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Best non-fiction book about World War I?

I just finished reading Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain (it was swell!) and I would very much like to understand it more by reading an account of World War I, especially since the novel is supposedly an extended metaphor for the 'Great War' anyway. Thank you!

Lowly Tootle asked in Book Recommendations about 1 year ago | Report

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  • Hey_girl_hey_small
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    Here are some great histories of WWI:

    "The Guns of August" by Barbara Tuchmann. It covers the first month of WWI and is excellent.

    John Keegan's "The First World War" is a good complete history so is Martin Gilbert's "The First World War: A Complete History."

    You should also think about exploring the myriad first person accounts of the war. A good place to start is "Goodbye to All That" by Robert Graves.

    Dan Williams answered in Book Recommendations about 1 year ago | Report
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  • N871065272_8115_small
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    There is also "The Great War and Modern Memory" by Paul Fussell. Fussell is a great writer and cultural critic, as well as a WWII veteran. His book looks at the impact of the war, and how we perceive it.

    Tom Sackett answered in Book Recommendations about 1 year ago | Report
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    David Wright

    I want to second Dan's suggestions of the Graves, and of Keegan's The First World War in particular, and he did an illustrated version too, if you respond well to pictures, though be warned that the text here is abridged. 

    Another possibility - especially if you're pressed for time or want to move from generalities to more detailed analysis - weighing in at just 226 pages - is Norman Stone's The First World War: A Short History. This is far less exhaustive, and Stone's style is less scholarly, but he is a very good and enjoyable writer, and this would definitley be what I'd hand to someone wanting 'just a little something.' Of course you just read The Magic Mountain, so brevity may not be one of your issues.

    Another interesting angle on the Great War - or it's legacy, rather - is Jean-Yves Le Naour's The Living Unknown Soldier, an account of Anthelme Mangin, a wounded French soldier who was found wandering around with no sense of who he was. What ensued as he gained celebrity and was adopted by hawks and doves alike, and became a symbol of the tragedy of war, and the hope of a new day, and an unwelcome reminder of events that people wanted to forget - is fascinating. Perhaps an interesting bookend to the Tuchman book.

    David Wright answered in Book Recommendations about 1 year ago | Report
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