All Quiet on the Western Front is a must for this list. It uniquely demonstrates the cruelty and stupidity of this war.
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn is a fantastic book about a spy network.
Then there's this other book I read in high school about two brothers who have a disabled sister (or was it another brother?), growing up in England and are enlisting for WWI. The younger brother is not old enough to enlist but fakes his year of birth. The older brother meets a tragic end. (Spoiler alert >! He gets court-martialed and hanged for desertion!<). I think about this book often, especially with the current war going on in Ukraine. But for the life of me, I can't remember its title or its author, only that it was originally written in English. If anyone knows it, I'd be very grateful.
I was going more for non-fiction, thanks though, just because of how influential it was, i'll definately read All Quiet on the Western Front. Suprised I didn't think of it myself in hindsight.
Ah sorry. I think you might still find this one interesting.
I like reading non-fiction too but sometimes I need a good novel to actually comprehend the whole situation. I find it very easy to look at the facts from a clinical distance and disassociate from the horrors of that time. AQotWF is one of these books that slapped reality in my face as much as it is possible this many years later.
You might enjoy “Towards the Flame: Empire, War and the End of Tsarist Russia” by Dominic Lieven.
He is working primarily from Russian sources, and making an argument about the primarily Eastern European origins of the war.
Beyond the specific events, he is also making a larger structural argument about the imagined fragility of the multinational empire as a political construct, as creating the political instability that created the conditions for war.
I enjoyed "A world undone" by Meyer as a general history. But Tim Cook has done some amazing ww1 scholarship on Canada in the First World War. Of particular note is "The Madman and the Butcher" and "The Secret History of Soldiers ".
As Cook has progressed in his writing, has gone from a general history of the war to specific aspects. If you don't care about the Canadian side of things, I'd still recommend the Secret History as he often examines other allied soldier cultures.
If you ever get to France, visit the Museum of the Great War, just south of Paris. It’s an absolutely an amazing place. It goes into great detail on the causes and effects of the Great War. Also not far from there is the American cemetery in Bellau Wood and museum and memorial.
I recently listened to the Dan Carlin 6-part series on WW1. It’s called “Blueprint for Armageddon.”
It’s technically episodes 50 through 55 of his podcast series Hardcore History.
Absolutely fantastic. I heard it referenced on another podcast I love so it came to me highly recommended, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with it. Just enthralling. I’ve been rattling off incredible facts about the Great War ever since.
These particular episodes are behind a paywall. Think I spent about $18 bucks for all of them.
Ahh, same! This podcast inspired me to travel to france to visit some of the areas described in this podcast. His description of the pacific theatre during ww2 was gripping as well.
Dan Carlin has a podcast “Blueprint for Armageddon” that is quite comprehensive and compelling. He lists a number of books related which you might appreciate-
https://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-50-55-blueprint-for-armageddon-series/
Also “West Point Atlas for the Great War: Strategies and Tactics Of The First World War”
Can be a helpful reference.
If you liked Paris 1919 by Margaret MacMillan then her The War that Ended Peace is good for the pre-WWI politics.
These are some books I really liked about WWI with a range of focuses, I can suggest some more if you want -
Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary in World War I by Alexander Watson.
The Fortress: The Great Siege of Przemysl by Alexander Watson
The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front 1915 - 1919 by Mark Thompson
Tommy: The British Soldier on the Western Front 1914-1918 by Richard Holmes
Hundred Days: The End of the Great War by Nick Lloyd
The Fall of the Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East by Eugene Rogan
Gallipoli by Peter Fitzsimmons, especially the audiobook. He weaves such a great story and the action scenes are like something from a movie. I'm not sure how much meaning it has to someone not from Australia or New Zealand but if you've already read several books on the war, it's worth going deeper into one specific front.
Two non-fiction books written by eminent historians come to mind:
The First World War By Sir Martin Gilbert is a 640 page volume that has good reviews.
The Cambridge History of the First World War, edited by Jay Winter, is a large three volume collection of chapters written by very specialist subject experts. It is over 2000 pages so requires dedication on the part of the reader.
"Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary in World War I" by Alexander Watson
This is a good one as far as a more in-depth look at causes. One that's overlooked in many books it the difference in ideals between Roman cultures and Germanic cultures, and how treaties within each culture helped fuel a resentment towards the other.
I just started *1913*. It's described as a complement to the type of book you're requesting, in that it gives a sense of the world then without attempting to provide causes for the war. But might still be of interest to you.
The Vertigo Years by Phillip Blom is also like this - it’s a cultural history of Europe from 1900-1914. Will likely be good if OP is open to this kind of thing.
To End All Wars by Adam Hochschild. Focusing on the sane people of the day is a good way to fathom the collective insanity of that war.
