First World War History books

Hello!
I would appreciate your guidance in the subject of “First World War”
For now, I have two titles to choose:
-Stevenson, David – 1914-1918, The History of the First World War
-Keegan, John – The First World War

What do you think of them?
Or there are better ones?

Thanks
Ignotu

This is a suject I've become interested in lately. I haven't read either of the two you mention but Keegan is always good for a solid overview. Take a look at these:

Rites of Spring Covers social changes leading to the war.

Dreadnought Deals with English and German naval build-up prior to the war.

Castles of Steel About English / German naval battles.

The Guns of August Covers the first critical month of the war. Won a Pulitzer.

The First World War By Gilbert Martin, I haven't read this one but Martin is a solid historian.

All Quiet on the Western Front A "fictional memoir".

That will get you started, enjoy!

I tried touchstones, but generic titles struggle with that...

World War I by Michael J. Lyons

The First World War by Michael Howard

These were the primary texts used when I studied the war in college. They deal a lot with pre- and post-war issues as well.

Guns of August is a really fun read as well.

I seem to remember something being said about Keegan's book. We might have used an excerpt in class. I never really found WWII interesting, but WWI was a very complex social restructuring in the world. Best of luck!

@1 Do not miss The Good Soldier Svejk.

This is my first approach to the subject and I’m looking for a generally overview of the conflict.
I’ll check your recommendations for sure gordon361.
Rites of Spring and The Guns of August grasp my attention.
Thanks!

Primary texts used in college are a very good reference!
Thanks dlweeks!

Interesting suggestion snickersnee…
I cheeked the book on Amazon and my curiosity was pinched…
Thanks

user Eurydice has a great selection of books on WW1 and recommended the following to me:

A World Undone: the story of the Great War, 1914-1918, G.J. Meyer (history)
Paris 1919, Margaret Macmillan (history)
The Oxford Illustrated History of the First World War (history, reference)
Undertones of War, Edmund Blunden (memoir)
Under Fire, Henri Barbusse, (memoir)
Three Soldiers, John Dos Passos, (novel)
Her Privates We/The Middle Parts of Fortune, Frederic Manning (novel)
Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf (novel)
The Oxford Book of World War I Poetry (poetry)
The Guns of August, Barbara Tuchman (history)
Ambulancing on the French Front, Coylee (memoir)
Counter-Attack and Other Poems, Siegfried Sassoon (poetry)

#8
Eurydice must be a real “connaisseur” for such a long and varied recommendations!
Definitely The Guns of August is a major reference in the subject!
Thanks fannyprice

The current big academic survey is Hew Strachan's The First World War. Only the first volume, To Arms, of a projected three has been produced but it is definitive for the lead up and early history. You might also try his The First World War: a new illustrated history produced to accompany a documantary television series also titled, rather unimaginatively, The First World War.

Stevenson's is a decent one-volume survey but it relies heavily on other secondary texts (including Strachan) and it has rather poor maps.

For more books than anyone but a WWI scholar could read see the relevant section of my library/personal bibliography of works of interest (they'll be separated if collections ever arrives).

I have a rare one: HISTORY OF THE WORLD WAR Vol. 9/10 by Francis W. Halsey (1919) compiled by The Literary Digest. This volume covers 'Italy against Austria in the Trentino and on the Isonzo, The Fall of Gorizia and the Carso Fighting, The Italian Defeat at Caporetto Followed by Austria's Debacle on the Piave, The Four Years of Submarine Warfare, The "LUSITANIA' Case, Germany's War Zone Decree, Mercantile Losses from Submarines, The Zeebrugge and Ostend Exploits'. It is illustrated with photographs, and has a section on the War in the colonies. Have not read it yet but who knows?

I have many recommendations, consisting of primary and secondary sources, about Canada's involvement in the First World War. If a Canadian focus is of interest to anyone (ie. of interest to other Canadian LT members, I suspect), post a message on my profile page. I'd be happy to direct you to some fascinating reading.

