Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3825848 in Books
• Published on: 2001
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Synopsis
It was on the Western Front that the First World War was lost and won. Covering the whole war, from the guns of August 1914 to the sudden silence of November 18, this work reveals what life was really like for the men and women who took part.

Customer Reviews

Personal Details Based on Letters from the Front
I would have never bought this book on Amazon.com since the sales rating is so poor. I came across the book at our local large bookstore where I discovered that the author Malcolm Brown has written four other WW I books. It struck me as one of the more interesting books on the war. It is not too long - about 350 pages of text - with many photos, maps, but more importantly lots of stories and tales about the personal life of the troops. That is what differentiates this book from the competition.

It covers the four years of the war all along the Western Front and it covers all the western troops fighting and gives a very detailed and up close picture of what it was like to be a soldier, physically, the dangers, and the psychology. In looking at all the WW I books, it would actually be one of the first I would buy.

It is not a monumental work like say the Hew Strachan books now coming out of Oxford (5 volumes now planned at a minimum) but it is interesting, and one fully appreciates the stupidity and massive human tragedy that was the war. He uses many letters sent home by the troops as a structure and to provide the source material for the book and then he writes mini biographies about various people in each battle or event, describes their letters, and then describes the outcome. For example one captain about to become a scientist writes home, and then is killed almost the next day.

We read of the very optimistic outlook of the troops facing death. They are really in denial that they will not be killed, while the troops acknowledge and understand that there will be many casualties, but somehow they (personally) will be spared. One soldier confesses that while exiting a trench and facing machine gun fire, he was more concerned about keeping his pipe lit than death.

This is a very interesting book and in many ways a compelling read that translates the war into personal terms often in the soldiers own words.

I made up a Listmania list of 25 good or the best WW I books and I put a few of Brown's books on the list.

4 or 5 stars.

1914-1918 in 350 pages
This book is sure to capture and keep the attention of the reader from cover to cover. Once again, and in keeping with his style of writing, Malcolm Brown relies on personal records including letters and diaries to compliment the narrative.

This book comments on the major battles of the First World War, including Mons in August 1914, The Somme in 1916, The Battle of Arras and the Battles making up the Third Ypres in 1917 and the Kaiser's Battle in 1918.

In addition, and perhaps more interesting, are the subject matters not widely covered by First World War novelists. These include executions for cowardice and desertion, entertainment for troops away from the front lines, religion and death, shell shock and the contribution made by our allies(including the Indian and Chinese forces).

Covering four years in 350 pages is quite ambitious. You do not get great depth from this book, but what you do get is a snapshot of many different subjects which can be pieced together to form a picture of trench warfare on the Western Front.

Once again, another excellent read from Malcolm Brown.