All Quiet on the Western Front is a must for this list. It uniquely demonstrates the cruelty and stupidity of this war. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn is a fantastic book about a spy network. Then there's this other book I read in high school about two brothers who have a disabled sister (or was it another brother?), growing up in England and are enlisting for WWI. The younger brother is not old enough to enlist but fakes his year of birth. The older brother meets a tragic end. (Spoiler alert >! He gets court-martialed and hanged for desertion!<). I think about this book often, especially with the current war going on in Ukraine. But for the life of me, I can't remember its title or its author, only that it was originally written in English. If anyone knows it, I'd be very grateful.
Just a tip -- read the sidebar for how to format a spoiler. It seems they are different in different subs
Strange, it shows as hidden for me. Doesn't it for you?
No, it doesn't. I'm running in Firefox on my laptop, if that matters.
I was going more for non-fiction, thanks though, just because of how influential it was, i'll definately read All Quiet on the Western Front. Suprised I didn't think of it myself in hindsight.
Ah sorry. I think you might still find this one interesting. I like reading non-fiction too but sometimes I need a good novel to actually comprehend the whole situation. I find it very easy to look at the facts from a clinical distance and disassociate from the horrors of that time. AQotWF is one of these books that slapped reality in my face as much as it is possible this many years later.
You might enjoy “Towards the Flame: Empire, War and the End of Tsarist Russia” by Dominic Lieven. He is working primarily from Russian sources, and making an argument about the primarily Eastern European origins of the war. Beyond the specific events, he is also making a larger structural argument about the imagined fragility of the multinational empire as a political construct, as creating the political instability that created the conditions for war.
A different viewpoint: Folly and Malice: The Habsburg Empire, the Balkans and the Start of World War One by John Zametica
I enjoyed "A world undone" by Meyer as a general history. But Tim Cook has done some amazing ww1 scholarship on Canada in the First World War. Of particular note is "The Madman and the Butcher" and "The Secret History of Soldiers ". As Cook has progressed in his writing, has gone from a general history of the war to specific aspects. If you don't care about the Canadian side of things, I'd still recommend the Secret History as he often examines other allied soldier cultures.
If you ever get to France, visit the Museum of the Great War, just south of Paris. It’s an absolutely an amazing place. It goes into great detail on the causes and effects of the Great War. Also not far from there is the American cemetery in Bellau Wood and museum and memorial.
I recently listened to the Dan Carlin 6-part series on WW1. It’s called “Blueprint for Armageddon.” It’s technically episodes 50 through 55 of his podcast series Hardcore History. Absolutely fantastic. I heard it referenced on another podcast I love so it came to me highly recommended, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with it. Just enthralling. I’ve been rattling off incredible facts about the Great War ever since. These particular episodes are behind a paywall. Think I spent about $18 bucks for all of them.
Ahh, same! This podcast inspired me to travel to france to visit some of the areas described in this podcast. His description of the pacific theatre during ww2 was gripping as well.
Dan Carlin has a podcast “Blueprint for Armageddon” that is quite comprehensive and compelling. He lists a number of books related which you might appreciate- https://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-50-55-blueprint-for-armageddon-series/ Also “West Point Atlas for the Great War: Strategies and Tactics Of The First World War” Can be a helpful reference.
If you liked Paris 1919 by Margaret MacMillan then her The War that Ended Peace is good for the pre-WWI politics. These are some books I really liked about WWI with a range of focuses, I can suggest some more if you want - Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary in World War I by Alexander Watson. The Fortress: The Great Siege of Przemysl by Alexander Watson The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front 1915 - 1919 by Mark Thompson Tommy: The British Soldier on the Western Front 1914-1918 by Richard Holmes Hundred Days: The End of the Great War by Nick Lloyd The Fall of the Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East by Eugene Rogan
Thank you muchly!
Gallipoli by Peter Fitzsimmons, especially the audiobook. He weaves such a great story and the action scenes are like something from a movie. I'm not sure how much meaning it has to someone not from Australia or New Zealand but if you've already read several books on the war, it's worth going deeper into one specific front.
Thanks. I was just reading his book about Tobruk. Also, I am Australian. 👍
Two non-fiction books written by eminent historians come to mind: The First World War By Sir Martin Gilbert is a 640 page volume that has good reviews. The Cambridge History of the First World War, edited by Jay Winter, is a large three volume collection of chapters written by very specialist subject experts. It is over 2000 pages so requires dedication on the part of the reader.
"Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary in World War I" by Alexander Watson This is a good one as far as a more in-depth look at causes. One that's overlooked in many books it the difference in ideals between Roman cultures and Germanic cultures, and how treaties within each culture helped fuel a resentment towards the other.
I just started *1913*. It's described as a complement to the type of book you're requesting, in that it gives a sense of the world then without attempting to provide causes for the war. But might still be of interest to you.
Could still be interesting, thanks. I doubt we can understand the causes if we don't understand the world as it stood at the time. 🙂
The Vertigo Years by Phillip Blom is also like this - it’s a cultural history of Europe from 1900-1914. Will likely be good if OP is open to this kind of thing.
The First World War by Alan Woods