The Myriad Faces of War: Britain and the Great War 1914-1918 [Paperback]

Trevor Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1989

`The Myriad Faces of War' is a unique and compelling study of the First World War from the standpoint of British involvement. It explores the reasons for Britain's entry into the war, the nature and course of British participation and the far-reaching repercussions of the war on British society. The result is a rich and comprehensive chronicle of the social, political, diplomatic and military aspects of the Great War. A distinctive feature of the book is the way in which the author draws on diaries and memoirs to reconstruct images of how the war was experienced, both by soldiers who were fighting at the front and by civilians who were remote from actual combat. We are presented with vivid accounts of how the war appeared to soldiers marching to Mons, fighting on the Somme, patrolling the North Sea, as well as accounts of how the war was perceived by the men and women who worked in the factories and fields at home. `The Myriad Faces of War' is the outcome of more than ten years research. High standards of scholarship are combined with a clear, accessible style and the text is illustrated throughout with maps and photographs. This book will be of great value not only to students of history and politics, butalso to anyone who is interested in the social and military aspects of the Great War.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This Australian historian is moved by two convictions: that historians can speak to the general reader, and that World War I was worthwhile. He goes far toward demonstrating both in this vigorous chronicle of British military, political, diplomatic, and social life (in more or less that order of predominance) during the war years. His military history is detailed and colorful; his curiously detached analysis of participation in the war as a policy decision is intriguing and thorough. A solid, accessible account, recommended for larger collections and worth considering for academic and general collections of any size. Nancy C. Cridland, Indiana Univ. Libs., Bloomington
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Trevor Wilson, Emeritus Professor of the University of Adelaide, is one of the world's leading military historians concentrating in particular on the First World War. With Robin Prior as co-author he has written four books on that subject including The Somme and Passchendaele. Faber Finds are reissuing his magnum opus, The Myriad Faces of War, as well as The Downfall of the Liberal Party, 1914-1935. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 880 pages
• Publisher: Blackwell Pub (January 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0745606458
• ISBN-13: 978-0745606453
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,527,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Uneven in quality, April 24, 2004

By 

Schmerguls "schmerguls" (Sioux City, Ia USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Myriad Faces of War: Britain and the Great War, 1914-1918 (Hardcover)

First of all, the author was born in New Zealand, so why he is called an Australian I do not know. The book pays very little attention to the Dominions--it is written strictly from a British viewpoint and examines exhaustively events in Britain druing the war, as well as all aspects of the war which relate to England. There are more than 150 pages of text which follow the account of the Armistice, talking about the effects of the War on society, economics, etc. The book has footnotes (where they belong, at the "foot" of the page) but lacks any bibliography. I have read scores of books on the Great War, and consider it one of my favorite reading topics, but I found this one a chore to read at times. A better book written from a similar perspective is Blighty: British Society in the Era of the Great War, by Gerard J. DeGroot. Also more interesting in general I thought was The Deluge: British Society and the First World War, by Arthur Marwick.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Myriad Faces of War - Review, December 22, 2008

By 

M. Barton (Falls Church, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Myriad Faces of War: Britain and the Great War, 1914-1918 (Hardcover)

This is just an _outstanding_ piece of research. I will admit my bias and acknowledge that I studied under Professor Wilson in 1986 (the year of its publication) and again in 1990, and admire both the man and the scholar, but by any measure this book is definitely one for any collection on World War I.

Not only is the research broad and deep, but extremely digestible, even for the general reader. Part of this is the way Wilson infuses detailed analysis of political, social, economic and military aspects of the campaign into his book with the human face of war in Britain - the impact on participants: all ranks, those back home (of all classes), plus attention to the lesser known aspects of the war.

I found the two chapters dealing with the Irish regular soldier - who joined with his elder brother (subsequently killed) before the war and participated in the battles of Mons, the Aisne and Neuve Chapelle - incredibly compelling and, in places, touching. The author was clearly a gifted raconteur, but his tale is gripping - and Wilson weaves it into his text expertly. Other human elements include the socio-economic-political impact of the war on the British economy (and thereafter), with numerous diary extracts sprinkled liberally throughout (from nurses, politicians, clergy, soldiers, unionists and conscientious objectors) offering anecdotal first-hand accounts. This is one of the great strengths of the book - and it gives the reader a much deeper sense of involvement in the text. At least, this was what I felt.

No book of this length can cover all aspects of such a complex conflict. Wilson's book does better than most, but those looking for opportunities to criticise this book will probably find some neglected aspect of the war to allow them to engage in critical comment. As an Australian, I would have liked more detail on Australia's contribution on the Western Front (for example, Fromelles), but I hasten to add Australia (and New Zealand) are given good general coverage throughout (especially the Gallipoli campaign). What detail is provided is contextualised superbly into the bigger picture throughout.

Wilson is (typically) generous in his praise of colleagues and research staff who assisted him with this prodigious undertaking. Particular note is given to Robin Prior, a former postgrad of Wilson's, who is now a professor of history an the University of NSW. The two have since collaborated on several other excellent analyses of World War I, most notably (and recently) The Somme, of 2005.

This is one of those books you just keep picking up and re-reading - and you keep finding new angles (often as a result of reading another book on the subject and rediscovering the clever subtlety of Wilson's wit, and his gentle prods of his colleagues!).