First World War Books

Book SynopsisPresenting the desperate conflict of the First World War through the eyes of an ordinary German soldier, Ernst Jünger''s Storm of Steel is translated by Michael Hofmann in Penguin Modern Classics.''As though walking through a deep dream, I saw steel helmets approaching through the craters. They seemed to sprout from the fire-harrowed soil like some iron harvest.''A memoir of astonishing power, savagery and ashen lyricism, Storm of Steel depicts Ernst Jünger''s experience of combat on the front line - leading raiding parties, defending trenches against murderous British incursions, and simply enduring as shells tore his comrades apart. One of the greatest books to emerge from the catastrophe of the First World War, it illuminates like no other book not only the horrors but also the fascination of a war that made men keep fighting for four long years.Ernst Jünger (1895-1998) the son of a wealthy chemist, ran away from home to join the Foreign LegiTrade ReviewUndoubtedly the most powerful memoir of any war I have ever read ... Storm of Steel combines the most astonishing literary gifts with absorption with war in every detail. It has German loyalties and a German sensibility, but not a trace of propaganda. It is particular, yet universal ... What Jünger saw and recorded was, to use his own word, 'primordial'. It takes great art to convey that appalling simplicity -- Charles Moore * Telegraph *Storm of Steel is what so many books claim to be but are not: a classic account of war * Evening Standard *Hofmann's interpretation is superb * The Times *Unique in the literature of this or any other war is its brilliantly vivid conjuration of the immediacy and intensity of battle * Telegraph *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThink you know about British history and the causes of the First World War? Think again. This fascinating and gripping study of events at the turn of the Twentieth Century is a remarkable insight into how political and social factors that we widely accept to be the causes of The Great War, were really just a construct put together by a very small, but powerful, political elite...'Thought-provoking . . . Docherty and Macgregor do not mince their words . . . their arguments are powerful' -- Britain at War'Simply astonishing' -- ***** Reader review'Very illuminating' -- ***** Reader review'You simply MUST read this book' -- ***** Reader review'This is a page-turner' -- ***** Reader review***********************************************************************************Hidden History uniquely exposes those responsible for the First World War. It reveals how accounts of the war's origins have been deliberately falsified to conceal the guilt of the secret cabal of very rich and powerful men in London responsible for the most heinous crime perpetrated on humanity. For ten years, they plotted the destruction of Germany as the first stage of their plan to take control of the world. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was no chance happening. It lit a fuse that had been carefully set through a chain of command stretching from Sarajevo through Belgrade and St Petersburg to that cabal in London.Our understanding of these events has been firmly trapped in a web of falsehood and duplicity carefully constructed by the victors at Versailles in 1919 and maintained by compliant historians ever since. The official version is fatally flawed, warped by the volume of evidence they destroyed or concealed from public view.Hidden History poses a tantalising challenge. The authors ask only that you examine the evidence they lay before you . . .Trade ReviewThought-provoking . . . Docherty and Macgregor do not mince their words . . . their arguments are powerful * Britain at War *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Price of Glory: Verdun 1916 is the second book of Alistair Horne''s trilogy, which includes The Fall of Paris and To Lose a Battle and tells the story of the great crises of the rivalry between France and Germany. The battle of Verdun lasted ten months. It was a battle in which at least 700,000 men fell, along a front of fifteen miles. Its aim was less to defeat the enemy than bleed him to death and a battleground whose once fertile terrain is even now a haunted wilderness. Alistair Horne''s classic work, continuously in print for over fifty years, is a profoundly moving, sympathetic study of the battle and the men who fought there. It shows that Verdun is a key to understanding the First World War to the minds of those who waged it, the traditions that bound them and the world that gave them the opportunity. ''Verdun was the bloodiest battle in history ... The Price of Glory is the essential book on the subject''  Sunday Times ''It has almost every merit ... Horne sorts out complicating issues with the greatest clarity. He has a splendid gift for depicting individuals''  A.J.P. Taylor, Observer ''A masterpiece''  The New York Times ''Compellingly told ... Alastair Horne uses contemporary accounts from both sides to build up a picture of heroism, mistakes, even farce''  Sunday Telegraph ''Brilliantly written ... very readable; almost like a historical novel - except that it is true''  Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery One of Britain''s greatest historians, Sir Alistair Horne, CBE, is the author of a trilogy on the rivalry between France and Germany, The Price of Glory, The Fall of Paris and To Lose a Battle, as well as a two-volume life of Harold Macmillan.Table of ContentsLa debacle; joffre of the marne; Falkenhayn; operation Gericht; the waiting machine; the first day; the fall of Colonel Driant; breakthrough; Fort Douaumont; De Castelnau decides; petain; the take-over; reappraisals; the Mort Homme; widening horizons; in another country; the air battle; the crown prince; the triumvirate; "May Cup"; Fort Vaux; danger signals; the secret enemies; the crisis; Falkenhayn dismissed; the counterstrokes; the new leader; aftermath;

