Books. Anyone want a list of op WW1 books?

[wodin]

I have a fairly decent WW1 library of over 200 books (I had more I inherited bu had to send them to a charity as I had no room). The ones I still have range from good to absolutely superb. So if you fancy my absolutely superb list then tell me and I will send it to you .

One issue is I have little on Africa or East Front (My East front obsession is WW2. Funny really as I have little interest in the West front WW2 where WW1 it's the other way around).

Still lots of great memoirs, operational and strategic books and the odd novel thrown in aswell.

[Jagger2013]

Anything good covering Turkey in WW1. I know they fought against the Russians in the NE and the Brits in Syria/Egypt as well as Gallipoli. Maybe the Balkins as well?

[Shri]

Anything good covering Turkey in WW1. I know they fought against the Russians in the NE and the Brits in Syria/Egypt as well as Gallipoli. Maybe the Balkins as well?

Turks and Austria both fought on 4 fronts!

Turks- Gallipoli/Constantinople, Sinai Desert/Egypt, Iraq/Kuwait, Armenia + Rebellions in Saudi Arabia. So lot of fronts

Austria- Russia, Servia, Rumania, Italy + Rebellions.

[Paul Roberts]

Here's a start at a book list:

If you only read one book about WW1 and what it means, read Paul Fussell's The Great War and Modern Memory.

For a consideration of the long run-up to the war, Robert Massie's Dreadnought: Britain, Germany, and the Coming of the Great War is an excellent read. His follow-up Castles of Steel is also great, but it shifts the focus from national politics to the naval war.

Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August is deservedly a classic.

John Keegan's The First World War provides a clear overview of the war in Keegan's fine style.

Classic novels/memoirs include
Ernst Junger, Storm of Steel
Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front.
Siegfried Sassoon, Memoirs of an Infantry Officer

Two new ones I haven't read but have on my list:

Christopher Clark, The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914

Modris Eksteins, Rites of Spring: The Great War and the Birth of the Modern Age

[HidekiTojo]

Dreadnaughts is very good. I have to go find this one I've been reading recently. Its up to the guns of August caliber. The reason I have enjoyed it is bc its a one volume and is very good at unraveling the intricacies of Great Power diplomacy and the lead up to the war as well as a bit beyond August. It is recommended for people who are trying to learn more about the Great War. I've got several more i can recommend. I could pm them to you Paul.

[HidekiTojo]

The aforementioned book is: A World Undone by G.J. Meyer.

As I said excellent history of the war for anyone newcomers to the study of the conflict or those who've dedicated years to studying it. As well as anyone in between.

[WallysWorld]

The aforementioned book is: A World Undone by G.J. Meyer.

An excellent book!

Also the pictorial book "World War 1" by H. P. Willmott contains quite a lot of interesting information about the war including the different armies, weapons and the home front.

[Shri]

Here's a start at a book list:

If you only read one book about WW1 and what it means, read Paul Fussell's The Great War and Modern Memory.

For a consideration of the long run-up to the war, Robert Massie's Dreadnought: Britain, Germany, and the Coming of the Great War is an excellent read. His follow-up Castles of Steel is also great, but it shifts the focus from national politics to the naval war.

Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August is deservedly a classic.

John Keegan's The First World War provides a clear overview of the war in Keegan's fine style.

Classic novels/memoirs include
Ernst Junger, Storm of Steel
Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front.
Siegfried Sassoon, Memoirs of an Infantry Officer

Two new ones I haven't read but have on my list:

Christopher Clark, The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914

Modris Eksteins, Rites of Spring: The Great War and the Birth of the Modern Age

I really liked MASSIE and KEEGAN for the sweeping view, AJP Taylor was also good, Hew Stratchan was ok,
Ernst Junger is probably classic showcase of the war from the Prussian Side..

On the other hand-
Erich Maria Remarque din't have much battlefield experience, so mostly other people's derived experiences and imagination.
Tuchmann is anti-German and totally biased.


Clark is someone i want to read.

[Uawcat]

Concerning the battle of Verdun I can recommend "The Price of Glory" by Alistair Horne. In addition to showing the battle in great detail, he highlights the lack of coordination between the CPs caused by personal spite.

[Kensai]

Actually, guys, I really hope to read some good German book and report to you here. The anniversary of the start of the First World War has sparked a discussion in Germany about this "forgotten conflict". In fact in Germany they have invested much to get to terms with their Second World War past, to the point that the First one has really been sidelined. Since the last veterans have died (and possibly their children as well), the wounds start to close and archives open.

I really hope for new books with the insight of the losing side. We need these aspects as well.

[loki100]

They give a purely British (or British Empire) perspective but the 5 books by Lynn MacDonald (1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918) are well worth getting hold of. She wrote them all from first person interviews she conducted in the 1960s so they are purely from the perspective of the rank and file or very junior officers, not about grand strategy or the politics of war. Utterly fascinating and chilling as to the insight they provide into the brutal realities of the war.

