Skipman Posted 21 February , 2010 Share Posted 21 February , 2010 How many Great War books do you possess? Which is your favourite? I probably have a paltry 150-ish, my favourite is .....thinks......eh.............well favourite three really; Wauchope's Black Watch History. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen p nunn Posted 21 February , 2010 Share Posted 21 February , 2010 How many Great War books do you possess? Which is your favourite? I probably have a paltry 150-ish, my favourite is .....thinks......eh.............well favourite three really; Wauchope's Black Watch History. Mike Evening Mike - that's spooky - I was just thinking the same! I am about the same as you - about 150. I've enjoyed them all really. Reading Peter Doyle's 'Tommy's War' at the moment and that is excellent. I enjoyed the books I have on trench archaeology. Richard Holmes' 'Tommy' was great. Wasn't that keen on 'Mud, Blood and Popycock' by Gordon Corrigan. All the best. SPN Maldon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malch Posted 21 February , 2010 Share Posted 21 February , 2010 About 300 including 28 volumes of the Official Histories, which although terribly useful cannot count as "readable". Best true contemporary account to date is "Up to Mametz" by LLewellyn Wynn Griffith. Aubrey Wade's "A gunner on the Western Front" comes very near the top too. For fiction or 'literature' it can only be Sassoon "Memoirs of an Infantry Officer". M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick D Posted 21 February , 2010 Share Posted 21 February , 2010 About 400, including the OH seies, all the battleground europe books, and other 'sets' . I cannot give a definative favourite, I like them all for different reasons. Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Marshall Posted 21 February , 2010 Share Posted 21 February , 2010 I have roughly 300 'real' books and a further 250+ in pdf format. I don't have a favourite per se, but I find the reference volumes I have the most useful, rolls of homour and that sort of thing. Cheers, Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulgranger Posted 21 February , 2010 Share Posted 21 February , 2010 Around 400, including the OH volumes for the Western Front, Gallipoli and Italy, and the Australian OH vols 1-6. Favourite? I have a soft spot for Middlebrook's 'First day on the Somme', and Manning's 'The Middle Parts of Fortune' Not so keen? Dyer's ' The Missing of the Somme' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David B Posted 21 February , 2010 Share Posted 21 February , 2010 Now Mike if you had expanded that into warries I have a lot mainly Victorian wars and ww2, strangely enough only about 20 of ww1 David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ulsterlad2 Posted 21 February , 2010 Share Posted 21 February , 2010 I have 17 books but my favourite is always the one I'm currently reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmac Posted 21 February , 2010 Share Posted 21 February , 2010 170 or so but the majority are on, or were bought to cover, the same subject. Fav would have to be Middlebrook, 1st Day on the Somme as it is what got me interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 21 February , 2010 Share Posted 21 February , 2010 I have decided to have a bit of an audit after reading how much some of the books go for. i knew about a couple but I have been checking out the aircraft 'file' books. Do we count single volumes as sets for example all the volumes of SDGW as one book? Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 21 February , 2010 Share Posted 21 February , 2010 I've never actually counted them, but they seem to occupy abouy 40-45 feet of shelving, plus a few more feet when you take the piles that can't find room on the shelves. Then there are a few dotted about the house, in the bedroom, spare bedroom, loo, sitting room, etc. I don't have a favourite: currently I'm quite fond of my Scots Guards history (recently acquired) as it completed the set of original regimental histories for the Guards (and Guards Division). I also very much like my 2nd Division history, picked up for (IIRC) £9 about 30-35 years ago, and which was annotated by an officer in the 17th Middlesex (as seen in Andrew Riddoch's book on the battalion - lucky blighter even met the bloke's son and got a pic of the late owner of my books). If there was a book I would say was a 'must' out of all of them, I'd repeat the already-mentioned Middle Parts of Fortune, which should be on everyone's shelves. Or floor, loo, bedroom .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 21 February , 2010 Share Posted 21 February , 2010 Mick, I was thinking of books in general, so I would count each volume as a book. I counted Wauchope's as three books, and it's my thread, so what I says goes. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armourersergeant Posted 21 February , 2010 Share Posted 21 February , 2010 Gave up counting, just upsets me when I think of the space I need. I have no hesitation in saying my OH set is my pride and joy. I often stand and look at all my books on the shelves and always my gaze goes to the OH set. Sad i know. I do like my copy of 'From Private to Field Marshall' by William Robertson. It has inside a few paper clippings from the days around Robertsons death and funeral and only cost a tenner. Regards Arm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoj22 Posted 21 February , 2010 Share Posted 21 February , 2010 I've only got 60 but my favourite is "A Wood Called Bourlon" by William Moore the most read-able book on this aspect of the Battle of Cambrai by far....!