The First World War, Second Edition: A Complete History [Paperback]

Martin Gilbert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0805076174 | ISBN-13: 978-0805076172 | Edition: 2nd

The acclaimed British historian offers a majestic, single-volume work incorporating all major fronts-domestic, diplomatic, military-for "a stunning achievement of research and storytelling"
(Publishers Weekly)

It was to be the war to end all wars, and it began at 11:15 on the morning of June 28, 1914, in an outpost of the Austro-Hungarian Empire called Sarajevo. It would end officially almost five years later. Unofficially, it has never ended: the horrors we live with today were born in the First World War.
It left millions-civilians and soldiers-maimed or dead. And it left us with new technologies of death: tanks, planes, and submarines; reliable rapid-fire machine guns and field artillery; poison gas and chemical warfare. It introduced us to U-boat packs and strategic bombing, to unrestricted war on civilians and mistreatment of prisoners. Most of all, it changed our world. In its wake, empires toppled, monarchies fell, whole populations lost their national identities as political systems, and geographic boundaries were realigned. Instabilities were institutionalized, enmities enshrined. And the social order shifted seismically. Manners, mores, codes of behavior; literature and the arts; education and class distinctions-all underwent a vast sea change. And in all these ways, the twentieth century can be said to have been born on the morning of June 28, 1914.

"One of the first books that anyone should read in beginning to try to understand this war and this century."
-The New York Times Book Review (cover)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gilbert's (The Second World War) majestic opus covers WWI on all major fronts-domestic, diplomatic, military-as well as such bloody preludes as the Armenian massacre of 1915. He describes the introduction of new instruments of war like the submarine, airplane, tank, machine gun and poison gas, explaining how each was employed in great military confrontations such as Verdun and Jutland. He recounts the arrival of the American contingent (British and French brass tended at first to regard them as rabble) and Gen. John J. Pershing's struggle to prevent U.S. troops from being fed piecemeal into the maelstrom of the western front. Gilbert includes a large amount of contemporary war poetry and doggerel, which conveys the tragedy of the 1914-1918 conflict. On the whole, the author presents WWI from the human perspective, with emphasis on the grisliness and sheer waste of it. His account of the post-Armistice efforts of the international War Graves Commission starkly communicates the epic scale of the slaughter. By the distinguished biographer of Winston Churchill, this is a stunning achievement of research and storytelling on the war to end all wars. Illustrations.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Successfully using a blend of contemporary accounts and overview narrative, Gilbert (The Churchill War Papers, LJ 5/1/93) has produced a readable, one-volume account of the Great War. The impact of new technologies and tactics on humankind is best illustrated by the author's portrayal of the individual suffering of the generation lost in the conflict. The deaths of the sons and sons-in-law of political and military leaders from all sides exemplifies the extent and tragedy of the loss. The effect of the war on future leaders such as Hitler, Himmler, Churchill, and De Gaulle is shown through their experiences in this war. Profusely illustrated and containing 50 maps, this book is a fine companion volume to the author's The Second World War (Holt, 1989). Recommended for all collections.
David Lee Poremba, Detroit P.L.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 688 pages
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks; 2nd edition (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805076174
• ISBN-13: 978-0805076172
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #131,809 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sir Martin Gilbert is one of the leading historians of his generation. An Honorary Fellow of Merton College, Oxford - of which he was a fellow for thirty years - he is the official biographer of Churchill and the author of eighty books, among them Churchill - A Life and The Righteous: The Unsung Heroes of the Holocaust. For more information please visit http://www.martingilbert

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, but far from complete, June 9, 2000

By 

Silambs - See all my reviews

This review is from: The First World War: A Complete History (Paperback)