Another British author who has a lot of detail was Martin Middlebrook. He wrote a series called 'First Day on' ... and covered the 1915 battles around Ypres, the Somme and the German 1918 offensive. His focus was much more international and mostly uses secondary sources, but again good. What he does is to cover the build up and the first day (hence the titles) in great detail and then just very quickly sketches in the rest.

Alistair Horne's Price of Glory covers Verdun, as part of his trilogy about the Franco-German wars of 1870-1, 1914-18, and 1940, so he spends time making those links, but again its a hugely detailed coverage of the battle in all its horror

Sorry all British I'm afraid, unlike for WW2 less aware of the material in other languages.

Not quite on the war but Dino Buzzati's Il deserto dei Tartari, is well worth a read on the mundane lead up to war. Of course, Hasek's The Good Soldier Švejk should be required reading for anyone interested in war from an Austro-Hungarian perspective (or a taste for black humour)

[HidekiTojo]

I have some books to recommend in that regard as well. Many will be in German but I do have English version ones as well.

[Shri]

Actually, guys, I really hope to read some good German book and report to you here. The anniversary of the start of the First World War has sparked a discussion in Germany about this "forgotten conflict". In fact in Germany they have invested much to get to terms with their Second World War past, to the point that the First one has really been sidelined. Since the last veterans have died (and possibly their children as well), the wounds start to close and archives open.

I really hope for new books with the insight of the losing side. We need these aspects as well.

Ernst Junger, a battle hardened veteran's account of the First World War and Erich Maria Remarque a reserve soldier, who din't face much action in WW1 are both presenting actions from the German Side but entirely diametric points of views.

Junger is a dare-devil soldier of the classic Imperial German mould and presents a war as the Officer class would have liked, but most of it is true experiences of his own or his close comrades.

Erich Maria Remarque has a lot of guilt, he himself had very little combat experience, most of it is second-hand/third-hand experience with lot of imagination, his prose is much better though less authentic, he is the kind of voice the allies like- blames it on the Prussian military entirely though indirectly while totally ignoring the Serbians, Russians, British and French aggressive posturings.

Edit:- Quite sure both books GERMAN versions are available, after all the originals are in German.

[Kensai]

Not exactly books, but probably even more interesting!
(direct link)

[Metatron]

@ kensai, in German a few of the newest (last 6 years) interesting books about WWI from german perspective if your looking for some reading (if you haven't already read them ^^):

- Christian Stachelbeck: Militärische Effektivität im Ersten Weltkrieg. Die 11. Bayerische Infanteriedivision 1915 bis 1918, 2010. (an excellent work on military efficiency !)
- Hrsg. von Markus Pöhlmann, Harald Potempa und Thomas Vogel: Der Erste Weltkrieg 1914 - 1918. Der Erste Weltkrieg 1914–1918. Der deutsche Aufmarsch in ein kriegerisches Jahrhundert, 2014. (has some nice articles in it)
- Sebastian Rosenboom: Im Einsatz über der »vergessenen Front«. Der Luftkrieg an der Ostfront im Ersten Weltkrieg, 2013. (very interesting, usually air-war is only studied on the westfront)
- Gerhard P. Groß: Mythos und Wirklichkeit. Geschichte des operativen Denkens im deutschen Heer von Moltke d.Ä. bis Heusinger, 2012. (not only for WWI but the best book to date on German military operational thinking during 1850-1950)
- Christian Westerhoff: Zwangsarbeit im Ersten Weltkrieg. Deutsche Arbeitskräftepolitik im besetzten Polen und Litauen 1914 bis 1918, 2012. (solid work on an often overlooked aspect of WWI)
- Tanja Bührer: Die Kaiserliche Schutztruppe für Deutsch-Ostafrika. Koloniale Sicherheitspolitik und transkulturelle Kriegführung 1885 bis 1918, 2011. (a little bit about german colonial warfare)
- Hrsg. von Gerhard P. Groß: Die vergessene Front. Der Osten 1914/15. Ereignis, Wirkung, Nachwirkung, 2006. (some good articles about the eastern front)
- Hrsg. von Hans Ehlert, Michael Epkenhans und Gerhard P. Groß: Der Schlieffenplan. Analysen und Dokumente, 2007. (best book about schlieffen-moltke plan and its demystification)
- Ralf Raths: Vom Massensturm zur Stoßtrupptaktik. Die deutsche Landkrieg-taktik im Spiegel von Dienstvor-schriften und Publizistik 1906 bis 1918, 2009. (great book about tactical innovation before and during the war)
- Philipp Münch: Bürger in Uniform. Kriegserfahrungen von Hamburger Turnern 1914 bis 1918, 2009. (nice book for military history seen by the common soldiers)

A lot of new books to come in the next years of course. I know the people working on the next great book about the battle of tannenberg, will be very interesting.

[Uawcat]

Ernst Junger, a battle hardened veteran's account of the First World War and Erich Maria Remarque a reserve soldier, who din't face much action in WW1 are both presenting actions from the German Side but entirely diametric points of views.

Junger is a dare-devil soldier of the classic Imperial German mould and presents a war as the Officer class would have liked, but most of it is true experiences of his own or his close comrades.