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithmroberts Posted 21 February , 2010 Share Posted 21 February , 2010 i have never counted them, but its a few shelves full, and although many are bargain buys, others have been originals which have caused the wallet to groan a bit. Like others, Martin Middlebrook has much to answer for. I might have been much better placed financially had I never purchased "The first day", but then my life would have been much poorer. I suppose an emotional favourite is the Gregory history of the 2/6th West Yorks, which belonged originally to one of the few, if not the only, man to serve in the 16th and the 18th battalions of that regiment. Alf Scott. I bought it from his niece, and that makes it special. Most years I now visit Bullecourt, if only for a couple of hours to reflect on the losses that the 2/6th suffered there. They were a tiny fraction of the war's casualties, but they seem nearer. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Bennitt Posted 21 February , 2010 Share Posted 21 February , 2010 I have about 100, if you include novels, as well as books that cover the period immediately before and after the Great War, or include aspects of the GW (e.g. Massie's 'Dreadnought', David Fromkin's 'A Peace to End All Peace' and Keegan's 'The Face of Battle' respectively. A top favourite would probably be 'The War the Infantry Knew'. cheers Martin B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Wade Posted 21 February , 2010 Share Posted 21 February , 2010 400! Chuffing 'eck! I have 8, or 9. General Jack's Diary - John Terraine First Day of the Somme - Martin Middlebrook Somme - Lyn MacDonald Forgotten Voices of the Great War - Max Arthur Last Post - Max Arthur The Last Tommy - which I can't find... 2 volumes of The World Crisis 1911 - 1918 - a bloke called Churchill ...or something. The Keighley News Great War Scrapbook - Unknown reporter - but it is unique. Guess which one I'm taking most care of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrel Posted 21 February , 2010 Share Posted 21 February , 2010 Too scared to count unless the Memsahib sees the total. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartH Posted 21 February , 2010 Share Posted 21 February , 2010 Not enough! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bardess Posted 21 February , 2010 Share Posted 21 February , 2010 I must be a cheapskate as I find em at the Library first and then decide if I want my own copy I currently own 25 or so and my faves are Somme Mud and In The Footsteps of Pte Lynch as I like the personal stories Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice Tiger Posted 21 February , 2010 Share Posted 21 February , 2010 Too scared to count unless the Memsahib sees the total. Tony I could hazzard a guess after our conversation in the Arriane last November but your secrets' safe with me As for my collection, much smaller than Squirrel's - 178 (having just counted them) Come on Mart H, I know books are your thing so time to count them Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blighty valley Posted 22 February , 2010 Share Posted 22 February , 2010 At prescent i have about 300 books and it grows every week, have all the battleground europe and they all make great reading but the book for me is by David Raw called 'its only me' its about the life of the Reverend Theodore Bayley Hardy VC,DSO,MC, in my humble opinion the man should be made a saint, please read it and you will see why Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartH Posted 22 February , 2010 Share Posted 22 February , 2010 Come on Mart H, I know books are your thing so time to count them Andy OK a guesstimate, I have over 1,000 Official Histories of which, of which over 200 are Great War, other GW books: I have 4 shelves at least double banked, 25 per shelf, so another 200, so a total of 400 minimum, none of them read except for the preface and bibliography - according to my friends. I have Carvers review copies of 1917 Vol II and III, Jellicoe's letter to a fellow Admiral starting the OH debate which ended with the disclaimer being added, I have the Reicharchiv's reference set of Der Weltkrieg , the proof copy of Whites, blah, blah, blah, armourersergeant talks a lot of sense, I even have a glass 6 foot picture frame designed by me, professionally built on the stairs landing wall where I display GW maps, it has a pin board behind it, opens up, etc, would any one like a photo? Its great! I know a book dealer, and author whose private collection numbered 10,000 plus, but he had been collecting from the 1940's. Now what did the late great Fred Truman say when he retired? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Marshall Posted 22 February , 2010 Share Posted 22 February , 2010 the Gregory history of the 2/6th West Yorks Very close to the top of my wants list is this book....... Hens teeth...plaitted fog.....rocking horse..... you get the idea! Cheers, Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barkalotloudly Posted 22 February , 2010 Share Posted 22 February , 2010 About a 1000+ i suppose, many memorial volumes, privately printed accounts and squadron histories etc my favourite ? Surgery on Tresles by Begg regards John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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