Best overview book covering the entire war?

[Guest cragwolf]

I want to erode my ignorance of WWI, and I want to start by reading a good, thick, overview book on the whole subject, covering politics, generals, soldiers, civilians, economics and so on. Something similar to what James McPherson achieved with his book on the US Civil War, "The Battle Cry of Freedom". So if you have any recommendations, I would greatly appreciate seeing them here.

P.S. I like maps, tables and statistics and so a surfeit of these would count as a plus for me.

[andigger]

I like Keegan's First World War. If you are willing to jump right in, its probably the best overview which is also readable.

Welcome, by the way, to the Forum.

Andy

[Max Poilu]

On seeing the thread title I was about to jump in and say, IMHO, I don't think there is one to recommend; I always find them too plodding, long winded and heavy going. But seeing your 'likes' I think as Andy says Keegan's book may be the one. There is also Martin Gilbert's 'First World War'.

If you like a quicker read I would suggest AJP Taylor's 'The First World War', some will not agreee but for a quick pick up I still look at it often. This together with one of the many 'specialist' studies for each crucial aspect or battle would make a good 'mini-library' of the Great War.

Edited 16 December , 2004 by Giles Poilu

[Soren]

My favourite is 'the great war' Correlli Barnett, from the tv series.

Regards

Soren

[DirtyDick]

If you like a quicker read I would suggest AJP Talor's 'The First World War', some will not agreee but for a quick pick up I still look at it often. This together with one of the many 'specialist' studies for each crucial aspect or battle would make a good 'mini-library' of the Great War.

I would also recommend AJP Taylor (ed) The First World War for a cerebral overall examination.

Although quite dated (1968), it tackles the conflict through a series of articles written by different authors and provides a wide ranging summary of the war, its causes and aftermath.

Richard

[Desmond7]

Facing Armageddon - best collection of essays on a 'broad front' I've seen.

Virtually every aspect of war covered. Highly recommended.

Not a chronological history as such ... but a great companion to any of the books mentioned above.

Des

See here for more

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0...7973415-9492613

[katb]

Facing Armageddon is fantastic and I would also reccomend Martin Gilbert's First World War.

[paul guthrie]

Consensus seems to be Keegan and Gilbert, I agree.

[Muerrisch]

And, having taken an overview, how about an underview, from the bottom up, called, appropriately, 'The War the Infantry Knew' by Dunn, quite the opposite from dull, plodding etc. With lots of maps and illustrations. Paperback available at give-away prices.

Becareful, it could change your life, it did mine.

[David_Blanchard]

'The Great War 1914-1918', by Cyril Falls.

[Guest cragwolf]

Thanks for the recommendations. I'll go with the Keegan book.

[Guest AmericanDoughboy]

I personally did not really prefer John Keegan's book. I thought that it was too broad as in historical standards. Quite frequently I found myself walking in the steps of Alexander the Great than the steps of the extraordinary soldiers of the Great War. John Keegan is indeed an excellent historian, but he is best overall history standards, if it is one subject he will include so much that I can not concentrate on what he is truly writing about.

My favourite book that covers the entire war would most likely be "The Great War" by Correlli Barnett as Mr. Soren had said as well.

~Parker

[RodB]

Politics & economics of WWI - huge field. Empires collapsed, new ones formed, the beginning of the end of colonialism, etc. I'm been back thru Bismarck, German unions, pork wars, List, Pan-slavism, Fashoda, Disraeli, the Boer War, Russia and Constantinople, Cannae (via Belgian neutrality and Schlieffen), 1905, 1870, 1815.. never ends. It's like the weight of history was too much to resist (according to Bethmann Hollweg). No one book can cover the whole field.. and I've only just got started. There is the added difficulty of several schools of thought on whose fault it was (Fischer's German war guilt thesis vs Gerhard Ritter's "we had no choice" among others).

IMHO a good start could be Clive Ponting's "Thirteen Days" - the diplomatic fumbling leading up to the shambles. Gives an idea of how diplomacy worked (or didn't) in those days, how the diplomats haggled over their historical gripes, and has a useful "dramatis personae" of the fateful decision-makers. But even this isn't neutral, he blaims the French.

I found James Joll's book on economomic, social & political background unbiased and fairly detailed (I think he discusses the different understandings of Franc-tirreurs).

IMHO John Keagan's book does not deal adequately with the Schlieffen plan (or Moltke Plan, aka Schlieffen Lite, or Ludendorff's plan to explain the loss of the war, depending who you read - it's messy), the alleged political trigger for Britain's entry into the war (depending on who you read), but it does cover the opening moves of the war in detail. It seems to rush over the later part.

