The First World War (History of Warfare) - Softcover

Prior, Robin; Wilson, Trevor

Softcover

ISBN 10: 030435984X ISBN 13: 9780304359844

Publisher: UNKNO, 2002

Synopsis

Here is a richly complex year-by-year view of World War One that uncovers its underlying causes, from the first shots in the Balkans through its relentless, deadly expansion across Europe and beyond. Start in the east as Germany strikes forth, and then read of the horrific actions that eliminated Serbia, brought fighting to the Pacific and Africa, led to the tragedy at Gallipoli, and moved into Palestine. Look westward to the clash of armies at Verdun, Brusilov, and the Somme, and at the U-boat campaign. And, at the culmination, consider the price of peace--and how Germany's punishment helped sow the seeds of World War II.

About this title

About the Author

Dr. Robin Prior is with the history department of the Australian Defence Force in Canberra. Trevor Wilson, a professor of history at Adelaide University in Australia, has written one of the most important studies of World War One, Myriad Faces of War.

From Library Journal

It is fitting at the close of the 20th century that some thought be given to the initial calamity that set the century upon its destructive course. The First World War by Prior (history, Australian Defense Force Acad.) and Wilson (history, emeritus, Univ. of Adelaide) provides a fine narration of the military course of the war on land (a companion volume in Cassell's "History of Warfare" series will treat the war at sea). It concentrates on the European fronts, East and West, and on the strategy and outcomes of the battles between the major participants. The authors show a decidedly pro-British perspective, giving less-than-equal treatment to French and American contributions to victory. Although there is a good chronology, the battlefield maps contain more detail than needed for such a general narrative. This strictly military history provides some debatable conclusions on the war's genesis and a paean to the justness of the Allied cause. It may be in answer, intended or not, to Niall Ferguson's provocative The Pity of War (LJ 3/15/99) or even John Keegan's stark The First World War (LJ 4/15/99). Roze, a classical literature professor in France, has produced a more thoughtful work in her Fields of Memory. True to its title, it is a testament in words and images to those who suffered and died in the Great War. Its fluid story is extensively illustrated with period photographs as well as recent ones of the French and Belgian countryside, still littered with ruins. Personal narratives of French participants are frequently cited to give life to the dead and help individualize the war experience. It is not scholarly like Jay Winter's Sites of Memory, Sites of Mourning (Cambrige Univ., 1995), but it has much more to offer than its coffee-table exterior would lead one to expect. Both books are recommended for public and academic libraries.
-James Tasato Mellone, Hofstra Univ., Hempstead, New York
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: UNKNO
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 030435984X
• ISBN 13: 9780304359844
• Binding: Paperback