Somme, The Heroism and Horror of War (with five signed letters from Martin Gilbert)

Martin Gilbert

Published by John Murray, 2006

About this Item

First edition, first printing. Hardback in dustwrapper. 24 × 15.5cm, 332pp. Not signed as such, but this copy comes from the library of military historian and anthologist Anne Powell, loosely enclosed are five letters from Martin Gilbert (one handwritten, four typed, all signed), discussing publications, books, Ruth Tomalin, and ennoblements. At 7:30 a.m. on July 1, 1916, the first Allied soldiers climbed out of their trenches along the Somme River in France and charged into no-man's-land, toward the barbed wire and machine guns at the German front lines. In the months that followed, the fifteen-mile-long territory erupted into the epicenter of the Great War, marking a pivotal moment in both the war and military history as tanks first appeared on the battlefield and air war emerged as a devastating and decisive factor in battle. All told, there were more than one million casualties, with 310,000 men dead in just 138 days. In this vivid account of one of history's most destructive battles, distinguished historian Martin Gilbert tracks the experiences of foot soldiers, generals, and everyone in between. With new photographs, journal entries, original maps, and military planning documents, The Somme is the most authoritative and affecting account of this bloody turning point in the Great War. Condition: The book is in good plus condition. There is a little fading to the spine, and some light spotted foxing to the pages' top edge but it remains in strong readable.

Seller Inventory # 015944

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Somme, The Heroism and Horror of War (with five signed letters from Martin Gilbert)
• Publisher: John Murray
• Publication Date: 2006
• Language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Good
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)