An interesting, but far from "complete" history of the Great War. Gilbert's focus is on the human side , primarily British, of the war, something lacking in many other military books. However this is almost Gilbert's entire focus. The reader doesn't get a clear grasp of the larger events and their meaning. Gilbert gives the reader an almost day by day chronology of events, but doesn't focus on the total picture. It is a regurgitation of facts but with no clear meaning. The fact that Gilbert is the official biographer of Winston Churchill, has allowed him to accumulate a vast storehouse of facts and information on the 20th century. It appears that Gilbert now wants to pump out books at an ever increasing rate just to get every bit of the information out to the public. Instead of jumping from event to event, I would have preferred that he look at an event (battle, diplomatic initiative, etc.) completely and place it in the proper context of the war, and then go onto the next issue. An event of this size with so many simultaneous goings on needs to be presented in a clear order. Unfortunately he provides less order than he should have.

Having said that, the fact that Gilbert is one of the foremost historians of the 20th century would suggest that this book should be read by those interested in World War 1. If only to get the human side of the soldiers fighting, this book is worthwhile. It should be read, however as a companion book to Keegan's excellent book on WW1, Tuchman's "The Guns of August" (the immediate causes of the war, Robert Massie's "Dreadnought" (for the long term causes of the war) among other books.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Hop, Skip, and Jump Approach to History, May 24, 2007

By 

Nicholas E. Sarantakes (Newport, RI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The First World War, Second Edition: A Complete History (Paperback)

Sir Martin Gilbert is Winston Churchill's official biographer and is one of Britain's best historians. He has been prolific in his writing. He has 72 books to his name, and fully deserves the knighthood he received in 1995.

A trademark of Gilbert's history is his use of narrative. Generally, I prefer this approach in what I like to read and what I try to write. Biography, for which Sir Martin is best known, really demands this approach.

This book is well-written. His coverage is broad. He moves easily from the pounding of artillery on the western front, to the high seas where deadly u-boats patrolled. He looks at both sides and covers the social and political impact of this conflict on the various homefronts.

Despite those strengths, I would not recommend this book to the casual reader. Gilbert goes wrong with his use of narrative. It is so overwhelming in this book that it verges on being the literary equivalent of chronology. The problem is that when Gilbert might be discussing an event, say a battle, that transpired over a long period of time, he will spend two paragraphs on that topic and then move to another issue that might be on the other side of the planet. Then two paragraphs later he has moved on to a third topic, and three paragraphs later he brings up a fourth issue. He often will not return to the first event for 10 or 20 pages. The result is that it becomes quite difficult to keep track of what is happening. With his hop, skip and jump approach, readers do get an idea of the relentless crush of the war, but at the expense of comprehension.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good General History, probably worth an extra half star, January 9, 2000

By 

Greg Oakes - See all my reviews

This review is from: The First World War: A Complete History (Paperback)

While not a "Complete History" (I dare say that the publisher describes the book as such and not the author), I would recommend this book to specific audiences. This would be an excellent text for high school students and other interested, but not necessarily obsessively so, general readers wanting a competant and humanistic look at the First World War.

Although the book is anglo-centric, Gilbert does manage a reasonable job on the Eastern Front. He does not, however go into to too much detail about the French, beyond the Marne, Verdun and the Mutinies. Similiarly, the role of non-British Dominion forces, such as the Australians, tends to be downplayed (for example, numerous British Corps commanders are mentioned, yet Sir John Monash, commander of the Australian Corps after it was established in 1918, does not rate a mention).

However, he does manage to cover most theatres of war (particularly where the British were fighting), in a sensible amount of detail. He includes a decent series of maps which are sensibly located at the back of the book.

Where Gilbert succeeds best is in his ability to humanize the events taking place. He does this by drawing on the narratives of individuals caught up in events greater than themselves. Many of these surface later in history, including Hitler, De Gaulle, Rommell, etc. He also draws on the war poets to help illustrate the psychology and spirit of the men in the field.

Gilbert also draws on the diaries of British war nurses and Austrian painter Oskar Kokoshka which, again, give differing perspectives which inceases the depth of the narrative.

In summary, I would heartily recommend this book to the general reader or someone needing a general reference to the Great War.