Maps

[Martin Hornby]

Can anyone point me in the right direction for Great War Maps.

What I am after is a compendium of maps covering as many theatres of the Great War as possible.

I already have Arthur Banks Atlas, but I was hoping Forum members might be able to suggest an Atlas/Book that are in colour, or have coloured markings on them?

I am quiet happy to buy either secondhand or new.

Martin

[Somme1916]

Martin

Pen & Sword Publishers carry “A Military Atlas of the First World War” by Arthur Banks for 14.95 pounds. I’ve never seen it so I can’t make any recommendations one way or the other. Also there is the “Atlas of the Great War” by Thomas E Griess, which if I’m not mistaken the United States Military Academy at West Point produces or at least uses. I can at least recommend this one as I’ve seen it even though it was about 10 years ago when I last saw one. Barnes & Nobles carry it and it is on sale right now for $5.99 US, I’ve just ordered one for my collection.

Cheers,

Jon

[Sue Light]

Martin

The Times 'History of War' has a selection of maps, similar to the Arthur Banks ones - a much smaller number, but in colour and covering most theatres.

Regards - Sue

[Jacky Platteeuw]

Martin,

I find Peter Chasseaud's "Topography of Armageddon" (Mapbooks:1991 reprinted 1998) the best you can find on the subject. It is however also in black and white but fascinating stuff. Join it with "Artillery's Astrologers" by the same writer (Mapbooks:1999) and you will have enough on your plate for several months.

Jacky

[Martin Hornby]

Thanks you all for the advice, it looks as if the Bank Account is going to take a little hammering in the near future

Martin

[MartinWills]

Martin,

As has already been suggested there a re a number of maps scattered through "standard" histories published just after the war. These are often to be found inexpensively as odd volumes in second hand "repositories". Not always in colour, though. The Hammerton "Great War" magazine part work (272 parts of bound as 13 volumes) has been reprinted and can be found from "remainder" type shops in 6 volumes at £14.99 each or can be bought on CD for £40

(see http://www.rod-neep.co.uk/acatalog/Archive...s_War_165.html)

Maps in official histories (originals in colour, reprints in black and white) are nice to work with. The map case maps as opposed to the "sketches" bound in to the volumes are available on CD-ROM from Naval & Military and are useful. In addition Unit histories of all sorts contain maps of great interest.

Trench maps whether as frighteningly expensive originals, reprints such as the G H Smith series (excellent at £3 or so) or the volume that Jacky suggests (Topography of Armageddon - excellent at £30). Of course you could always persuade your WFA Branch Chair (I wonder who that is) that The Trench Map CD or even the Official History Map CDs would be a useful addition to a branch library. The Trench Map CD was a popular addition here in Northamptonshire! Artillery's Astrologers will not provide you with any maps as such but will tell you everything you might ever want to know, and more besides about Great war mapping.

Don't forget the WFA trench map service for members or that various archives such as IWM; PRO; Fleet Air Arm Museum can also help with material from their archives.

For a specific request there is always this excellent forum or the splendid WFA Info-X (perhaps you know it!)where people will turn up all sorts of maps and plans some of which you never imagined even existed such as Turkish railway maps for 1919!

Above all I have learnt to collect whatever I can en-route - they all come in handy eventually.

[Graham-McAdam]

The Viking Atlas of World War 1 by Anthony Livesey, Viking/Penguin 1994 has lots of good modern colour maps with brief analyses of each topic. I always enjoy using it for a first look at somewhere.