Barbara Tuchman's August 1914 (aka Guns of August) is a classic narrative of the start of the war, but she subscribes to the German war guilt thesis.

One thing I still haven't found is a dispassionate analysis of the economic capability of the various combatants to wage this war i.e. tables of cash reserves, manufacturing, weapons and agricultural production capability.. but I don't think anybody thought much about this at the time.

[armourersergeant]

I pondered this question some time ago and came to the conclusion that an attempt to read books of certain sections of the war may be a better effort, and then piecing the bits together.

I realised that I had read some on 1914, some on 1915, the Somme, Passchendeale, 1918 and even the outbreak of the war! Put these together and fill in the gaps was my solution. I wondered if I would get infuriated with a general view that did not delve deep.

That said i will probably still at some point read a all in one book just to catch the bits not yet covered in one volume.

All the best.

Arm.

[Martin Hornby]

For an excellent introduction to the whole of the Great War, I would heartily recommended "The Great War" by Correlli Barnett. This book although a companion to the BBC TV series is a well balanced and informative read.

This book would provide anyone who is interested in the Great War with a sound foundation on which to commence building ones knowledge.

Martin

[Paul Hodges]

One thing I still haven't found is a dispassionate analysis of the economic capability of the various combatants to wage this war i.e. tables of cash reserves, manufacturing, weapons and agricultural production capability.. but I don't think anybody thought much about this at the time.

These important topics can't be covered in one book but can be covered well by reference to:

Hugh Strachan The First World War: Vol 1: To Arms - economics & industry well covered in a number of chapters, recently been filleted to produce a stand alone volume with new introduction Financing the First World War

Anver Offner The First World War: An Agrarian Interpretation - agriculture

Niall Ferguson The Pity of War may also be interesting on capability to wage war but far from dispassionate...

[RodB]

Thanks Paul, sounds like just the reading list I'm looking for. Expect to see me back here spouting confused econojargon in a few months.

[Antonio83]

I want to erode my ignorance of WWI, and I want to start by reading a good, thick, overview book on the whole subject, covering politics, generals, soldiers, civilians, economics and so on. Something similar to what James McPherson achieved with his book on the US Civil War, "The Battle Cry of Freedom". So if you have any recommendations, I would greatly appreciate seeing them here.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In my opinion the best one-volume history of the Great War is "Cataclysm" by David Stevenson; the works of Hew Strachan are also very worth. But neither Stevenson nor Strachan are for beginners.

I suggest for the new Great War buff "the real war 1914-1918" by sir Henry Basil Liddell Hart and "the First World War" by Marc Ferro.

I'm very disappointed on the Martin Gilbert's global history: it isn't history.

[SMG65]

How about just printing off the whole of 'The Long Long Trail'.

Its worthy of being a best selling book in itself.

Sean

[Chris_Baker]

'The Great War 1914-1918', by Cyril Falls.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Completely agree.

[Guest Benoit Douville]

For me, the best overall work about World War I is "The First World War" by Keegan.

Regards

[Dave Budgen]

Have you tried Trevor Wilson's 'The Myriad Faces of War'?

Dave

[Andrew Hesketh]

I would agree with Keegan and Falls, but my own personal favourite all-in-one is Gilbert's 'First World War'.

[Jack Sheldon]

Nobody has yet mentioned Liddell Hart's 600 page 'History of the First World War'. First published in 1930, it was reprinted by Cassell in 1970 to coincide with the appearance of his History of the Second World War. Second hand copies are available at a snip from Amazon.co.uk. If you like your history operational, polemical, and opinionated give it a go. It begins 'Fifty years were spent in the process of making Europe explosive. Five days were enough to detonate it.' - and it races along from that point.

Jack

[Fred van Woerkom]

I thought Keegan's book disappointing and, dare I say it, a bit dull.

I would tend to agree with Dave about THE MYRIAD FACES OF WAR by Trevor Wilson, but the original question was which book te recommend for a beginner and this masterpiece is perhaps not for the beginner.

I would recommend three books for this special category:

A J P Taylor's FIRT WORLD WAR ILLUSTRATED. It is opiniated and one-sided, but it is extremely readable and witty;

Jay Winter: THE EXPERIENCE OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR. It is useful because it distinguishes four types of war: that for the generals, the politicians, the soldiers and the civilians. Excellent demographic information, useful tables of all kinds and excellent photographs.

Robin Pryor and Trevor Wilson: THE FIRST WORLD WAR. Thought-provoking and readable. Very good maps and maps are often a weak point in most books.

All the best,

Fred