Read more less

Book Synopsis''It''s the end of the 1916 winter and the conditions are almost unbelievable. We live in a world of Somme mud. We sleep in it, work in it, fight in it, wade in it and many of us die in it. We see it, feel it, eat it and curse it, but we can''t escape it, not even by dying...''Edward Lynch enlisted when he was just 18 - one of thousands of fresh-faced men who were proudly waved off by the crowds as they embarked for France. It was 1916 and the majority had no idea of the reality of the Somme trenches, of the traumatised soldiers they would encounter there, of the innumerable, awful contradictions of war. Private Lynch was one of those who survived, and on his return home, wrote Somme Mud in pencil in over 20 school exercise books, perhaps in the hope of coming to terms with all that he had witnessed there? Written from the perspective of an ordinary ''Tommy'' and told with dignity, candour and surprising wit, Somme Mud is a testament to the human spirit:Trade ReviewAs haunting and graphic a description of trench warfare as any I have read... this is a warrior's tale... a great read and a moving eye-witness account of a living hell from which few emerged unscathed * Daily Express *Compares to All Quiet on the Western Front... Both are front-line memoirs of men steadily becoming more professional and more disillusioned... Both are magnificently written -- Prof William GammageHere is the stink and stench of war... horrifying, scarifying and very humbling as well * Herald Sun *Brilliantly evokes the terror, horror, elation, friendship, gore and depression that made a combat infantryman's life so dangerous, so traumatic and, if he survived, so memorable * Courier Mail *His observations on life in the line and of his emotions in a battle strike a chord. Difficult to put down - it has the feel of being written by a soldier for soldiers * Soldier Magazine *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe untold story of how the First World War shaped the lives, faith, and writings of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. Giving an unabashedly Christian vision of hope in a world tortured by doubt and disillusionment, the two writers created works that changed the course of literature and shaped the faith of millions---now in paperback.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWinner of the 2017 Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize for nature writingThe natural history of the Western Front during the First World War'If it weren't for the birds, what a hell it would be.'During the Great War, soldiers lived inside the ground, closer to nature than many humans had lived for centuries. Animals provided comfort and interest to fill the blank hours in the trenches - bird-watching, for instance, was probably the single most popular hobby among officers. Soldiers went fishing in flooded shell holes, shot hares in no-man's land for the pot, and planted gardens in their trenches and billets. Nature was also sometimes a curse - rats, spiders and lice abounded, and disease could be biblical.But above all, nature healed, and, despite the bullets and blood, it inspired men to endure. Where Poppies Blow is the unique story of how nature gave the British soldiers of the Great War a reason to fight, and the will to go on.Trade Review'What makes Where Poppies Blow so freshly moving is the picture it paints of the reverence, love and kindness the natural world can engender, even in the most hellish conditions; as Philip Gosse of the Royal Army Medical Corps called it, "medicine for the mind and solace for the soul"' -- Melissa Harrison * Financial Times *'In Where Poppies Blow, the nature writer, historian and farmer presents us with a beautiful and meticulous account of soldiers' relationship with nature . . . This book, which recounts the lives of our frontline soldiers from the ground up, is a truly wondrous and original work with an appeal far beyond military history' -- Charlotte Heathcote * Daily Express Christmas Books *'Wonderful, beautifully written and often deeply moving' -- Lawrence James * The Times *'Makes an important contribution to the literature by studying the British soldiers' relationship with Nature . . . Moving, strangely life-affirming' -- Clive Aslet * Country Life *'Manages what might have seemed impossible: to find a new perspective on the Great War' -- Mark Smith * Glasgow Herald *'From traumatized, trench-bound British soldiers caught up in the carnage of the First World War, birdwatching and botany offered solace. So reveals John Lewis-Stempel in this riveting study drawing on verse, letters and field notes by men who served, from zoologist Dene Fry to poet Edward Thomas . . . A remarkable picture of a human bloodbath that took place amid phenomenally rich biodiversity' * Nature *'Deeply moving . . . I finished this book marvelling at nature's healing power' -- Jonathan Tulloch * The Tablet *'But natural history did not go into suspense while war was waged. Where Poppies Blow notes that many of the Edwardian boys who ended up on the Western Front still collected birds' eggs and butterflies' -- Simon Heffer * Daily Telegraph *'Memorable' * Spectator *'One of the best nature writers to have come along in many years, John Lewis-Stempel turns his attention here to the relationship between soldiers and nature on the Western Front during the First World War' -- John Preston * Daily Mail Christmas Books *'Nature writer and military historian John Lewis-Stempel has created a eulogy to the flora and fauna that helped men soldier on during the First World War . . . Where Poppies Blow is full of fascinating (sometimes heart-wrenching) information about the role of nature and animals in this brutal war' -- Rachel Stiles * BBC Countryfile *'This charming book reminds us that flora and fauna weren't suspended by the First World War' - 5 stars * The Daily Telegraph *Unmissable...John Lewis Stempel is both a working farmer and a prizewinnig author. In early July, i heard him speak on first world war soldiers and their love of flowers and animals. I went straight off and read his excellent book, Where Poppies Blow, and I defy you not to be moved by its chapters on flowers and dogs. -- Robin Lane Fox * FINANCIAL TIMES *Shows how important birdwatching was to officers in particular, and how this in turn fed back into post-war ornithology. It's an enthralling, and often moving, read, that sets the study and enjoyment of wildlife in a much wider context. * BIRD WATCHING *Ultimately, the depth and power of Where Poppies Blow is impossible to convey. It eludes review, but it begs to be read. -- John Andrews * CAUGHT BY THE RIVER *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe 306: Day is the second part of Oliver Emanuel and Gareth Williams' powerful new First World War trilogy, charting the heart-breaking journey of the 306 men executed for cowardice and desertion during the conflict and the devastating consequences for those they left behind. This part explores how the war affected women, families, and communities on the home front. Inspired by real events and first-hand accounts, The 306: Day follows the lives of three ordinary women fighting to be heard above the clamor of World War 1.Trade ReviewAbsolutely exceptional in its sheer dramatic force * The Scotsman on The 306: Dawn *

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisMeets the requirements of school parties, visitor groups and others at a time of unprecedented interest (Centenary). The book is concise and informative. Offers easy-to-follow tour programme with all necessary historical background and advice.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE HISTORICAL WRITERS' ASSOCIATION CROWN AWARDS 2022 ‘Compelling and often horrifying’ THE TIMES Best Paperbacks of 2022 The epic, moving stories of Britain's search to recover, identify and honour the missing soldiers of the First World War By the end of the First World War, the whereabouts of more than half a million British soldiers were unknown. Most were presumed dead, lost forever under the battlefields of northern France and Flanders. In The Searchers, Robert Sackville-West brings together the extraordinary, moving accounts of those who dedicated their lives to the search for the missing. These stories reveal the remarkable lengths to which people will go to give meaning to their loss: Rudyard Kipling's quest for his son's grave; E.M. Forster’s conversations with traumatised soldiers in hospital in Alexandria; desperate attempts to communicate with the spirits of the dead; the campaign to establish the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior; and the exhumation and reburial in military cemeteries of hundreds of thousands of bodies. It was a search that would span a century: from the department set up to investigate the fate of missing comrades in the war’s aftermath to the present day, when DNA profiling continues to aid efforts to recover, identify and honour these men. As the rest of the country found ways to repair and move on, countless families were consumed by this mission, undertaking arduous, often hopeless, journeys to discover what happened to their husbands, brothers and sons. Giving prominence to the personal battles of those left behind, The Searchers brings the legacy of war vividly to life in a testament to the bravery, compassion and resilience of the human spirit.Trade ReviewThis carefully researched and beautifully written book reveals the determination of the families of those who have lost loved ones killed in war to find out what happened to them and where their bodies lie. Each year at the Cenotaph, a memorial whose origins are described here in fascinating detail, we see the public manifestation of a private grief that never fades. There may be a commemorative tomb in Westminster Abbey but there is in truth, as Sackville-West explains, no such thing as an Unknown Warrior -- David DimblebyA deeply sad but fascinating topic ... Beautifully written -- Michael Portillo * TimesRadio *Remarkable -- John Carey * Sunday Times *Robert Sackville-West writes tenderly about death and remembrance … [He] handles this grim subject with grace. The excruciatingly personal stories he tells convey perfectly that desperate need for closure that so many grieving relatives felt … His gentle book is fascinating, but never sensational or gratuitously maudlin -- Gerard DeGroot * The Times *Carefully researched and utterly riveting * Sunday Telegraph *A fascinating, moving account … A hidden piece of First World War history is revealed in this sensitive and engrossing study * i paper *Deeply moving ... [Sackville-West documents] all these grim stories with compassion * Daily Mail *A scholarly and moving account of those who searched, privately and officially – and still search – for the missing … Reflects on the meaning of the war’s sacrifice and how to commemorate it * Country Life *

