Looking for WW1 books

[castelnuovo]

I have read dozens of WW2 books, now I'd like to go a bit further back and read about WW1. The only one I read was Paris 1919, but it is about events after the war. Wars are not caused because one person is killed so looking for books about events/situation that led to the war and of course during the war.

Thanks

[stikpusher]

Read “The Guns of August”. It goes into the beginnings of WWI and covers the first 90 days or so of the war before it devolved into the static trench warfare of the next four years. Yes, it started with the spark of an assassination in Sarajevo. But the powder trail was laid for years before all over Europe.

[Tojo72]

Robert Massie-Dreadnought,Britain,Germany,and the Coming of the Great War

This book is extenive,but I found it fascinating about the origins,picks up at Queen Victoria's funeral in 1901


Guerrilla-Edwin Hoyt. Focuses on the exploits of Col.Lettow-Vorbeck and his campaign in German East Africa.

Ian Senior- invasion 1914

Max Hastings- Catastrophe 1914- Europe Goes to War

Edwyn Gray-The U-Boat War 1914-18
Much has been written about WWII U Boat war,the first War was even more brutal on both side.

So many more,but I'm away and can't look at my shelves,enjoy

[project510]

Aug 23, 2023 0:38:16 GMT -5 stikpusher said:

Read “The Guns of August”. It goes into the beginnings of WWI and covers the first 90 days or so of the war before it devolved into the static trench warfare of the next four years. Yes, it started with the spark of an assassination in Sarajevo. But the powder trail was laid for years before all over Europe.

This sounds very interesting. I may have to pick up a copy. After a quick Google search, I happen to find the full audio book on YouTube if anyone is interested. 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HGKWd5CXdY

[castelnuovo]

Thank you all. This is a great start.

[stikpusher]

Of course there are always the classic postwar novels written by those who survived, based upon their experiences.
“All Quiet On The Western Front” will give the reader an unforgettable visit to life in the trenches with the German army. I haven’t read any of Hemingway’s work yet, but one of these days I will.

[Tobi]

Aug 23, 2023 22:02:16 GMT -5 stikpusher said:

Of course there are always the classic postwar novels written by those who survived, based upon their experiences.
“All Quiet On The Western Front” will give the reader an unforgettable visit to life in the trenches with the German army. I haven’t read any of Hemingway’s work yet, but one of these days I will.

I was going to suggest this, too. "Im Westen nichts Neues" was one of the best readings during my school time, and I repeated reading it later.

[nathant]

The Sleepwalkers. I disagree with the Authors premise that European leaders just stumbled or sleepwalked their way to war, but the book makes great points and seems to spread the blame equally to all nations involved. It talks about Imperialism in Africa and how Germany was purposely isolated, along with all the romantic glorification of war at the time.

[ogrejohn]

Very good suggestions and I'd like to add "Devil Dogs by George B. Clark". It's the account of the U.S. Marines in WWI with the horrendous fighting at Belleau Wood, Soissons and other battles.

[41chevy]

I have them all. Excellent info and period photos and comparison of the battle grounds now.

rzm.com/collections/atb-books-world-war-i

[castelnuovo]

Thanks. Looks like an interesting read.

[murph]

Tim Cook is a historian at the Canadian War Museum here in Ottawa. He has written a number of books concentrating on Canada's involvement in World War I including The Secret History of Soldiers, No Place To Run, Vimy, At The Sharp End, Shock Troops and Lifesavers and Body Snatchers. I've read them and all and, as a Canadian, each is a compelling read.

[aaronw]

I read The First World War, by John Keegan. It covers the whole scope of the war, beginning to end so doesn't get super deep into the details but deep enough, to understand the major events. I found it a very nice overview of the entire war, not just the trenches in Western Europe.

A little dry, and jumps around quite a lot which can get confusing, although that is just the nature of such an all encompassing book. I learned a lot about the war, including events I knew very little about (like pretty much anything not on the Western Front). It did however take me almost as long to finish as the actual war.

I'd recommend it as a good one book jumping off point. It is not a large book, but is very dense.




I really enjoyed The Great War in Africa, by Byron Farwell. It covers all the campaigns in Africa, but the bulk focuses on the East Africa campaign which was the most active. Africa in WW1 is barely known but it was pretty wild. Much more fun to read than The First World War.


Both of these are available from Amazon, and should be easy to find used if you want to save some money.