For American LT members who might want to approach this subject through Canadian eyes, keep in mind that many Americans crossed the border to fight with the Canadian Expeditionary Force after August 1914 ( ie. like the Brad Pitt character, Tristan, in the film 'Legends of the Fall') because America did not enter the war until 1917.

Canada's last surviving veteran of the First World War is John Henry Babcock. Born in Canada, he lives in Spokane, Washington and has been a U.S. citizen since the late 1940s. He re-acquired his Canadian citizenship in the past few months. The Canadian government has offered the modest Mr. Babcock a State Funeral in Canada when he passes away, but it appears he doesn't want one because he is concerned it may diminish the sacrifice of all of the other Canadian veterans who passed on before him.

I don't know how to do the 'link' thing, but there is a great Wikipedia article about John Babcock if anyone is interested.

John Babcock Wikipedia article.

To create a link type:
<a href="your link">your linked text</a>

One more hint:
When linking in LT you can leave off the http://www.librarything.com. This keeps users of the non-English sites (like librarything.fr) from getting kicked to the English site when they click your link.

Example: /profile/eromsted is sufficient to get to my profile page.

In case you're interested in another WWI book list, here are the 23 books in my library with a "world war one" tag: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/rocketjk&tag=world%2Bwar%2Bone

Regarding Canada (sort of), my wife and I visited Newfoundland a couple of years back and I picked up a couple of interesting books about the Newfoundland Regiment in WW One. Memoirs Of a Blue Puttee: the Newfoundland Regiment in World War One is, as you would think, a memoir written by a member of the regiment, with history and text fleshed out decades later by his daughter. No Man's Land by Kevin Major is a fictional account of the regiment leading up to the group's most famous (and tragic) battle.

I say "sort of," by the way, because Newfoundland wasn't part of Canada during World War One, not voting to join the until (I believe) 1949.

The Origins of the World War by Sidney B. Fay is a really good book on the origins of World War I. As for books about the war itself, I am not sure. I have heard good things about Martin Gilbert's book but I have yet to read it.

If you're interested in WWI oral histories, all of
Lyn Macdonald 's books are excellent.

Make sure you get the new translation of The Good Soldier Svejk available at http://zenny.com. More information about the Svejk phenomenon at http://SvejkCentral.

Hi Ignotu, Of the two titles you yourself mention, ((John Keegan)) is one of our foremost military historians and therefore his book would be a fantastic starting point. Another author you may like to look at is ((Richard Holmes)), in particular his title (The Western Front). For specific key battles, far and away the best is ((Alistair Horne))'s (The Price of Glory) which deals with Verdun.
Hope that helps!

Thanks a lot Welshlily!
I have already decided on John Keegan book to start.
About the other books you refer, I’ll certainly take a look…

If you like more personal histories (memoirs/ personal accounts), you might try some of the following;

Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth by John Garth
Fix Bayonets! by John W. Thomason
Over the Top by Arthur Guy Empey
A Yankee in the Trenches by R. Derby Holmes
Goodbye to All That by Robert Graves
Irish Guards in the Great War: The First Battalionby Rudyard Kipling

I just bought a book titled The Origins of the War of 1914. I got all three volumes in paperback used and feel like I really made a find, one volume new is about $75.00. The reviews I have read say that this is an excellent source for the start of the war. It begins at the Conference of Berlin in 1875. I have The Guns of August and have read it several times. The Albertini book is not popular history like Guns of August but it has a great deal of information.

Hey I also just started getting interested in WWI after taking a course on it. The best two books that I have read thus far are, Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front," and "A Shattered Peace," by David Andelman. Andelman's book, I think really shows the significance of WWI and the consequences of the Peace treaties that ensued. These made me want to go back further and learn more about the origins of WWI. Barbara Tuchman's "Proud Tower" really describes what was happening before the war and ultimately the causes of it. It was a great read with interesting tidbits. Thomas B. Reed is a great character in the book! One that I am reading now is called the "King, Kaiser, Tsar: Three Royal Cousins who led the world to War," is really interesting and humorous. It kind of makes things more real and also a little less formal than I always imagined. I don't really go in chronological order, so the next one I am looking forward to is "Paris 1919," by Margaret MacMillan.