Erich Maria Remarque has a lot of guilt, he himself had very little combat experience, most of it is second-hand/third-hand experience with lot of imagination, his prose is much better though less authentic, he is the kind of voice the allies like- blames it on the Prussian military entirely though indirectly while totally ignoring the Serbians, Russians, British and French aggressive posturings.

Edit:- Quite sure both books GERMAN versions are available, after all the originals are in German.

Another book which is available (only in this case) in German is "Heeresbericht" by Edlef Köppen. As far as I know the book was never translated as it wasn´t as popular as the books by Jünger and Remarque. This doesn´t mean that it is worse than the others. Köppen was a volunteer and ended the war severly wounded as a reserve officer. Because of his wounds and his traumatic experiences he was hospitalised for some time after the war. He takes the middleground - an enthusiastic supporter of the war at first and later thoroughly disillusioned and sent off to a psychiatric ward for advocating peace. The chapters are preceeded by snippets from official communication or newspaper articles which contrast the experiences of the troops with the boasts of the high command.

[Jim Pfleck]

For the East Front I got a lot out of Norman Stone's Eastern Front 1914-1917. Covering such a broad topic it is necessarily lacking in campaign and battle detail but is an excellent overview, especially of the strategic issues and political problems of the major powers. He gives a really good look at the military problems (cliques in leadership, supply and production issues) of the Russians.

I am 120 pages into Wawro's A Mad Catasrophe (at 120 pages, the war has just started), which I believe covers the first year or so on the East front (as well as the years leading up to it). It is focused on Austro-Hungry and its army. So far, it delves deeper into issues that Stone had to cover in less detail.

[WallysWorld]

For the East Front I got a lot out of Norman Stone's Eastern Front 1914-1917. Covering such a broad topic it is necessarily lacking in campaign and battle detail but is an excellent overview, especially of the strategic issues and political problems of the major powers. He gives a really good look at the military problems (cliques in leadership, supply and production issues) of the Russians.

I must have read Stone's book about five times cover to cover. Definitely a great book and one that will always be in my library.

[Ebbingford]

I have just finished "The National Army Museum Book of the Turkish Front 1914-18", part of the Pan Grand Strategy Series by Field Marshal Lord Carver.
It's split into three parts, one covers Gallipoli, one Mesopotamia, and the other covers Palestine. Lots of extracts from diaries etc.
Next on my list is "Gallipoli" by Alan Moorehead.
One that I read years ago and will probably reread soon is "The First Seven Divisions" by Lord Ernest Hamilton. This deals with the first few months of the war and the BEF through the fighting from Mons to Ypres.

[Fouche]

Hello. A very good book (I think) on the Ottoman Empire during World War One is written by Dr. Ed Erickson, a retired regular US Army lieutenant colonel, entitled 'Ordered to Die'. It is a military history of the Ottoman Army in World War One. Though less than 300 pages I found it comprehensive and a good read.

[Le Ricain]

Regarding WWI Eastern Front, many years ago I read Solzhenitsyn's novel, "August 1914", which I enjoyed very much.

As a boy, I read Horne's "Price of Glory", which I thought was fantastic. I did not realise that it is still in print.

For challenges to commonly held opinions on WWI, I found Niall Ferguson's "The Pity of War" to be interesting.

Having read Clark's excellent book, I was tempted to try another of the new WWI books on the market. At my local bookstore, I was torn between two books which cover similar ground: Max Hastings' "Catastrophe" and Allan Malinson's "1914 - Fight the Good Fight". I have read both authors before and enjoy their work. In the end I chose Hastings.

[sandman2575]

the wounds start to close and archives open.

eloquently put.

Very interesting to hear about how things look this centennial anniversary from the German perspective. Here in the USA, the "Great War" hardly registers in the national consciousness (the fact that the specific "Armistice Day" became the generic "Veteran's Day" is but one small indication) -- certainly nothing like WW2, "The Big One."

I heartily second Paul Robert's recommendation of Fussell's "Great War and Modern Memory" -- not a book about military strategy and campaigns, but for giving a perspective of what the lived experience of the war was like for the boys in the trenches, it's downright haunting.

[kaiser]

I've been reading " A World Undone" by G. J. Meyer. Very interesting one volume account of WW1. Really puts me in the mood for the new game.

[czert2]

You should try reading Good soldier Svejk - i think, it is one of best books covering this period, yes it is about fictional charakter, but it use humor to describe events. It was writed by author who experinced it all. Where Remarque use nihilism and depresion, Hasek is using humor. truth is that Hasek was hated by his co-fighters for writing it, since he writed with humor otherwise very sad things. Because in his book war was fun which wasnt.But some forgived him in time, since he have truth.
If i have to chose to read about that war,well i will read funny Svejk rather that depresive All quit on western front.
But be warned it is REALY big multivolume book.

[Aurelin]

I've read Cataclysm: The First World War as Political Tragedy by David Stevenson.

http://www.amazon.com/Cataclysm-First-World-Political-Tragedy/dp/0465081851