Guns of August / August 1914

[Anthony Pigott]

Is this the same book under two different names? Thanks.

[Captain Chavasse]

Hi Anthony,

To my knowledge the book is called August 1914, and the film is called The Guns of August.

[salientpoints]

Captain Chavasse

To my knowledge the book is called August 1914, and the film is called The Guns of August.

My copy of the book is indeed called 'The Guns of August'

First published in Great Britain in 1962, under the title 'August 1914' the film was released in 1964. I guess subsequent reissues post 1964 were only titled 'The Guns of August'?

Does anyone have a pre 1964 copy called 'August 1914' I wonder?

I believe this was also JFK's favourite book?

Ryan

[Graham-McAdam]

Does anyone have a pre 1964 copy called 'August 1914' I wonder?

I do!

Must read it sometime. Too busy with "Mud Blood & Poppycock" at the moment.

[Anthony Pigott]

I had a look at what was on offer on BookFinder.com:

August 1914 -

Constable 1962,93, 2000

Reprint Society 1964

Papermac 1980

Macmillan 1981

All from UK book dealers.

Guns of August -

Ballantine

Dell 1963,71

Bantam 1976, 82, 89

Macmillan 1962

All from US book dealers.

It looks like a UK / US name split.

Regards

Anthony

[salientpoints]

Hi Antony,

It was kind of a UK/US split back in the 60's / 70's but the UK edition now is 'The Guns of August'.

I do not think it is currently printed under 'August 1914' - I would only assume the film did wonders for the 'rejacketed' version and it stuck with some bookclubs and remainder types continuing the old name.

I understand the original 1962 was published under constable as is my modern edition. They used both names along the way.

Now I am going to have to ask them the question!

Ryan

[Greenwoodman]

I think mine must be a first edition, showing Constable 1962, titled, "August 1914". Not in the world's best condition, it sits on the "To read" shelf with far too many others!!

[paul guthrie]

Richard put it on top of the stack, riveting, she is astonishing considering she was not a trained historian but quite a writer. Her breadth is amazing, equally good is A Distant Mirror, a story of the 13th century, you find it hard to believe someome could have discovered this much about lives so long ago.

Hope to see you at the WFA AGM again in 2005, will if they time meeting close enough to US Branch Somme trip as they did last year for Ypres trip.

[Anthony Pigott]

Thanks, everyone. Now I just to buy one and read it.

Regards

Anthony

[Guest Steve Seaman]

This book was one that I could not put down.I believe it won a Pulizter prize.The author paints excellent pen pictures of all the main players along with some amusing annecdotes.

Mine is a 1964 reprint titled August 1914.

Babara Tuchman also wrote The Zimmerman Telegram which I've yet to read.

Steve

[paul guthrie]

Zimmerman Telegram very good but not in the league with this masterpiece. Something that fits very well with it is Lions Of July, do not remember author but can get that & ISBN if you ask.

[AndyHollinger]

An interesting note Ms Tuchman spent time in Spain during the Civil War ... I believe she was covering the Loyalists for a UK newspaper.

I found the Guns of August not a true history per se, but a good read.

[rob carman]

Good evening,

Andy - what is about the the Guns of August that makes it "not a true history per se"?

Recently I learned that Tuchman was Henry Morgenthau's grandaughter and that when she wrote of Morgenthau's daugher, son in law and 3 grandchildren seeing the action between the Gloucester and the Goeben and Bresslau, she was probably talking of herself.

She wrote: "Trade w/ the Central Powers declined from $169 million in 1914 to $1 million in 1916, and during the same period trade with the Allies rose from $824 million to $3 billion. To supply the demand American business and industry produced the goods the Allies wanted. To enable them to pay for American supplies, financial credit for the Allies had to be arranged. Eventually, the United States became the larder, arsenal and bank of the Allies and acquired a direct interest in Allied victory that was to bemuse the post war appostles of economic detirminism for a long time."

I thought economic determinism is the rather cynical theory that says a society's culture, views and mores are driven by its economic interests. Given the 1914 trade figures, I suspect I may have it wrong or otherwise why would the "direct interest" bemuse anybody as the US and Allies were already into each other by 1914? Can somebody set me straight please.

Who coined the term economic determinism and who were his/her apostles?

Rob Carman.

[Guest woodyudet]

A very entertaining book [i've read it 4 times], although I remember my tutor describing it as 'coffee table history' which is a fair comment in retrospect.

I've never heard of the film ... presumably it is a documentary ... is it any good?

[andigger]

I found the Guns of August not a true history per se, but a good read.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I hope someone can shed more light on this. I remember my professor said the same thing, but don't remember how he quantified the statement. I think this might be a book I need to read again for the first time.

Andy

[Jack Sheldon]

Don't forget that there is another 'August 1914' out there - the brilliant novel of that name by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Even if the Eastern Front is not your thing, you should read this book,; it's outstanding.

Jack

[doogal]

Don't forget that there is another 'August 1914' out there - the brilliant novel of that name by Alexander Solzhenitsyn.  Even if the Eastern Front is not your thing, you should read this book,; it's outstanding.

Jack

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've got this book, and began reading it when I was 13. I've still to finish it over fifteen years later. It seems very interesting, but I've only got through the first three/four chapters for some reason.

Don't let this put anyone off - I'm hoping for some encouragement. As far as I can tell, it might pay to keep a notebook to write down all the characters, as there appear to be a lot of them, and he goes into great detail.

doogal

[Halder]

I hope someone can shed more light on this.  I remember my professor said the same thing, but don't remember how he quantified the statement.  I think this might be a book I need to read again for the first time.

Andy

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think the "coffee table history" tag is a little harsh. It's extremely well researched history - the only drawback is that, being 40 years old, it suffers from the historiography of the time - there's a little, but not a lot on the men, and a lot on the leaders -, and there's no use of archives (some weren't open then).

I think the nearest comparison these days might be Beevor's books on Stalingrad/Beevor.