AndyHollinger Posted 22 January , 2004 Share Posted 22 January , 2004 Most of us are literary people. Many of us probably got interested in this through a book. Something started "it all." For me it was Alister Horne's The Price of Glory. Believe it or not, I think I found it in the Library in my high school .... back when people still read stuff from the HS library. From there, trying to understand the carnage and the courage has become an obsession. While the stories my father told of WWII B24 combat in the air started my interest in all things military ... and the unique concept of my Grandfather being a Confederate Veteran brought me to the Civil War, that book started something very rare in America - the interest in WWI. Since then, of course, I have been tramping around the places I visit looking for monuments and such ... but the book started it off ... What about you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 22 January , 2004 Share Posted 22 January , 2004 I would go to my high school library and read the encyclopedia on various wars. Specifically to WW1 Lyn McDonald played a large role in my increasing fascination as she did for many others, so glad she has made so much money at this! I read Horne about that time too & quite a few times since. That book has never been out of print, it's wonderful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gem22 Posted 22 January , 2004 Share Posted 22 January , 2004 For me the first book was Major Holt's 'Guide to the Salient'. Then the 'Mud Hook' by a chap from the RND. It was pretty well down hill all the way from there. I've had to have two book cases built to take the collection and I'm thinking about a third. Garth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyOfficer Posted 22 January , 2004 Share Posted 22 January , 2004 I read "Still Quiet on the Western Front", sometime in the late 70's. It was a combination travelogue/history of the remaining battlefields. I must have read that 9 or 10 times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armourersergeant Posted 23 January , 2004 Share Posted 23 January , 2004 Two books '1914' by Lyn macdonald and 'Farewell Leicester Square' Kate Kaffrey were the the ones that really got my interest and 'Goughie' by Farrar-Hockley got me thinking about the Donkey question in that if some one could mount a good defence for Hubert Gough then perhaps all i had 'read' about the others was not true. Whilst these are not now the best books i have read they are the ones that i remember as being intros to the Great War. Two novels that got me interested aswell were, JB Presitly 'Lost Empires' and RF Delderfield ' To Serve them all my Days' whilst these are not true war novels, they gave me an interst in the era surrounding the Great War. regards Arm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Hodges Posted 23 January , 2004 Share Posted 23 January , 2004 Graves' Goodbye to all that as a mere slip of a lad and hooked ever since... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 23 January , 2004 Share Posted 23 January , 2004 Reading Malcolm Browns 'Tommy at War' when i was about 10 years old, got me hooked in the first world war, re-read it about three years ago when it was re-published, still a outstanding book over twenty years later, about the life & times of the ordinary tommies during the first world war Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Desmond6 Posted 23 January , 2004 Share Posted 23 January , 2004 I cannot remember the actual school library book - but I always recall the picture it contained of the skeletal remains of the German soldier at Beaumont Hamel - it provoked feelings of fascination/horror. One of the most powerful images from war surely? Middlebrook's 'First day on the Somme' was probably the first in-depth book I read on the subject. P.S. I really enjoyed reading Thomas Kenneally's 'Confederates' - it was shortlisted for the 'Booker Prize' .. but don't let that put you off! Fully agree about Horne's 'Price of Glory' but I found his books about the Fall of France in WW2 rather difficult to 'get into' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyHollinger Posted 23 January , 2004 Author Share Posted 23 January , 2004 I read "Still Quiet on the Western Front", sometime in the late 70's. It was a combination travelogue/history of the remaining battlefields. I must have read that 9 or 10 times. Please give biblio info on this one ... sounds great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 23 January , 2004 Share Posted 23 January , 2004 Strange but I retured still quiet, had great hopes but thouht it was bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 24 January , 2004 Share Posted 24 January , 2004 Not wishing to hijack yet another thread on this subject, but it was possibly the "Charley's War" comic strip. I also remember reading "Death of a Generation" in my school library. Maybe it was this one , but I have an earlier memory of an infant school (cartoon)book (title unknown) about an (australian, with corks ,etc) kangaroo that foiled a German plan to win the war and destroyed the Paris gun. I think these all awakened an interest that was already there (who else made a cardboard A7V for their "Action Man" ? ) Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will O'Brien Posted 24 January , 2004 Share Posted 24 January , 2004 Not wishing to hijack yet another thread on this subject, but it was possibly the "Charley's War" comic strip. And not wanting to help Dave hijack another thread However, this too was the Genisis of my interest. In fact I'll admit to continue buying the comic in question when I was far too old to be reading comics............just to read Charley's War Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desmond7 Posted 24 January , 2004 Share Posted 24 January , 2004 Will - there is a website which does a real in-depth appreciation of Charlie's War. It's got several pages of art work and interviews with the creators (I recall). Perhaps some US members would appreciate a link - I'm c..p at that sort of thing. I'm sure you could find the site! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will O'Brien Posted 24 January , 2004 Share Posted 24 January , 2004 Will - there is a website which does a real in-depth appreciation of Charlie's War. It's got several pages of art work and interviews with the creators (I recall). Perhaps some US members would appreciate a link - I'm c..p at that sort of thing. I'm sure you could find the site! Desmond..............Yes I've seen it............brought back some childhood memories for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spike10764 Posted 25 January , 2004 Share Posted 25 January , 2004 For me it was 2 books-The aforementioned Farewell Leicester Square, by Kate Caffrey and a book lent to me by a workmate when he saw me reading that at bait time.("I've got a book about that lot somewhere at home, do you want to borrow it"-sort of thing) That book was "The Lonsdale Battalion" 1914-1918 by Colin Bardgett.I've since obtained a pristine copy of the special signed first edition (limited to 600 copies,mine is no 9) which has pride of place in my bookshelf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest woodyudet Posted 11 July , 2004 Share Posted 11 July , 2004 Charley's War !!!! utter genius ... that and the fact that I had to study it at Primary School, Secondary School, Undergrad and post grad which must be some sort of record ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Sweeney Posted 11 July , 2004 Share Posted 11 July , 2004 "The How and Why Book of World War One" Great for a 1st grader with limited reading skills, but have been hooked ever sense. Joe Sweeney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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