Product Description

Winston Churchill’s superlative account of the prelude to and events of the First World War is a defining work of twentieth-century history. With dramatic narrative power Churchill reconstructs the action on the Western and Eastern Fronts, the wars at sea and in the air and the advent of tanks and U-boats. He vividly describes the Lusitania’s sinking, the heroics of the Battle of Jutland, Verdun’s ‘soul-stirring frenzy’, the bloodshed of Gallipoli, the Somme and Passchendaele, and the USA’s entry into the conflict. Rich with personal insights, this magisterial book is testament to the author’s role in the Great War’s conduct and outcome and fully demonstrates his brilliance as a historian.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #92602 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 880 pages

About the Author
Winston S. Churchill (1874-1965) was prime minister of Great Britain from 1940 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1955. A prolific writer, whose works include The Second World War and A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953.

Customer Reviews

The real thing
There are two different expectations from history books: a stand-back dispassionate analysis from an academic, or a personal account from someone deeply involved. This is the latter. Yes, it is subjective and self justifying. On the other hand it is passionate and personal. The book is as interesting for the light it sheds on its author, as for the analysis of the events. But even on this second aspect it is outstanding. No other account I know of gives such an insight into the roles of the peripheral players in this epoch-changing conflict. Churchill shows the sweep of his understanding of the history and aspirations of the smaller yet crucial countries of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the importance of the Ottomans. Not simply a catalogue of campaigns and casualties; this is the only book on this subject that has given me a real perspective on the ebb and swell of the various phases of this awful struggle.
He, naturally, spends much effort to defend the wisdom of the idea behind the Dardanelles campaign, while denouncing its excecution. The failure of this campaign cost Churchill his job and his reputation; a blow from which a lesser man would never have recovered.
The book is scholarly without being dry. The language is stirring and moving yet avoids obvious clichés. An obligatory read for anyone interested in the war which gave us the Europe we know today.