The First World War: A Complete History

by Martin Gilbert (Author)

101 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0805015409

ISBN-10: 080501540X

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A companion volume to the highly acclaimed The Second World War recounts the course of the war, the enormity of its cost, the advances it brought in technology, and its effect on European society. 25,000 first printing.

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Product Details

Hardcover: 615 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co (November 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 080501540X
ISBN-13: 978-0805015409
Product Dimensions: 1.8 x 6.8 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (101 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,724 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #139 in Books > History > Military > World War I
- #173 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > History > Military

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Customer Reviews

101

3.7 out of 5 stars

5 star		37%
4 star		25%
3 star		15%
2 star		16%
1 star		7%

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Interesting, but far from complete

BySilambson June 9, 2000

Format: 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.

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Good General History, probably worth an extra half star

ByGreg Oakeson January 9, 2000

Format: 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.

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A Very British Viewpoint

ByR. F. Mojicaon December 22, 2002

Format: Paperback

I've read a ton of books on WWI, including many on specific topics in the war, but it had been a long time since I'd read a general overall history of the war, so I picked this one up and just finished reading it.
I think it is an excellent introduction to the subject for those who haven't gone deeply into the history of the conflict, but who are interested in getting some knowledge of it.
However, it is written from a VERY British viewpoint. This doesn't mean it neglects the fronts in the war in which the British were not involved. However even covering the Eastern or Serbian fronts, or the Armenian tragedies, the view is British and the emphasis is on how events in these theatres of the war effected the British war effort. (Oddly, the one area that seems a little short in the book is the coverage of the French fighting. The book, f'rinstance, is somewhat skimpy on the battle of Verdun.)
Also, if you are American (like me), you'll wonder if we did anything in the war besides blunder around and die of Spanish Flu. Granted, the main effect of the American war effort was moral rather than military, convincing the Germans that they couldn't win, and that, because we were in it, we would moderate the demands of the British and French when it came time to make peace, making them (the Germans) more willing to give up before being completely beaten in the field; and also that the full weight of the American military was never felt, due to the quick ending of the war in late 1918. But I wonder if we were as incompetent as is portrayed in this book.
Two complaints. First, too much poetry, and too much emphasis on the poets and artists and writers in the trenches. That's my personal taste. I just don't like poetry.
Second, because the writer is British, he reveals a great deal of moral outrage at German atrocities committed in Belgium and occupied France, portraying Britain as the great defender of the rights of small nations. Of course, at the same time, the British were themselves occupying a small nation (Ireland), where they had committed untold atrocities, where they had starved millions to death and driven further millions from their home country in the short span of a lifetime of years before WWI. The British crimes in Ireland were no less atrocious than those of the Turks in Armenia, and the British moral hypocrisy in these matters is infuriating.
I would recommend this book to the general reader with these reservations. My favorite short, one-volume history of the war is Liddell Hart's "the Real War 1914-1918", but that is more of a military history with its emphasis on actual operations. This is more of a "cultural" history, and the general reader might like it better. Also, if you are interested in either the French or American war efforts, you'll have to look elsewhere.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Excellent

INsightful, wonderfully written, great citations

Published 2 months ago by Glen Miranker

Best Book I've ever read about the Great War

I'm a huge fan of this writer and I greatly enjoyed this book about the Great War.
The little personal histories about soldiers who served was a nice touch.Read more

Published 4 months ago by William H. Haugland III

super

great read excellent condition

Published 4 months ago by Mr. Ronald E. Hubbard

Amazing how Martin Gilbert is able to gather 1000s of ...

Amazing how Martin Gilbert is able to gather 1000s of facts and put it in a very simple narrative detailing the events and consequences of WWI which we are still seeing today.

Published 8 months ago by Amazon Customer

Four Stars

Very detailed read. Worth the time!

Published 8 months ago by Doc4d

Five Stars

Excellent "beginners" study of WW I .

Published 9 months ago by Melvin S. Horowitz

Five Stars

Excellent!

Published 10 months ago by Amazon Customer

The First World War Review

Excellent book.

Published 11 months ago by Raymond Almario

Again, demonstrates vividly the total idiocy and futility of ...

Again, demonstrates vividly the total idiocy and futility of war. As the hymn text goes, "Cure Thy children;s warring madness!".

Published 1 year ago by John P. Gilbert

Its a really good book on world war 1

Its a really good book on world war 1. Martin Gilbert tells us about the battles of Verdun, and the conquest of Serbia and Romania, which most other historians ignore.

Published 1 year ago by Joey Downs

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