Product Description

Guide books and biographies associated with the First and Second World Wars.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #56377 in Books
• Published on: 1994-04-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

From the Author
We have been visiting the Somme for over 25 years.
The Somme is to the British what Gettysburg or Yorktown are to the Americans. We know them all well and have conducted hundreds of tourists around each of them. If you are visiting the Somme in mind or body this book gives you the answers to the questions that we have been asked by hundreds of people. It has over 130 colour photos and comes complete with a separate four colour map showing battle lines, bunkers, cemeteries, memorials and grid references linked to the book entries. You learn how to get to places, how long it will take and how long to stay as well as what happened. There are suggested itineraries and tourist information.We use the book ourselves!

Customer Reviews

An excellent purchase!
I have just returned from the Somme - this book is 'the Bible', an absolute must for visitng the region (you'll find most visitors and B&Bs have them!). It is well laid out and easy to follow, and covers everything you want to know. I would advise having a brief read before visting the area, as it is worth planning your trips in advance. I also like the way it gives a brief story behind the memorials (or important people mentioned). I have one small criticism, there are some errors in the text or the map, but you can sort them out between the text, the map and the pictures in the book!
I found the map very useful (it was the only map of the area I had with me) and from it I found everything I wanted to!!

A Good Guide For First Time Visitors
Having researched the Somme, 1916 for more than 30 years, I was interested in this guide book for obvious reasons. Overall, its a good effort for first time visitors. Good maps and pictures. It doesnt decribe the battle actions in great detail, it is not meant to. The routes are easy to follow, even some remote areas around the Ancre region are well covered. There is an abundance of material for those students who wish to know a lot more about the great battles of 1916, but you cannot go far wrong by beginning with this.

Don't leave home without it!
Put quite simply, if you're visiting The Somme, please take this book with you. My visit was made all the better thanks to this little gem. It won't allow you to miss a thing and gives teriffic background on the places you'll visit.
While standing in Cemeteries containing over 5,000 graves you'll certainly shed a tear or two so take plenty of tissues! The whole Somme region is a huge burial ground and cemeteries and memorials appear from nowhere everywhere you look. When you come across one simply stop your car, take out this book, and you'll be able to read all about the memorial that stands before you.
My wife and I will certainly visit this very moving area of France again and this superb book will accompany us again as we tour The Somme's 'Silent Cities'.