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis new edition of Paul Reed's classic book Walking the Somme is an essential travelling companion for anyone visiting the Somme battlefields of 1916. His book, first published over ten years ago, is the result of a lifetime's research into the battle and the landscape over which it was fought. From Gommecourt, Serre, Beaumont-Hamel and Thiepval to Montauban, High Wood, Delville Wood and Flers, he guides the walker across the major sites associated with the fighting. These are now features of the peaceful Somme countryside. In total there are 16 walks, including a new one tracing the operations around Mametz Wood, and all the original walks have been fully revised and brought up to date. Walking the Somme brings the visitor not only to the places where the armies clashed but to the landscape of monuments, cemeteries and villages that make the Somme battlefield so moving to explore.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Kaiser's Panzers charts the development of German armoured vehicles during the First World War. Late to adopt the tank as an offensive weapon, in a theatre characterized by bloody trench warfare, the Imperial German Army's fledgling tank force fielded only twenty A7V tanks by the time of the November 1918 Armistice. To address this shortcoming, the German Army pressed more captured British Mark IV tanks into service through a dedicated workshop facility in Belgium during the final year of the war. A handful of these vehicles later saw service in the Freikorps to suppress left-wing uprisings in Berlin and Leipzig. Although German tanks played an insignificant part in the conflict, two early commanders rose to prominence in the Third Reich: Ernest Volckheim a leading interwar armour theorist and later Panzer commander; Josef Sepp' Dietrich a SS Panzer general implicated in the 1945 Malmedy massacre. Drawing on contemporary records, newsreels and newspaper accounts, The Kaiser's Panzers is a heavily illustrated record of Germany's first tanks, the predecessor force to Adolf Hitler's vaunted Panzertruppen, and will be enjoyed by all military history enthusiasts.

Read more less

Book Synopsis'The scene was tragically macabre: the image of desolation, the flames spared nothing. As for our young men, a few minutes ago, so alert, so self-confident, all now lying dead on the bare deck, blackened burned skeletons, twisted in all directions, no trace of any clothing, the fire having devoured all.' Vice Admiral P. E. Guéprette recalls the damage to the French ship Suffen during a naval battle in 1915. One of the most famous battles in history, Gallipoli forced Churchill from office, established Turkey's iconic founder Mustafa Kemal ('Ataturk') and marked Australia's emergence as a nation in its own right. It had begun as a bold move led by the British to ultimately capture Constantinople, but this definitive new history explains that from the initial landings - which ended with so much blood in the sea it could be seen from aircraft overhead - to the desperate attacks of early summer and the battle of attrition that followed, it was a lunacy that was never going to succeed. Drawing on unpublished personal accounts by individuals at all levels and from all sides - not only from Britain, Australia and New Zealand, but unusually from Turkey and France too - Peter Hart combines his trademark eye for vivid personal stories with a strong narrative to bring a modern view of this military disaster to a popular audience.Trade ReviewA marvellous book ... vivid and compelling * Economist *All good history books should be an assault on myth, and in Gallipoli Peter Hart mounts a supremely effective attack * Mail on Sunday *An impressive and timely reminder of the futility of war * Morning Star *[A] stirring account * Irish Examiner *Superb... a serious and important work on Gallipoli. It is researched in fine detail and written in Peter Hart's increasingly excellent style. If you are interested in this campaign, or the Great War, or just appreciate a well written book, then this is for you. -- David McLoughlin * Press Association *An account filled with insight and poignancy -- Craig Gibson * TLS *

Read more less

Book SynopsisOn 31st October 1917, as the day''s light faded, the Australian Light Horse charged against their enemy. Eight hundred men and horses galloped four miles across open country, towards the artillery, rifles and machine guns of the Turks occupying the seemingly unassailable town of Beersheba. What happened in the next hour changed the course of history.This brave battle and the extraordinary adventures that led to it are brought vividly to life by Australia''s greatest storyteller, Peter FitzSimons. It is an epic tale of farm boys, drovers, bank clerks, dentists, poets and scoundrels transported to fight a war half a world away, and is full of incredible characters: from Major Banjo Paterson to Lawrence of Arabia; the brilliant writer Trooper Ion Idriess and the humble General Harry Chauvel; the tearaway Test fast bowler ''Tibby'' Cotter and the infamous warhorse, Bill the Bastard. All have their part to play in the enthralling, sprawling drama of the Australian Light Horse.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis fascinating book documents the impact of the First World War on the people of Kent, using a selection of primary sources and contemporary photographs.

