Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23721 in Books
• Published on: 1974-03-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 296 pages

Synopsis
'The most readable, sceptical and original of modern historians' - Michael Foot. A. J. P. Taylor was one of the most acclaimed and uncompromising historians of the twentieth century. In this clear, lively and now-classic account of the "First World War", he tells the story of the conflict from the German advance in the West, through the Marne, Gallipoli, the Balkans and the War at Sea to the offensives of 1918 and the state of Europe after the war. Containing photographs and maps, this an essential history of the war that 'cut deep into the consciousness of modern man'.'Remarkable ...Taylor here manages in some 200 illustrated pages to say almost everything that is important for an understanding and, indeed, intellectual digestion of that vast event' - "Observer". 'It is unlikely that there will be a more satisfactory compact survey of that Armageddon' - "Newsweek". 'What makes Taylor's book outstanding is his capacity to penetrate through the undergrowth of controversy and conflicting interpretation to the central truth' - "New York Review of Books". 'Probably the most controversial historian in the English-speaking world' - "The Times".

About the Author
A.J.P. Taylor (1906-1990) was one of the most controversial historians of the twentieth century. He served as a lecturer at the Universities of Manchester, Oxford, and London.

Customer Reviews

Terribly out of date!!!
If I was writing this review back in the late 1960s or 1970s then this book would probably have been given 4 or maybe 5 stars. However reading it today you realise how out dated Taylor's views and conclusions actually are. Written at a time when the blame for the mass killing of the war was placed on the commanders and politicians in a somewhat cynical and blinkered fashion.

Modern historians have updated their views and thinking as regards to the conduct of the Forst World War. Today we are much nearer to the truth than those of Taylor's day being more open minded in our thinking and judging historical facts (which is not easy) in new and more unbiased ways.

The book itself covers the war in a short but concise manner. However it is both dry and biased and sadly has been the main source of WW1 history for many school children. Thankfully you will no longer see it on many academic reading lists.

In short this book should be consigned to history. If you want a really good book on WW1 try 1914-1918: The History of the First World War by David Stevenson or similar and give this one a miss.

Interesting but for the wrong reasons.
AJP Taylor was considered one of the giants of the British historical community. He is the one historian just about every GCSE pupil will have heard of, largely as his works seem to be the most widely quoted in school history text books on the Great War. Which is a shame in a way. Taylor's strength was never in running with the pack. His great strength, a strength that is still present in his works if read today, is that by their controversial nature they stimulated debate. That pretty fairly sums up the appeal of this book. It is a typical product of the 1960s/70s school of Great war historiography. The generals are butchers, the soldiers are dewey eyed, forelock touching innocents sent trotting off to their deaths by unfeeling idiots. The debate has since moved on. Plus, if you are looking for an account of the war in MILITARY terms, this is not the one for you. It's strengths lie in the spheres of social and political history. On the plus side, Taylor's writing style is entertaining and drily witty. The text is enhanced by the addition of a number of photographs scattered throughout the book (many of these include explanatory captions, a further opportunity for Taylor to exercise some rather wry humour. "Lloyd George casts an expert eye over munitions girls"... Well quite.). It is an easy read and very accessible for a Great War novice or younger student. Go into it with your eyes open and take it for what it is - a product of it's times and it's somewhat idiosyncratic author - and there is a lot to be gained from this book. It is an excellent stimulus for debate. Just be sure to read more widely because this gives a very personal and outdated picture. If you only ever read one history of the Great War DON'T make it this one!

An excellent, easy to read ,historical perspective
An excellent, easy to read historical perspective accompanied by many outstanding photographs.

I recommend this book to any reader interested in the genus of the first world war and its history. A useful perspective of the war and how this also set in motion a number of economic, social and political trails that are still with us as we enter the 21st Century.