salientpoints Posted 29 December , 2003 Share Posted 29 December , 2003 One for all you Fathers in June...! Tommy: The British Soldier on the Western Front (published May 2004 ISBN 0007137516) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hill 60 Posted 30 December , 2003 Share Posted 30 December , 2003 One for all you Fathers in June...! Hey, that's unfair to all of us who aren't (or as in my case never will be) fathers! I demand an inquiry into this injustice I'll have to 'borrow' my cousin's kid and go and buy one of these for myself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broznitsky Posted 30 December , 2003 Share Posted 30 December , 2003 Salient, pardon my ignorance, but is Richard Holmes a good author? Can you post a pre-pub blurb about the content? Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hone Posted 30 December , 2003 Share Posted 30 December , 2003 The old Prof is becoming amazingly prolific these days. He's not turning into a 'Stephen Ambrose' or 'Tom Clancy' is he? How he finds time to write all those literary biographies as well, I'll never know! Seriously his books are usually very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salientpoints Posted 30 December , 2003 Author Share Posted 30 December , 2003 Yes I find his books very good - his TV manner is also very engaging. I'm not sure I can relate any other person as engaging on military history as Richard. I have a proof copy on the way and will pick out the blurb on Monday if I remember when I'm back at work for you all. Will keep you posted. (Didn't really mean just for 'fathers' but as we had only just had xmas it was kinda a good excuse to add a new present to the wants list already! ) Cheers Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salientpoints Posted 6 January , 2004 Author Share Posted 6 January , 2004 Ok Pals, as promised information on the book - Tommy - The British Soldier on the Western Front. Published 4/5/2004 £20 HB "The first history of the First World War to put the British Soldier who fought in the trenches centre-stage. This superb and important book tells the story of this epic and terrible war through the letters, diaries and memories of those who fought it. ...Tommy, in the same style as 'Redcoat' tells the story of the First World War through the experiences of those who fought in it. Over 6 million men served in the British Army - 22% of the adult male population, nearly 1 million lost their lives and over 2 million were wounded. This is the story of all these men, and the women they left behind... By using completely unseen letters, diaries, memoirs and poetry of 1914-18 to complete his picture of the generation that fought and died in the mud of flanders during the first world war, the life and character of Sgt Tommy Atkins is cast. Richard Holmes quotes many who wrote at lunchtime and died before tea; of women who lost husbands and brothers in the same afternoon and those who's mental health was destroyed forever by shell shock. He examines their motivation, the impact of their service, their attitudes to war and to the enemy, and ultimately the legacy of their experience... This book covers completely new ground and the result is a moving testament to the courage and sacrifice of a generation. " Hope this is useful to you Hopefully my copy will appear on my desk this week will provide more detail then. Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Morgan Posted 6 January , 2004 Share Posted 6 January , 2004 Looks good - can you tell us who the publisher is? Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salientpoints Posted 6 January , 2004 Author Share Posted 6 January , 2004 Sorry Tom - should have added that, its Harper Collins and its 416 pages so a nice tome! Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fair Posted 6 January , 2004 Share Posted 6 January , 2004 "The first history of the First World War to put the British Soldier who fought in the trenches centre-stage. ..... This book covers completely new ground ..." sounds like a touch of publishers dust jacket hyperbole there .... I would be interested to see how much genuinely new ground is being broken. It is hardly as if it is the first book to take a Tommy's eye view of the war, for example we already have: Ellis - Eye deep in hell Brown - Tommy Goes to war Simpson - Hot Blood and Cold Steel Winter - Deaths men Ashworth - Trench Warfare 1914-18 The Live and let Live system not to mention studies that include more than just WW1 e.g. Holmes' own 'Firing Line' and Keegan's 'The face of battle'. This comment aside, I still look forward to seeing it. Being Holmes I am sure that it will be authoritative, very well written and will sell by the lorry load. All good for raising the profile of WW1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 6 January , 2004 Admin Share Posted 6 January , 2004 One for all you Fathers in June...! Give us a chance! We're still sweeping up pine needles.......I haven't seen the first hot x buns or creme eggs yet though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salientpoints Posted 6 January , 2004 Author Share Posted 6 January , 2004 Give us a chance! We're still sweeping up pine needles.......I haven't seen the first hot x buns or creme eggs yet though. You will be pleased to know I saw creme eggs in our staff restaurant today... sounds like a touch of publishers dust jacket hyperbole there .... Of course this is for the niaive present buyers browsing bookshops - I'm sure everyone in here knows how it works but no doubt will still end up buying or getting it as a pressie in due course - its a win-win for the publisher References are indeed made to Redcoat, Firing Line to name but a few. As you say, sure to be a winner from the Professor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Hodges Posted 7 January , 2004 Share Posted 7 January , 2004 "By using completely unseen letters, diaries, memoirs and poetry of 1914-18 to complete his picture" I agree with this reaction to publishers' hype. I am an old pedant but examples like this do get my back up. Completely unseen? Surely not. Likewise, even the title of Max Arthur's admittedly good Forgotten Voices of the Great War. Forgotten? No - "Carefully recorded, archived, catalogued and available to all at the IWM" Voices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALANJONES Posted 27 July , 2004 Share Posted 27 July , 2004 Richard Holmes refers to the Royal Garrison Artillery as "The Gambardiers" in "Tommy" - does anyone know of the origin/meaning of this term please? Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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