The War Illustrated

[Mick M]

Some advice please.

I've just been given a full 9 volume set of the War Illustrated in 8 bindings, they are in reasonable condition being in my friends family for a long time. 

Firstly are they a reliable source for research? I'm conscious that a contemporaneous account could be flawed by ommision.

Secondly after me I'd like them to go to a worthy source so ideas would be good...

 

Mick.

[keithfazzani]

I am afraid I cannot answer your question as to "accuracy", whatever that may be. But I remember this publication with fondness, as a set was to be found in the Common Room at school and I spent many a "happy" evening perusing the books. I found them fascinating at the time and I wonder if that is where the foundation of my current interest lies?

[Michelle Young]

We’ve just taken a 13 volume set of Wilsons The Great War to the local charity shop. No room to store them, and prohibitive postage costs. 

[Mick M]

8 minutes ago, keithfazzani said:

I am afraid I cannot answer your question as to "accuracy", whatever that may be. But I remember this publication with fondness, as a set was to be found in the Common Room at school and I spent many a "happy" evening perusing the books. I found them fascinating at the time and I wonder if that is where the foundation of my current interest lies?

Very likely, mine was visiting an elderly gentleman near school as part of the D of E, he was sgt in MG corps and described life in the trenches in graphic detail...

[Mick M]

22 minutes ago, Michelle Young said:

We’ve just taken a 13 volume set of Wilsons The Great War to the local charity shop. No room to store them, and prohibitive postage costs. 

That is an option ta.

[kenf48]

I bought a set for £10 at a local auction stuck them under my desk and recycled them a few years later.

I think the problem is that in the one hundred years or so since the conflict ended there are far more interesting, analytical accounts of campaigns and personalities presented in a much more coherent, less episodic fashion.

As to accuracy well in the 1920's everyone knew "England won the war", and I think the volumes reflect that attitude.  Whilst we cannot apply the editorial and social standards of the twenty first century, the text accompanying the pictures is jingoistic e.g. in the example posted above 'German minelayer's cowardly mission' - one assumes English minelayers were jolly Jack Tars; or how benevolent we were towards German POWs etc.

I can understand Keith's fascination, my go to as a teenager was my dad's "Then and Now - Twenty Years After' which has many of the same pictures but more dense text. Again of it's time and regrettably suffered the same fate forty years later.

[Mick M]

3 hours ago, kenf48 said:

I bought a set for £10 at a local auction stuck them under my desk and recycled them a few years later.

I think the problem is that in the one hundred years or so since the conflict ended there are far more interesting, analytical accounts of campaigns and personalities presented in a much more coherent, less episodic fashion.

As to accuracy well in the 1920's everyone knew "England won the war", and I think the volumes reflect that attitude.  Whilst we cannot apply the editorial and social standards of the twenty first century, the text accompanying the pictures is jingoistic e.g. in the example posted above 'German minelayer's cowardly mission' - one assumes English minelayers were jolly Jack Tars; or how benevolent we were towards German POWs etc.

I can understand Keith's fascination, my go to as a teenager was my dad's "Then and Now - Twenty Years After' which has many of the same pictures but more dense text. Again of it's time and regrettably suffered the same fate forty years later.

Thanks I think as a curiosity it has value and if it inspires someone to seek further knowledge then they have worth.

[depaor01]

I bought a set online for the library I work in (at some expense!). A local or neighbouring area's library surely would be happy to accept the set for their reference section.

Dave

[Mick M]

17 minutes ago, depaor01 said:

I bought a set online for the library I work in (at some expense!). A local or neighbouring area's library surely would be happy to accept the set for their reference section.

Dave

Yes I'm sure, as they were printed in the 20's I don't think they would stand the rigours of a school and that's os probably not the right direction bearing in mind the comments from Ken above.

 

Mick.

[Len Trim]

I am thinning out my collection of both WW1 and WW2 books. The usual local charity shops were not over enthusiastic as they would take up a lot of shelf space, have a very limited market appeal and would be able to sell them on for a couple of quid each at most. However Oxfam Book Shop we’re keen to get them and would be able to sell them on at a price more reflective of their true value.

 

[Mick M]

37 minutes ago, Len Trim said:

I am thinning out my collection of both WW1 and WW2 books. The usual local charity shops were not over enthusiastic as they would take up a lot of shelf space, have a very limited market appeal and would be able to sell them on for a couple of quid each at most. However Oxfam Book Shop we’re keen to get them and would be able to sell them on at a price more reflective of their true value.

 

Good option.

[Mick M]

14 hours ago, depaor01 said:

I bought a set online for the library I work in (at some expense!). A local or neighbouring area's library surely would be happy to accept the set for their reference section.

Dave

We have a small library in my small town, it's on my list ta.

[Mick M]

I have a contact in King's School Worcester so have approached the history dept. I wonder if a resource so understandably biaised would be welcome if they use it to show how the British public were fed news of the war!

 

If not library reference.

 

Thanks all

Mick.

[JohnC]

I have the same bound set and I find them an interesting and occasionally useful reference. Not for the words, but the photos. They contain probably thousands of photos that have never been reproduced in more recent books, often of very niche subjects. 

[Mick M]

32 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I have the same bound set and I find them an interesting and occasionally useful reference. Not for the words, but the photos. They contain probably thousands of photos that have never been reproduced in more recent books, often of very niche subjects. 

Yes a good point. Ta.

[Stereoview Paul]

I have both the 'War News Illustrated ' and 'Illustrated War News' sets, as mentioned above great photos some very 'patriotic' text which I fully understand from the times but less reliable as real history. The Illustrated War News has lots of 'how it works' info as well things like the recoil dampers on field guns. There are also a lot of regimental images here which would really need indexing.

If anyone has a set they are considering  binning it would well be worth breaking a set to scan.  as far as I can tell this has not been done, making the images difficult to access.

[Ivor Anderson]

The photographs in them are a great first hand resource. Many may now be unavailable elsewhere. I find a good digital camera photo is much better than a scan.

[lostinspace]

Would anyone know if these https://www.amazon.com/Great-War-Illustrated-Archive-Photographs/dp/1526781980 (re)published by Pen and Sword last year have crisper photographs?
 

edit: Never mind, this series was originally produced back in 2014. From the reviews I'd say the photos must be pretty sharp, think I'll give the first volume a try. https://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B00MJK2ZJS/ref=acr_dp_hist_5?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=five_star&reviewerType=all_reviews#reviews-filter-bar

Dave

Edited 29 December , 2023 by lostinspace

[Stereoview Paul]

I cannot comment on the quality of the photos - but the 1914 volume has four images across the top of the front cover, two of which were taken by Dr Girdwood in 1915!

[lostinspace]

43 minutes ago, Stereoview Paul said:

I cannot comment on the quality of the photos - but the 1914 volume has four images across the top of the front cover, two of which were taken by Dr Girdwood in 1915!

I can probably live with misidentifying the photos as long as the images are clearer than those found on the Internet Archive.
A number of the Girdwood photos were/are online, pretty sure I've downloaded some of them, as you say, all taken in 1915.
 

Dave