Desmond7 Posted 19 November , 2004 Share Posted 19 November , 2004 Bought in Waterstones on Tuesday, read by Thursday evening. Thoroughly readable ... but a missed opportunity and too many glaring errors. Waste of £7.99 IMHO. Was expecting a totally different 'viewpoint' on WW1. Instead, regurgitated and innacurate history far outweigh the 'travel' aspect which was the main reason I bought this book. Badly let down. Des Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Poilu Posted 19 November , 2004 Share Posted 19 November , 2004 Thoroughly readable ... but a missed opportunity and too many glaring errors. Could not agree more Des. An enjoyable enough book but the cynical attitude, repitition of old myths and 'waste' of it all grates after a while. Have you read Richard Holmes 'Mons to the Marne'? That will last a little longer and is infinitely deeper and more interesting. One of my favourite 'battlefields revisited' books for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 19 November , 2004 Share Posted 19 November , 2004 Des. I take it by your description that this book isn't "The War Walk" by Nigel Jones then? If so, I bought this book maybe 18 or so years ago and found it a compelling read that made me rethink my Verdun visits amongst other places . Agreed, the "history" contains innacuracies (but, then again, find me a book that doesn't!!!), but this book was "one of" the first of it's kind. Maybe now, as a reprint, it seems "old hat", but it was pretty original when it was first published! I haven't read it for a while now, but it's still one that I'll definately keep in my library. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desmond7 Posted 19 November , 2004 Author Share Posted 19 November , 2004 Thanks for the Holmes tip .... I'll save my cash up for that one ... and a few others! I would love to see a book written on this topic of 'walking the ...' , 'travelling the ...' Western Front which will not feel a requirement to make sweeping generalisations about strategy/tactics etc. To be perfectly honest, I'd like to see a travel book written about the western front by someone who is a travel writer first and amateurishly interested second. I believe such a book would be refreshing. Des Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Reed Posted 19 November , 2004 Share Posted 19 November , 2004 While this book may or may not have a new title, it is in fact Nigel Jones' War Walk which was published by Robert Hale in c.1983/4 - and was a piece of travel writing, not history. However, its concept influenced many... from War Walks to Walking The Somme... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desmond7 Posted 20 November , 2004 Author Share Posted 20 November , 2004 The War Walk is the correct title. It has been republished by Cassell and contains a footnote section explaining the book's first publication in 1983 and an introduction to the 2004 edition. The most glaring errors for me, and I fully admit to being a 36th Div. 'anorak' were found on:- Pages 94-110 - historical introduction to the Somme. This chapter (P.99) contains the passage - 'by nightfall the Division had lost 9,000 men' (describing 36th Ulster Div. on 1st July). Where this figure came from I have no idea. Pages 111 - 133 - author's travel notes and observations. This chapter compounds the error above by stating (on page 126) that 'Many of the 5,500 Ulstermen who DIED that day ....' Both figures are wrong. Casualties overall WERE 5,500 not 9,000. I am given to understand that the fatalities for the Division were just below the 2,000 mark. A high enough price to pay. I'm sorry to say that less than 30% of this book is given over to the author's travel writing and personal observations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Lees Posted 20 November , 2004 Share Posted 20 November , 2004 This was the first Great War book that I read, when it was first published. I knew nothing about the Great War at that time and, to be honest, I can't remember a single 'fact' that Nigel stated in the book. I was deeply moved by what I read and here I am 20 years and hundreds of books later, still fascinated by the whole subject. In that respect, I can forgive Nigel the odd inaccuracy whilst thanking him and others like him for introducing me to the Great War. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ste Posted 23 November , 2004 Share Posted 23 November , 2004 I have a copy of this book, which I have always viewed as a piece of travel writing, as described by several Pals above. It is an engaging and interesting piece, worth picking up second hand or borrowing from a library. It is impossible to 'think away' the more recent works that have following in the intervening twnety years, but I imagine it must have seemed quite a fresh approach in the early 1980s. I wouldn't judge Mr Jones too harshly for any factual errors of detail. He doesn't pretend that The War Walk is a work of reference or academic history; as long as you know what you're buying you should find it an interesting read. It is, after all, the author's personal perspective and pilgrimage to the Western front, and I can relate to that. Cheers, Ste Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now