is a very readable book on a vast topic. Keegan corrects popular misconceptions about the Schlieffen plan and the effects of trench warfare on troop morale for all combatants. Definitely a must read. ( ) maunder | Sep 8, 2008 |  no reviews | add a review
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Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria | Italian Campaign (World War I) List of books about World War I | Order of battle for the Battle of the Somme Postage stamps and postal history of Greece |
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Keegan never tries to ram his learning down your throat. Where other authors have struggled to explain how Britain could ever allow itself to be dragged into such a war in 1914, Keegan keeps his account practical. The level of communications that we enjoy today just didn't exist then, and so it was much harder to keep track of what was going on. By the time a message had finally reached the person in question, the situation may have changed out of all recognition. Keegan applies this same "cock-up" theory of history to the rest of the war, principally the three great disasters at Gallipoli, the Somme, and Passchendaele. The generals didn't send all those troops to their deaths deliberately, Keegan argues; they did it out of incompetence and ineptitude, and because they had no idea of what was actually going on at the front.
While The First World War is not afraid to point the finger at those generals who deserve it, even Keegan has to admit he doesn't have all the answers. If it all seems so obviously futile and such a massive waste of life now, he asks, how could it have seemed worthwhile back then? Why did so many people carry on, knowing they would die? Why, indeed. --John Crace, Amazon.co.uk
(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:17 -0400)
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Mr. Keegan not only outlines the complex causes of the war, traces the action and events, and discusses the outcome but he also shows how the events of this war lead to so much that made up the events of the twenty century.
Most of all the author never loses sight of the task of the writer of good history. He tells a powerful story in a way that holds your attention throughout the work. This is a fine book and a huge addition to the literature of conflict. (