The American Heritage History of World War I (Library Edition) [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

S. L. A. Marshall (Author), Bernard Mayes (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1997

[This is the Audiobook CASSETTE Library Edition in vinyl case.]

Drawing on a lifetime of military experience, Brigadier General S. L. A. Marshall, one of our most distinguished military writers (New York Times), delivers this unflinching history of the war that was supposed to end all wars. From the perspective of more than half a century, Marshall examines the blunders and complacency that turned what everyone thought would be a brief campaign and an easy victory into a relentless four-year slaughter that left ten million dead and twenty million wounded. As the war raged on, more efficient methods of war-making were devised: the flamethrower and poison gas were added to the world's arsenals, tanks replaced cavalry, air combat and submarine warfare came into their own. And at the end, the exhausted combatants signed the Treaty of Versailles, which laid the groundwork for the dictatorships that would plunge the next generation into another world war.

Editorial Reviews

Review

''Far and away the best, most concise, and clearest one-volume history of the war to end all wars.'' --The Denver Post

''Not only does this book offer readers a valuable overview of this momentous period in time, but it is also a riveting book to read.'' --Large Print Reviews

About the Author

BRIGADIER GENERAL S.L.A. MARSHALL (1900-1977) was an accomplished journalist, a war correspondent, and a historian. One of the preeminent American military writers of our time, he wrote more than thirty books.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.; Unabridged LIBRARY edition (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786102543
• ISBN-13: 978-0786102549
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.7 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,336,307 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent account of World War I., May 7, 2000

By 

Mike Powers "mkp51" (Woolwich, ME USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: World War I (American Heritage Library) (Paperback)

"World War I" is an excellent basic history of "the war to end all wars," written by a former U.S. Army Brigadier General and military historian. Marshall's narrative is crisp and precise, and his descriptions of people and events is reasonably detailed. He is fair and objective, unsparing in his criticism of errors made my military leaders on all sides of the conflict. Perhaps the strongest part of this book is the opening chapters, where Marshall narrates a fascinating account of the underlying causes of the war and the events of conflict's first few months.

This book won't take the reader into any deep examination of the war, its causes, or its effects on later events. It is, however, a good basic survey of the war, based upon solid, if not penetrating, research. It certainly makes recommendable reading.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Comprehensive Epic of the New Dark Ages, May 6, 2000

By 

Chosroes III (NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: World War I (American Heritage Library) (Paperback)

"Slam" Marshall's epic "World War I" is an expansive and explosive account of the beginning of what we might best think of as the 'Century of War'. His history not only provides lucid, detailed and gripping accounts of the major campaigns of the Western and Eastern fronts, but also gives his readers a sense of the extraordinary human waste of this terrible conflict. Not only is his work a thrilling piece of military history, but also a work with giant insights into social and political currents as well as a novelist's sense of psychology: his portrait of Ludendorff, for instance, makes a convincing case for adding this demonically gifted glory-hound to the canon of the century's great villains. Marshall's eye for detail will fill his reader's heads with indelible images, from the cigarette-case tossed aboard the Kaiser's yacht with the news of the Archduke's assasination to Hoover's troubled walk through Paris after reading the Versailles Treaty's punishing conditions. The book's final illustration-- of the Nazis in one of their Miltonic conferences-- lands a final punch with staggering force: this insane conflict, which destroyed the humane illusions of 19th Century progressivism, was only the beginning of a cycle of almost unremitting horror.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough overview of the entire war., September 15, 1999

By 

Robert E. Duchesneau - See all my reviews

This review is from: World War I (American Heritage Library) (Paperback)

SLA Marshall, a former one-star general in the US Army, has written a meticulously researched yet readable book covering virtually all of the major operations of WW1. He combats the concept that all generals of the war were incompetent "donkeys" by analyzing every offensive's goals and planning. He considers each commander on his own merits. I would recommend this book to those who don't mind a relatively lengthy introduction to the war, and those who would like to learn of campaigns they haven't looked at yet. The books only drawback is that it appears to be primarily drawn from English-language sources, and therefore the American and British portions of the war are described in more detail than the other nationalities'.