Read more less

Book SynopsisJohn Singer Sargent's Gassed is one of IWM's most iconic and best-loved objects. Truly monumental in scale, it is also the largest painting in the museum's collection and has been on near-constant display since it was first exhibited in 1919. A favourite among visitors and the most requested image by researchers and publishers, the work endures as a lasting symbol of modern art in public service, and of the transformative conflict from which it came. In the following pages IWM's Head of Art Rebecca Newell traces the origins of this large and powerful painting in the final months of the First World War and celebrates the vibrancy and visual power of the work, revealed once again during recent conservation. John Singer Sargent's Gassed reflects on the challenges of creating and displaying a canvas of such size and the dramatic impact the work has had on generations of visitors to IWM. Finally, the book considers the painting's enduring legacy in the context of art inspired by conflict - a legacy now secured for future generations.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Amazon History Book of the Year 2013 is a magisterial chronicle of the calamity that befell Europe in 1914 as the continent shifted from the glamour of the Edwardian era to the tragedy of total war.In 1914, Europe plunged into the 20th century's first terrible act of self-immolation what was then called The Great War. On the eve of its centenary, Max Hastings seeks to explain both how the conflict came about and what befell millions of men and women during the first months of strife.He finds the evidence overwhelming, that Austria and Germany must accept principal blame for the outbreak. While what followed was a vast tragedy, he argues passionately against the poets' view', that the war was not worth winning. It was vital to the freedom of Europe, he says, that the Kaiser's Germany should be defeated.His narrative of the early battles will astonish those whose images of the war are simply of mud, wire, trenches and steel helmets. Hastings describes how the French Army marched intTrade ReviewBOOK OF THE YEAR – AS CHOSEN BY THE INDEPENDENT, FINANCIAL TIMES, OBSERVER, TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT AND SPECTATOR. ‘Like one of Field Marshal Haig’s family whiskies, Max Hastings is a dram that steadily improves with age … His position as Britain’s leading military historian is now unassailable … In this enormously impressive new book, Hastings effortlessly masters the complex lead-up to and opening weeks of the First World War … [He] is as magisterial as we would expect … This is a magnificent and deeply moving book, and with Max Hastings as our guide we are in the hands of a master’ Nigel Jones, Telegraph ‘Hastings is the author of consistently good histories of WWII. But with ‘Catastrophe’ he has reached a new level of excellence’ The Times ‘Magnificent … Hastings writes with an enviable grasp of pace and balance, as well as an acute eye for human detail. Even for readers who care nothing for the difference between a battalion and a division, his book is at once moving, provocative and utterly engrossing’ Sunday Times ‘Masterly … Hastings is a brilliant guide to that strange, febrile twilight before Europe plunged into darkness. Writing in pungent prose suffused with irony and underpinned by a strong sense of moral outrage … this is history-writing at its best, scholarly and fluent … for anyone wanting to understand how that ghastly, much-misunderstood conflict came about, there could be no better place to start than this fine book’ The Times ‘One could scarcely ask for a better guide to these horrors than Max Hastings … he is a superb writer with a rare gift for evoking the rhythm, mood and raw physical terror of battle … If you are looking for a humane and compelling interpretive chronicle of the formative months of this horrific conflict, you will find none better’ Mail on Sunday ‘Very readable. Character, pace, sense of landscape, battlefield detail – all are superbly done … it's a splendid read’ Observer

Read more less

Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER''A timely re-appraisal . . . a masterpiece'' General Lord Richard DannattThe Third Battle of Ypres was a ''lost victory'' for the British Army in 1917. Between July and November 1917, in a small corner of Belgium, more than 500,000 men were killed or maimed, gassed or drowned - and many of the bodies were never found. The Ypres offensive represents the modern impression of the First World War: splintered trees, water-filled craters, muddy shell-holes.The climax was one of the worst battles of both world wars: Passchendaele. The village fell eventually, only for the whole offensive to be called off. But, as Nick Lloyd shows, notably through previously overlooked German archive material, it is striking how close the British came to forcing the German Army to make a major retreat in Belgium in October 1917. Far from being a pointless and futile waste of men, the battle was a startling illustration ofTrade ReviewA timely re-appraisal . . . a masterpiece -- General Lord Richard DannattSweeps aside mythology and provides a rational explanation and cool description of what took place -- Max Hastings * The Sunday Times *Nick Lloyd has unearthed a mass of new material for this harrowing account of one of the most infamous engagements of the Great War -- Ian Thomson * The Guardian *Meticulously researched . . . A harrowing and important history -- PD Smith * The Guardian *With clean, clear and often eviscerating writing, Nick Lloyd compels us to re-evaluate Passchendaele and all that word conjures -- Paul Gross, director and star of the film 'Passchendaele'Rigorously researched . . . one of the great features of this excellent book, absent from too many less rigorous histories of events in the First World War, is a clear account of how things were on the German side, and how the British attack not only gained ground, but devastated German morale . . . Lloyd's research is superb; the book is well-illustrated with photographs and maps; he brings the battle and its political context vividly to life . . . this is in almost every respect a model of what a work of military history should be, and is now perhaps the definitive account of this phase of the war on the Western Front -- Simon Heffer * The Telegraph *I thought it both precise and compassionate - a properly definitive history, with clear sightlines from the strategic planning, to the horror of the battle itself from both sides, through to its consequences for the war as it entered its complex final phase -- Dr Emily MayhewA fresh and thorough examination of the events of July to November 1917 is definitely needed. Dr Nick Lloyd has achieved this in his book Passchendaele: A New History, an account that is both scholarly and gripping. -- Glyn Harper, Professor of War Studies, Massey UniversityConfirms his position among the best young scholars of WWI in this comprehensively researched, convincingly presented analysis of the still-controversial 1917 battle of Passchendaele . . .Lloyd's thesis is controversial, but his scholarship makes it impossible to dismiss * Publishers Weekly *His narrative of the campaign is superb and written with clarity and dispassion. He teaches military history at King's College London and has done his research thoroughly in German and Allied archives. It is fascinating to know the preoccupations, hopes and plans of the Kaiser ("The English must be made to grovel") and his generals, and to hear the voices of German frontline soldiers -- Lawrence James * The Times *'An eloquent retelling of one of the First World War's most mismanaged battles. Lloyd movingly recounts the ordeal of German and British infantry in the mud and blood of Passchendaele -- Professor Alexander WatsonDid Passchendaele mark the moment when German morale collapsed on the Western Front? Nick Lloyd makes a compelling case . . . both as narrative and analysis, this book is masterly -- Allan Massie * Scotsman *Masterly . . . He argues convincingly -- Allan Mallinson * The Times Literary Supplement *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe real story of how Winston Churchill and the British mastered deception to defeat the Nazis - by conning the Kaiser, hoaxing Hitler and using brains to outwit brawn. By June 1940, most of Europe had fallen to the Nazis and Britain stood alone. So, with Winston Churchill in charge the British bluffed their way out of trouble, drawing on the trickery which had helped them win the First World War. They broadcast outrageous British propaganda on pretend German radio stations, broke German secret codes and eavesdropped on their messages. Every German spy in Britain was captured and many were used to send back false information to their controllers. Forged documents misled their intelligence. Bogus wireless traffic from entire phantom armies, dummy airfields with model planes, disguised ships and inflatable rubber tanks created a vital illusion of strength. Culminating in the spectacular misdirection that was so essential to the success of D-Day in 1944, Churchill''s Wizards: The British Genius for Deception 1914-1945 is a thrilling work of popular military history filled with almost unbelievable stories of bravery, creativity and deception. Nicholas Rankin is the author of Dead Man''s Chest, Telegram From Guernica and Ian Fleming''s Commandos. ''This is a story clamouring to be told. We could not have imagined the scope of the inventiveness, the daring of these people''s imaginations . . . I could not stop reading this book.'' Doris Lessing