I agree John Keegan is a great place to start, but I loved Europe's Last Summer: Who Started the Great War in 1914? by David Fromkin also.

Even those with an extensive knowledge of WWI should read Europe's Last Summer. Fromkin has some new conclusions based on the works of recent scholars (last 30 years or so).

#22 misshollyhock, I **loved** Paris 1919. Another good one I read recently was A Diary without Dates by Enid Bagnold. She was a volunteer nurse aide in a hospital for British soldiers.

#23 and #24, I've just added Europe's Last Summer to my wishlist - thanks for the recommendation.

#23 and #24
In a few days I’ll start read The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman. Then, for sure, I’ll read your Europe’s Last Summer recommendation. Thanks

#22 and #25
Margaret MacMillan work is one of the books which will close my WW1 reads.

Anyone knows when will come out the Volume II of The First World War by Hew Strachan?
The Volume I was “To Arms”

hey ignotu and cmt, I actually changed my mind...I am reading the Guns of August next and then I have a few to read in between, i'm goingto try to get some of the memoirs, especially as said above Robert Graves and some of the others...then hopefully I will get to Paris 1919. I'm really excited for Guns of August, as now i'm still reading king Kaiser Tsar and I think it's a good background (at least for personalities and feelings) as a lead up to the war. Oh the Kaiser and Tsar really make me mad!

#28
I have just received from Amazon The Guns Of August and will start read in a few days.
And misshollyhoch, are you really enjoying King Kaiser Tsar? It really contributes to the understanding of the WW1?

hey ignotu, yes I definitely think so...although, I read Barbara Tuchman's Proud Tower a while ago and that's definitely a good background, this book by Catrine Clay kind of adds on to it, and introduces the royal personalities more in depth while the Proud Tower introduces a broad cultural background of the lead up to the war. Either way, it's interesting and pretty funny!

Misshollyhock I will start my WWI readings with The Guns of August, but your recommendations will be regarded. For the account concerning the period of war, I think I’ll choose John Keegan’s book and Margaret MacMillan account will close my first readings on the WWI issue.

hey after I read this thread...I also got John Keegan's book as well! i'm hoping I can finish king kaiser tsar tomorrow and then maybe start Tuchman's I will try to keep up with your pace, it will be fun to read them at the same time!

Hey misshollyhock, I think I’ll be the one to try to keep your pace…
English is not my first language, which make me a much slow reader and I’m presently reading The Bounty by Caroline Alexander, among my studies, work and many other things.
Nevertheless, I’ll start reading The Guns of August today, because it’s very interesting to share views and also very fun…

Just to throw it out there, I just finished Michael Howard's The First World War (Touchstone not working). It's short, less then 150 pages, but it's a good introduction to the war, its causes, and aftermath.

Just read Forgotten Voices of the Great War by Max Arthur. Very moving.

I believe the most interesting period of WWI is the two week run-up to the war. The diplomatic struggle that ensued after the murder of Franz Ferdinand, also called the July crisis, is what defined this war. In my opinion, one of the most readable books on this particular two weeks is James Joll's The Origins of the First World War.

Have fun!

#36
Thanks gerben 1980!

The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman was my first read about the WWI, which deals a lot with that issue. Now I’m reading John Keegan’s The First World War.
Nevertheless, I have already cheeked the book on Google Books and it catch my attention! Thanks for your recommendation.

My local library has a lavishly illustrated copy of Keegan's book. He's always solid. The Face of Battle is one of the best history books ever. Martin Gilbert's WWII overview was my introduction to the subject after discovering my sorry lack of knowledge about the war after high school (We were allied with the Russians? What the heck happened there? Ooohhh. I had better figure this all out). I'm sure his WWI is equally as good, but it may be redundant after reading the Keegan.

