John Terraine (1921–2003)

Pretty good one volume digest of the "War to end all wars." Now go elsewhere to get the details. This is a Wordsworth Military History Reprint. Wordsworth tends to reprint rather obscure or hard to find but otherwise excellent military history books, some recent, some not so. The writing is always good and the subject, big or small, is usually interesting. The view is decidedly British in all cases.

This book was a great digest of how a little assassination in Sarajevo led to the little mass suicide ritual put on by the Germans. Once the stage is set, Terraine lets the story tell itself in military terms so you are not going to get any elucidation of economics but you will understand what did and did not work on the battlefield and why. Terraine is also not afraid of pointing out the idiots and the geniuses on both sides. The writing is lively and full of the author's opinion which makes for a more engaging read.

Lots of vintage photographs although for my taste there were too many weapons and could have used more inset maps for particular battles.

Hey, I picked up a whole pile of these lavish and quirky Wordsworth Editions for almost nothing and have never been disappointed by any of them. I lost my copy of The Eighth Passenger and have been bummed out ever since.… (altro)