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe 4th and 5th Battalions, the Norfolk Regiment were formed in the early days of The Great War as part of the Territorial Force and deployed with 54th (East Anglian) Division to Gallipoli in 1915. Most significantly the 1/5th Battalion was unique in that it contained The Sandringham Company, the only unit to be raised entirely from a Royal Estate.Tragically the Company, along with King George V's Agent Captain Beck, disappeared without trace on 12 August 1915, presumed to have been overcome by their Turkish adversaries.The Battalion was rebuilt and saw out the ill-fated Gallipoli Campaign being evacuated to Egypt in December 1915. Thereafter the Norfolks served with distinction in Palestine as part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force.The Author has compiled a fascinating history of these Battalions' distinguished service using contemporary records and personal accounts illustrated with a splendid selection of photographs. The result is a fitting tribute to the memory of these brave vo

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Royal Marines had the distinction of serving in every major land campaign of the First World War, as well as participating in most minor ones. They also served afloat as an element of the Royal Navy. For the greater part, the morale and esprit de corps of the formation was second to none, wherever its men found themselves and whatever challenges they faced. This new history examines the participation of the corps in actions such as the Defence of Antwerp, the Gallipoli landings, the Battle of the Somme, the Zeebrugge Raid and the Allied intervention in North Russia. It covers the Marines in action aboard ship at the Dardanelles and Jutland, and throws a spotlight on the little-known Royal Marines presence in the West Indies. Flying Marines operated with the Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Flying Corps, often with noted bravery. Wherever possible the words used are those of the men who were there, and these eye-witness accounts (some never before published) offer an immediacy and

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book represents the only detailed study of an Indian national enlisting in Britain's armed forces during the First World War.

Read more less

Book SynopsisHighly interesting to anyone with a passing interest in military badges, this book is invaluable for military collectors.

Read more less

Book SynopsisUnlike the popular view, the French army did not cease offensive operations after the disastrous Nivelle Offensive of spring 1917 and the subsequent mutinies. Nor did the fighting at Verdun come to an end in 1916. The successful French counter offensives at the end of that year led to preliminary planning for a two Army operation in 1917 to break out of the Verdun salient and recapture the strategically very significant Briey coal basin. The French Army mutinies of May and June 1917 led to a more limited version of the plan being implemented, with the aim of establishing new lines for a break out in 1918. The need to rebuild morale in the French army meant that nothing was left to chance. The immense logistical effort of this late summer 1917 campaign and the detailed planning and careful training at all levels brought success to an army weary of war but determined to win. The industrial nature of the preparations, the spectacular numbers of guns and the first appearance of the Americans at Verdun presage the campaigns of 1918 and the final Allied victory. Once more Christina Holstein, the premier expert in Britain of the battlefields around Verdun, leads the reader around the various vital points of this largely unknown battle of 1917, one which was vital for the rebuilding of a French army that played such a notable part in the victorious allied campaign of 1918. As for all the books in the Battleground Europe series, it is profusely illustrated and mapped using contemporary and modern material, supported by clear maps to support each of the tours.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe First World War battlefields to the south of Arras - including Battery Valley and Observation Ridge, Telegraph Hill, Monchy-le-Preux, Wancourt, and Bullecourt - are among the most famous and most visited sites on the Western Front, rivalled only by those around Ypres and the Somme, and this clearly written, highly illustrated guide is the ideal introduction to them. Visitors can trace for themselves the course of each battle across the modern landscape and gain a fascinating insight into the nature of the fighting in the area - and the wider conflict across the Western Front - throughout the war. The book covers the key battles fought in the southern sector of the Arras front, including the 1917 battles fought at Battery Valley, Monchy-le-Preux, Wancourt and Bullecourt. Expert guides Jon Cooksey and Jerry Murland have devised a series of routes that can be walked, biked or driven, explaining the fighting that occurred at each place in vivid detail. They record what happened, where it happened and why, and point out the sights that remain for the visitor to see. Their guidebook is essential reading for visitors who wish to enhance their understanding of the war on the Western Front.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe First World War brought peoples from five continents to support the British and French Allies on the Western Front. Many were from colonial territories in the British and French empires, and the largest contingents were Indians and Chinese - some 140,000\. It is a story of the encounter with the European 'other', including the civilian European local populations, often marred by racism, discrimination and zenophobia both inside and outside the military command, but also lightened by moving and enduring 'human' social relationships. The vital contribution to the Alles and the huge sacrifices involved were scarcely recognised at the Paris Peace Conference in 1918 or the post-war victory celebrations and this led to resentment - see huge media coverage in 2021\. The effect of the European 'other' experience enhanced Asian political awareness and self-confidence, and stimulated anti-imperialism and proto-nationalism. This is a vivid and original contribution to imperial decline from the First World War. and the originality of the work is enhanced by rare sources culled from original documents and 'local' European fieldwork - in French, German and Flemish.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn the past, while visiting the First World War battlefields, the author often wondered where the various Victoria Cross actions took place. He resolved to find out. In 1988, in the midst of his army career, research for this book commenced and over the years numerous sources have been consulted. Victoria Crosses on the Western Front: Battles of the Hindenburg Line - Havrincourt and Epehy is designed for the battlefield visitor as much as the armchair reader. A thorough account of each VC action is set within the wider strategic and tactical context. Detailed sketch maps show the area today, together with the battle-lines and movements of the combatants. It will allow visitors to stand upon the spot, or very close to, where each VC was won. Photographs of the battle sites richly illustrate the accounts. There is also a comprehensive biography for each recipient, covering every aspect of their lives warts and all: parents and siblings, education, civilian employment, military career, wife and children, death and burial/commemoration. A host of other information, much of it published for the first time, reveals some fascinating characters, with numerous links to many famous people and events.