I find the first world war strangely compelling, more so than WWII for some reason. Its what the men went thru in the trenches, and those early air aces,what they had to do is awe inspiring and makes us realise that we have things so easy in these modern times!

#38
Keegan’s WWI book is my first contact with the author and in so far, I’m enjoying his lucid writing and solid arguments. Nevertheless, I intend to read another account of the conflict, but from the “other side of the trenches”, for a clear and true perspective of all the conflict.
Well, maybe I have to read a lot more to taste just a bit of that “clear and true perspective”…

The Face of Battle has very good reviews. I think I’ll take a look at it…

I also want to read about the WWII, but I decided to start with the First, because I think we can have a better understanding of the Second in that way.

I agree with #39, however my reasons arise from the geopolitical and social political profound changes it brought to Europe.

I just finished reading Emil Ludwig's Wilhelm Hohenzollern, The Last of the Kaisers which covers a great deal about what led up to World War I and I posted a review. It was an interesting look into the life of the one person most often blamed for Word War I.

Each year I pick the best book read that year. Since I have a huge interest in World War One, books thereon at times have won that accolade:

697. The Guns of August, by Barbara W. Tuchman (read 31 May 1962) (Book of the Year) (Pulitzer Nonfiction prize in 1963)
778. The Price of Glory Verdun 1916, by Alistair Horne (read 7 Sep 1964) (Book of the Year)
807. In Flanders Fields: The 1917 Campaign by Leon Wolff (read 8 June 1965) (Book of the Year)
995. Asquith: Portrait of a Man and an Era, by Roy Jenkins (read 22 Jan 1969) (Book of the Year)
2154. Chronicle of Youth: The War Diary 1913-1917, by Vera Brittain (read 14 Jul 1988) (Book of the Year)
2377. The Struggle for Mastery in Europe 1848-1918 by A.J.P. Taylor (read 13 April 1991) (Book of the Year)
2460. Dreadnought Britain, Germany, and the Coming of the Great War, by Robert K. Massie (read 7 Sep 1992) (Book of the Year)
3042. Back to the Front: An Accidental Historian Walks the Trenches of World War I, by Stephen O'Shea (read 21 Dec 1997) (Book of the Year)
3863. Castles of Steel Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea, by Robert K. Massie (read 4 Mar 2004) (Book of the Year)
4068. Eleventh Month, Eleventh Day, Eleventh Hour Armistice Day 1918 World War I and Its Violent Climax, by Joseph E. Persico (read 5 Sep 2005) (Book of the Year)

I would add to the list of good books about WWi - Pity of War by Niall Ferguson. Ferguson is best known as an economic historian, so there is much information in this book about the economic of the war as well as the battles, and politics.

While not strictly about WWI Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie (who also wrote Dreadnought) is also full of information about the Eastern Front.

My reaction to Pity of War:

3313. The Pity of War, by Niall Ferguson (read 25 May 2000) This came out in 1998. The author espouses some unorthodox and controversial opinions; e.g., he thinks Britain should have and could have stayed out of World War One. I could not agree with some of his views and thought some of them were espoused for their irritating or shock value. Overall I did not appreciate the book as much as I expected to, since World War One is a high priority in my range of interests.

Dear Group,

Didn't realize how old the OP was...

But with the 99th year about now, I though I might mention a DVD series.

A BBC TV series made for the 50th anniversary of the start of the Great War It took me almost 2 years to get the set for a reasonable price.

The interviews with some soldiers who were there on day 1 (and look younger than some of my Vietnam Vet mates look now) are worth looking for the series alone. Everyone from Ken Burns on, now use this technique, but remember this was made in 1964!

Guido.

ETA. If anyone knows how to combine my copy (I surely can't be the only member with this)
I will be thankful.