An Illustrated History of the First World War

This is a riveting book. The combination of engaging text and period photographs give one a good overall grasp of the era of World War 1.

I have a pretty strong academic background in military history, but mostly of a much earlier era. Longbows, not howitzers. And I confess, I've never quite understood the Great War. I mean, it seems to have begun almost by accident, it bogged down almost immediately -- at least on the western front -- and there was no resolution worth mentioning. And a generation later it all had to be done again. If the war had been created as the plot of a novel, the book would have been remaindered. Keegan, on the other hand, whether or not you agree with all his opinions, is noted for his ability to explain the complex forces behind historical events, and in those terms, this is the best attempt to explain the war I've come across. It was mostly a war among three European-controlled empires, and also a struggle between old-style despotic rulers and new, constitutional ones. The old style definitely lost in Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia. Even more, it was something of a family fight among several descendants of Queen Victoria. Beyond the competing grand strategies, Keegan lays out the variety of tactics and weapons in use and the competition between old methods (cavalry charges) and new ones (machine-guns), as well as the similarities and differences among the troops on both sides. What really makes this book, though, is the more than four hundred illustrations, which I've spent many hours studying. This isn't the only book on the war you will want to read, but if you're a beginner in the subject, you could do much worse than to make this the first book you pick up.

This is a very impressive coffee-table volume suitable for browsing or also as a great cover-to-cover read. The book does a great job of setting up the brewing tensions in 1914 that caused pandemonium on all sides. I have long read legions of works on WWII but have not read much on the first war beyond standard accounts such as "All Quiet on the Western Front." For a beginning study of WWI history this book is great, and the reader can clearly grasp all the issues and see how the same causes directly to the even greater pandemonioum of WWII. As the book progresses into accounts of the combat on the various fronts, the writing gets a little plodding to follow at times. But it is still accessible. The maps and photographs are first-rate and quite impressive. There are also numerous insets with brief sidebars on topics such as propaganda posters, women in the factories, etc., that allow the book to serve as a genuine coffee-table book that someone can just pick up for twenty minutes.This is the type of expensive book that makes it worthwhile to join a low-committment book club such as History Book Club, where you get 4 or 5 books for $1 each and agree to buy one more at regular price and then just cancel. You can generally find enough excellent expensive books like this that can count as only one choice for the introductory $1 and make it well worthwhile to join, rather than shelling out $35 - $50.

This is an excellent book for anyone wanting to know the details of The Great War. It has a nonstop plethora of pictures which take you through the entire war from the assassination of the Archduke to final day of fighting. The book can be very detailed, describing or showing troop movements, horrific battle conditions, and casualty reports. None of the major battles are overlooked. Mention is also made to the fact that most countries were unprepared for 20th century warfare. Major personalities are profiled in special pages of the book including the famous Red Baron. Not limited to just Europe, Keegan describes the war elsewhere in the world including Africa and in the Pacific theatre. War in the air is discussed including a special section on dirigibles and airplanes. A must read for the serious student of WW I.

Like many people of my age, my great grandfather was killed in the First World War and I have become increasingly interested in finding out more about the conflict and the circumstances which led to it. A subject like this is difficult to encapsulate, particularly given the complexity and far reaching nature of the war. I found this book by accident, but was attracted initially by it's format and layout, with a good balance of narrative, artwork, maps and photographs. I am delighted to say that the content of the book more than lived up to it's presentation and I found it extremely easy to read. The author displays complete control of the subject matter and his enthusiasm for his writing shows. My only slight criticism would be the lack of maps relating to some of the events on the Eastern Front, Balkan States and Italy, which at times made the narrative difficult to follow. The ultimate success of this book for me is that it has spurred me onto reading further on the subject. I would thoroughly recommend this book.