Read more less

Book SynopsisOne hundred years ago saw the declaration of a war that would forever change our understanding of war. With a staggering loss of life, World War One was, by all accounts, a brutal and devastating tragedy. And yet, on the eve of the hundredth anniversary, countries around the world are preparing to commemorate the Great War not with regret but with nationalist pride. Conservative forces, already well into a program to elevate the place of the military in society, are embracing the opportunity to replace today's apparent cynicism with an unquestioning patriotism similar to that which existed a century ago. Politicians on both sides of the Atlantic are imploring their citizens - especially their youth - to revive the sense of duty embodied in the generation that served in the trenches. But is the ennobling nature of patriotism the real lesson that people today should extract from that now-vanished generation's experience? Through a dialogue with a pop-culture artifact from a lost world - a boys' annual called Young Canada - Noble Illusions examines the use of propaganda to glorify racist colonial wars and, in the wake of those, the Great War. A juxtaposition of earnest instruction on the cultivation of everyday virtues and brutal tales of war masquerading as moral lessons on valour and righteousness, Young Canada helped to persuade a generation of young Canadians to head eagerly to the trenches of World War One. Concerned that the rise of militarism is leading today's youth in a similar direction, Stephen Dale offers this examination as an inoculation against the blind patriotism politicians are working so hard to instill.Table of ContentsContents The Past as a Part of the Present A World of Duty, Discovery and Death In the Thick of Things Looking Forward

Read more less

Book Synopsis"Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself." So begins Virginia Woolf’s beloved fourth novel. First published in 1925, Mrs. Dalloway has long been considered Woolf’s masterpiece. A pivotal work of literary modernism, its simple plot—centred on an upper-class Londoner preparing to give a party—is complicated by Woolf’s satire of the English social system. For decades, Woolf’s rapturous style and vision of individual consciousness have challenged and inspired readers, novelists and scholars alike. In this annotated volume based on the original British edition, acclaimed essayist and Oxford don Merve Emre mines Woolf’s diaries and notes on writing to take us into the making of Mrs. Dalloway, revealing the novel’s artistry and astonishing originality. Alongside her generous commentary, Emre offers hundreds of illustrations and little-seen photographs from Woolf’s life. The result is not only an essential volume for students and Woolf devotees but an incomparable gift to all lovers of literature.Trade Review"[An] amazing, illustrated annotated edition… Unlike a lot of these books where you have to flick to the back or there are interrupting footnotes at the bottom, this is very usable, very navigable." -- Leo Robson, Summer reading round up - BBC Radio 4 Open Book"[Emre’s] introduction combines personal testimony about her relationship to the novel—she is so devoted that she retyped Woolf’s manuscript for this edition—with deep research into its genesis... if you can read the novel a little more analytically, if you seek instruction on how it works and why, then this new edition will tell you all that you wish to know... Among its many illustrations, it includes a selection of maps, tracing the paths that Clarissa, Septimus and the other characters might have walked that day in 1923. The next time I’m in London with a few hours to spare, this is the Mrs. Dalloway for me." -- Jeremy McCarter - The Wall Street Journal"The Annotated Mrs Dalloway is timely… Emre finds Woolf’s life surfacing everywhere. Woolf’s thoughts, and her self, are irrepressible... Emre has created a kaleidoscope of revealing and illuminating images." -- Henry Oliver - UnHerd"Each edition has its own magnificence… Emre’s edition is a seminar, a reading experience masterfully directed by a warm voice urging attention and suggesting interpretation... As more Woolf books emerge from copyright, we can expect many more editions. I hope that they are as consistent in purpose and as pleasant to explore as Fernald’s and Emre’s... Emre, unlike Fernald, is not a Woolf scholar, but she is something else well suited to the task: a storyteller." -- Emily Kopley - Times Literary Supplement

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Outstanding . . . thought-provoking, readable and informative' SoldierOne hundred years on...On 18 July 1917, a heavy artillery barrage was unleashed by the Allied forces against an entrenched German army outside the town of Ypres. it was to be the opening salvo of one of the most ferociously fought and debilitating encounters of the First World War.Few battles would encapsulate the utter futility of the war better that what became known as the Battle of Passchendaele. By the time the British and Canadian forces finally captured Passchendaele village on 6 November, the Allies had suffered over 271,000 casualties and the German army over 217,000.Passchendaele: Requiem for Doomed Youth shows how ordinary men on both sides endured this constant state of siege, with a very real awareness that they were being gradually, deliberately felled. Here, Paul Ham tells the story of an army caught in the grip of an extraordinary power struggle – both global and national. As Prime Minister Lloyd George and Commander Haig’s relationship deteriorated beyond repair, so a terrible battle of attrition was needlessly and painfully prolonged.Ham lays down a powerful challenge to the ways in which we have previously seen this monumental battle. Through an examination of the culpability of governments and military commanders in a catastrophe that destroyed the best part of a generation, Paul Ham argues that Passchendaele, far from being a breakthrough moment, was the battle that nearly lost the Allies the war.‘Paul Ham brings new tools to the job, unearthing fresh evidence of a deeply disturbing sort. He has a magpie eye for the telling detail.’ Ben Macintyre, The TimesTrade ReviewExcellent * Spectator *Outstanding . . . thought-provoking, readable and informative * Soldier *In this centenary study, Australian military historian Paul Ham gives the strategic and political background to the battle. Which he sees as the defining tragedy in the greater disaster of the First World War * BBC History Magazine *

