Posters of the First World War (Shire General)

The First World War coincided with a golden age of advertising, and throughout the conflict striking and colorful poster art was used to recruit soldiers, promote investment in the war, keep up morale - and, of course, to vilify the enemy. Prominent artists including Norman Wilkinson paired bold images to punchy text to maximize the pieces' impact, and the selection in this book offers an informative guide to the range of posters used and how  government appeals and messages were displayed to the general public. From the iconic image of  "Your Country Needs You!" to others that take less a less direct approach such as "Daddy, What Did You Do in the War?" and "Buy War Bonds Now!", this book puts the reader in the shoes of the First World War "man in the street".

David Bownes is a museum professional with over 20 years' experience working in the sector, and is Assistant Director at the National Army Museum. Among his other books are London Transport Posters: A Century of Art and Design and Underground: How the Tube Shaped London.

Robert Fleming is a Curator at the National Army Museum and has worked closely with the Museum's First World War poster collection; he has also worked at the Imperial War Museum. He specialises in British colonial and imperial forces, and has published on the Australian army in the First World War.