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World War I: Recommended Books (Lloyd L., October 2007) For those who might be interested in our recent military history but PRIOR to the popular available material on WWII, I offer these selected readings that present various views and experiences from the period 1914-1919. This happens to be my personal primary interest, and I have done considerable research and travel based on some of these writings. However, I have tried to make the list include both scholarly and more easy-to-digest works to keep your interest from flagging. Here we go: The Guns of August: Barbara Tuchman A fascinating and easy to read introduction into the whys and hows of World War I. Long on best-selling lists, one of the author's many history works. The spring and summer of 1914 was truly the end of innocence in the world, particularly in Europe. The Great War and Modern Memory: Paul Fussell I have 3 worn copies of this book in hard and soft-cover, so that indicates that it is a favorite! This is a fabulous work, with WWI and its emotional impacts described through the lives and deaths of the English and American and French "soldier-poets" and their companions -- of which there were at least a dozen of note. Please read reviews and try it out. A masterpiece. Unknown Soldiers: Missing of the First War: Neil Hanson This new book is different, in that it concentrates on the "average" soldier in WWI, the casualties and the treatment of return the dead after 1919. How the "Unknown Solider" concept evolved in various countries is a major theme. The book is developed using true stories of individual soldiers, with much detail known or suspected about their lives until and including their deaths in battle. Duffy's War: Father Duffy, Will Bill Donovan and the Fighting 69th: Stephen Harris The more accurate story of the "Fighting 69th" (the glamorous one is the movie from 1940 with Jimmy Cagney) from New York, and its travails in Europe during the Great War. Going through all this alongside the beloved Catholic chaplin, Duffy, and the great Irish lion, Donovan, is very worthwhile. A wonderful recall of the history of the Irish and other immgrants in New York, and how they worked and fought together in this conflict. The Doughboys: The AEF in World War I: Laurence Stallings Stallings knows of what he writes: he lost a leg with the Marines in 1918. This recognized author, screenwriter and playwright completed this book late in life, but it is a reasonable summary of the American role in the Great War. Better than most, and relatively easy to read. If you have seen the silent movies "The Big Parade" (1925) and "What Price Glory" (original 1926), you have seen Stallings screenwriting in his youth. If you have not seen these classics, please do. Goodbye to All That: Robert Graves I have read this at least 4 times, and each time I find myself looking off into the distance, wondering "how did they do it"? This is a literary giant's personal narrative of his very tough experience as a young officer in the British Army. Wonderfully written, in a classic British style. The glory and horrors of life in the trenches, seen through a sensitive young writer's eyes. Published right after the war. First Day on The Somme: Martin Middlebrook If you know anything about the July-September 1916 Battle of The Somme, you will find your knowledge expanded greatly by this book, which is highly regarded. Middlebrook is a respected military historian in UK and this his best known work. Learn how the British Army lost 60,000 men in one day in a relatively small frontal area with an ill-conceived assault on open ground. The anecdotal memories the author collected from then-living survivors are both heart-breaking and inspiring. Roses of No Man's Land: Lyn MacDonald This is one of about 6 admirable works by Lyn Macdonald on the Great War. This one is exceptional, since it covers the medical picture and specifically the nurses of that period -- thousands of women volunteered and went to France to assist the casualties, enduring great hardship and danger. A moving story -- with fascinating references to medical treatments, advances, and failures that came out of the period. Storm of Steel: Ernst Junger Here is the great conflict from the experiences of a young German soldier with considerable literary talent. This book, published right after the war, is considered one of the greatest of its genre. Militaristic in tone, but softened with the soul and spirit of this young man, it is well worth the time. The Arms of Krupp: William Manchester This epic book follows the Krupp industrial dynasty in Germany from its humble beginnings to its modern transformations. Since "Krupp" is synonymous with "German Wars", it is a useful and enlighteneing bridge between the conflicts in the late 19th and 20th centuries that encompassed Europe and finally the world, with specific reference to Wolrd Wars I and II and the German nation. This is a major work -- its scope and detail to be admired. Easy to read in almost novel form, it provides a considerable understanding of the "military-industrial complex" -- no, not ours -- theirs. For more on a wide array of other topics, please visit the oftwominds.com weblog. 
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