Read more less

Book SynopsisCovering the important WW1 Battles of Ypres, including the notorious Passchendaele, this guidebook takes readers on a historic trip through some of the well-known and most important sites of the area. This book, part of a new series of guides, is designed conveniently in a small size, for those who have only limited time to visit, or who are simply interested in as an introduction to the historic battlefields, whether on the ground or from an armchair. They contain selections from the Holts' more detailed guides of the most popular and accessible sites plus hand tourist information, capturing the essential features of the Battles. The book contains many full colour maps and photographs and detailed instructions on what to see and where to visit.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhen they met at a motorcycle club in 1912, Elsie Knocker was a thirty year-old motorcycling divorcee dressed in bottle-green Dunhill leathers, and Mairi Chisholm was a brilliant eighteen-year old mechanic, living at home and borrowing tools from her brother. Little did they know, theirs was to become one of the most extraordinary stories of the First World War.In 1914, they roared off to London 'to do their bit', and within a month they were in the thick of things in Belgium driving ambulances to distant military hospitals. Frustrated by the number of men dying of shock in the back of their vehicles, they set up their own first-aid post on the front line in the village of Pervyse, near Ypres, risking their lives working under sniper fire and heavy bombardment for months at a time. As news of their courage and expertise spread, the 'Angels of Pervyse' became celebrities, visited by journalists and photographers as well as royals and VIPs. Glamorous and influential, they were having the time of their lives, and for four years, Elsie and Mairi and stayed in Pervyse until they were nearly killed by arsenic gas in the spring of 1918. But returning home and adjusting to peacetime life was to prove even more challenging than the war itself.Trade ReviewA compelling story of famous but forgotten heroines: two exceptional Edwardian ladies in the front line mud and mayhem of World War I -- Kate AdieDiane Atkinson has uncovered the lives of two extraordinary women who brought medical comfort and relief to the wounded of World War I. Her book is as absorbing as it is thorough, as entertaining as it is warm-hearted. A terrific story -- Joan BakewellThe true story of best friends Elsie Knocker and Mairi Chisholm who, when the First World War broke out, set up a first aid post on the Western Front. Their courage frequently made the headlines in Britain and both were awarded medals for their bravery. This biography is a fitting tribute to their role on the frontline -- Charlotte Vowden * Daily Express *A terrific, true story, brought vividly to life * Mail on Sunday *Brilliantly readable * Lancashire Evening Post *

Read more less

Book SynopsisPublished months before the Battle of Jutland, W. M. James'' book was originally published as New Battleship Organisations. It was considered the ultimate guide to command and organization of every aspect of a modern First World War capital ship. Now republished as The Royal Navy Officer''s Jutland Pocket-Manual 1916, this reprint marks the centenary of the First World War''s most famous and deadly naval encounter. This small, but infinitely interesting manual provides a unique and highly revealing insight into life aboard ship: the mechanics of command and seamanship, the issuing of orders, and the broad expectations placed upon British naval officers. Specific sections are dedicated to the organization of watches; the division of work; naval routine; parades; anchor and cable work; coaling; the organization of chapel; on-board shops; cleaning; and even the ship''s barbers. A series of detailed tables, diagrams, and humorous cartons accompany the lucid, period language of the First World War Senior Service and provide a further glimpse below-deck that will appeal to social and family historians as well as anyone with an interest in naval history.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn 1914, Princess Mary, the only daughter of King George V, was just 17. Yet with the world war two months old, the young princess was destined to make her mark. She would send a Christmas gift to all those serving in uniform, ‘afloat and at the front.’ With great determination, she set about her task to provide her gift to all those on active service. For Every Sailor Afloat, Every Soldier at the Front is the first time the full story of the princess’s gift has been told. Using original sources, texts and archives, and illustrating original surviving objects, this book unfolds the true story of the fund and its wider meaning, set, as it is, in the context of hope as provided by the unofficial Truce in No Man’s Land that has been so well documented. Princess Mary’s gift was extremely sophisticated; great pains were taken to ensure that the needs of its recipients were met, based on ethnicity, gender, religious observance and personal preference – the Gift Committee was way ahead of its time. By 1919, some 2.7 million people from across the British Empire had received the gift. Well-illustrated and fully sourced, this book will provide those interested in the first Christmas of the War a greater perspective of the achievements of its founder, of the meaning of the gift to the recipients, and of the nature of the gift itself, such that prevailing myths and misunderstandings of its constituents and recipients will be resolved.

Read more less

Book SynopsisContaining a staggering 15,000 phrases that can be utilized in countless circumstances, 'Fifteen Thousand Useful Phrases' is an instructive manual scribed by Grenville Kleiser. Categorized by subject matter, the book's meticulous arrangement ensures that the right phrase for every situation is immediately accessible. The book's inclusion of phrases concerning such diverse topics as education, social interactions, business, politics, and more make it a truly comprehensive guide. Intended for conversation, public speaking, or writing purposes, the book features a set of phrases that come with examples and definitions. With its aim to enhance communication skills, it caters to both native and non-native English speakers. Additionally, it is beneficial for the enhancement of vocabulary and writing proficiency.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe vast military campaigns in Africa during World War I were among the most ambitious of the Great War. Many histories, however, have regarded these campaigns as side-shows to the war on the Western Front. World War One in Africa looks afresh at the impact of the strategy of the German and Allied campaigns, and at the great rivalry between General Jan Christian Smuts, who took on the German forces in East Africa, and General Lettow-Vorbeck, celebrated as the only German general to occupy British territory and whose troops finished the war undefeated. Using primary material from British and South African archives, this book is a detailed study of the giants of the campaign, and the battles which would shape the outcome of the Great War as well as the future of the African continent and the British Empire.Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: Position on the eve of war Chapter 2: To war, 1914 Chapter 3: The outbreak of war: Southern Africa, 1914 Chapter 4: German South West Africa, Angola and Southern Africa - 1915 Chapter 5: War on the waters and in the air - 1915-1917 Chapter 6: East Africa 1915-1917 Chapter 7: Personal, personnel and materiel Chapter 8: Last days - 1918 Chapter 9: Behind the scenes - 1915-1918 Chapter 10: The war in London - 1915-1917 Chapter 11: All for what? Chapter 12: Conclusions Notes Bibliography Forces Index Person Index Place Index General Index

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisHailed by George Bernard Shaw as ''useful [corrective] to the romantic conception of war'', R.C. Sherriff''s Journey''s End is an unflinching vision of life in the trenches towards the end of the First World War, published in Penguin Classics.Set in the First World War, Journey''s End concerns a group of British officers on the front line and opens in a dugout in the trenches in France. Raleigh, a new eighteen-year-old officer fresh out of English public school, joins the besieged company of his friend and cricketing hero Stanhope, and finds him dramatically changed. Laurence Olivier starred as Stanhope in the first performance of Journey''s End in 1928; the play was an instant stage success and remains a remarkable anti-war classic.R.C. Sherriff (1896-1975) joined the army shortly after the outbreak of the First World War, serving as a captain in the East Surrey regiment. After the war, an interest in amateur theatricals led him to try his hand

Read more less

Book SynopsisVolume 3 of the most celebrated war comic of all time, re-mastered and collected in a full size edition. THE GREATEST ANTI-WAR STORY EVER TOLD. This third volume of Pat Mills and Joe Colquhoun's masterpiece continues to tell the story of an ordinary soldier's experiences in World War One, including the vibrant re-mastered colour pages from the original comic.

Read more less

Book SynopsisDiscover the juicy, funny story of the three dysfunctional rulers of Germany, Russia and Great Britain at the turn of the last century, combined with a study of the larger forces around them.Three cousins. Three Emperors. And the road to ruin.As cousins, George V, Kaiser Wilhelm II and the last Tsar Nicholas II should have been friends - but they happened also to rule Europe''s three most powerful states. This potent combination together with their own destructive personalities - petty, insecure, bullying, absurdly obsessive (stamp collecting, uniforms) - led not only to their own dramatic fallouts and falls from grace, but also to the outbreak of the First World War.Miranda Carter''s riveting account of how three men who should have known better helped bring down an entire world is a gripping story of abdication, betrayal and murder.''Fascinating. A wonderfully fresh and beautifully choreographed work of history'' Mail on Sunday''Miranda Carter''s story is full of vivid quotations . . . a romp though the palaces of Europe in their last decades before Armageddon'' Sunday Times''Fascinating. Carter is a gifted storyteller and has written a very readable account'' Independent''That these three absurd men could ever have held the fate of Europe in their hands is a fact as hilarious as it is terrifying. I haven''t enjoyed a historical biography this much since Lytton Strachey''s Victoria'' Zadie SmithTrade ReviewFascinating. A wonderfully fresh and beautifully choreographed work of history -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *Carter draws masterful portraits of her subjects and tells the complicated story of Europe's failing international relations well...a highly readable and well-documented account * Spectator *Absorbing. Carter has a good eye for a quote and an ability to bring various personalities to life. A convincing and considerable achievement -- Sarah Bradford * Literary Review *Carter's account of how an already dysfunctional family turned toxic is fresh and enjoyable...timely and welcome * Guardian *Miranda Carter's story is full of vivid quotations...a romp though the palaces of Europe in their last decades before Armageddon * Sunday Times *Well-paced, a thoroughly polished, professional piece of work. A macabre family saga -- A. N. Wilson * Evening Standard *An entertaining study of power and personality portrays the strutting absurdity and grotesque glamour of the last emperors on the eve of catastrophe -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * Financial Times *Fascinating. Carter is a gifted storyteller and has written a very readable account * Independent *Carter's intelligent, entertainging and informative book folds dynastic and political narratives into a panoramic account of Europe's road to war * London Review of Books *That these three absurd men could ever have held the fate of Europe in their hands is a fact as hilarious as it is terrifying. I haven't enjoyed a historical biography this much since Lytton Strachey's Victoria -- Zadie SmithMiranda Carter writes with lusty humour, has a fresh clarifying intelligence, and a sharp eye for telling details. This is traditional narrative history with a 21st-century zing. A real corker of a book * History Today *A highly original way of looking at the years that led up to 1914 -- Antonia Fraser * Sunday Telegraph Books of the Year *Carter deftly interpolates history with psychobiography to provide a damning indictment of monarchy in all its forms -- Will Self * New Statesmen Books of the Year *A depiction of bloated power and outsize personalities in which Carter picks apart the strutting absurdity of the last emperors on the eve of catastrophe * Financial Times Books of the Year *Takes what should have been a daunting subject and through sheer wit and narrative élan turns it into engaging drama. Carter has a notable gift for characterisation -- Jonathan Coe * Guardian Books of the Year *

Read more less

Book SynopsisCovers the bitter fighting around Ypres as the two opposing sides attempted to bring the War to an early conclusion.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA rip-roaring gallop through the lives of the Royal Flying Corps air crew in the Great War. They lived their lives amidst a strange dichotomy as they moved from safety to dire danger, and back again in a matter of hours. This created a dreadful strain that could soon shred anyone's mental health. On the ground they were cloistered in simple but adequate accommodation several miles behind the lines. Farmhouses, barns and huts were used, but they were all far better than the squalor faced by the infantry scurrying in their muddy trenches. Flying personnel were blessed with beds and blankets. They could set up a decent mess and socialise to their heart's content. A smorgasbord of entertainments, with perhaps an old out of tune piano, access to drink and occasional vigorous games of mess rugby. There were visits to local towns which offered tantalizing glimpses and sometimes more - of the female of the species. A glimpse was probably never enough for most of these very young men. What mor

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Orpheus, the pagan saint of poets, went through hell and came back singing. In twentieth-century mythology, the singer wears a steel helmet and makes his descent "down some profound dull tunnel" in the stinking mud of the Western Front. For most readers of English poetry, the face under that helmet is that of Wilfred Owen.' Professor Jon Stallworthy, from his Introduction.When Wilfred Owen was killed in the days before the Armistice in 1918, he left behind a shattering, truthful and indelible record of a soldier's experience of the First World War. His greatest war poetry has been collected, edited and introduced here by Professor Jon Stallworthy. This special edition is published to commemorate the end of the hellish war that Owen, though the hard-won truth and terrible beauty of his poetry, has taught us never to forget.Trade ReviewOthers have shown the disenchantment of war, have unlegended the roselight and romance of it, but none with such compassion for the disenchanted or such sternly just and justly stern judgment on the idyllisers. * Guardian, 1920 *For me, he is the greatest of all the war poets.... it is Owen's intense respect for the soldier that makes his poetry so powerful. Those who did not return have their meticulously maintained stone memorials on the fields of Flanders. But their memorial in our minds is largely built by Wilfred Owen -- Jeremy Paxman * Spectator *The greatest of all the War Poets… This edition…is a must for every poetry lover -- Emma Lee-Potter * Independent *

Read more less