First World War Books
Grub Street Publishing To the Last Ridge
Book SynopsisWritten just after the heat of battle and in the language of the time, this extraordinarily moving account expresses in a brutally honest and personal way the ordinary soldier's experience of one of the most horrific series of battles ever fought. Fleurbaix, Bapaume, Beaumetz, Lagnicourt, Bullecourt, The Menin Road, Villers-Bretonneux, Péronne and Mont St. Quentin. Downing describes the mud, the rats, the constant pounding of the guns, the deaths, the futility, but also the humour and heroism of one of the most compelling periods in world history. His writing is spare, beautiful in its clarity and heart-breakingly vivid. Quite simply the finest and most graphic description of these actions ever written. Anyone with an interest in war and the ordinary person's struggle to survive must read this book
£8.54
Grub Street Publishing DH9: From Ruin to Restoration: The Extraordinary
Book SynopsisIn 2000 aircraft restorer Guy Black of Aero Vintage located the hulks of at least two Airco DH9 bombers in a remote part of India – hidden away in what had been a Maharaja’s elephant stable at his palace in Bikaner, Rajasthan. They were truly remarkable finds, and extremely rare examples of a near-extinct and important WWI aircraft type – none of which had survived in Britain. Recognising their importance to the UK’s aviation heritage, and excited by the challenge of restoration, Guy set about negotiating their purchase and returning them back to England. Here the whole intriguing story is told – fully illustrated step-by-step – from discovery to recovery, through to research, restoration, re-construction and first flight, all in fascinating, meticulous detail. Also covered is the account of the restoration of the first DH9 to be completed, now housed as a non-flying exhibit at the IWM Duxford.
£18.00
Haus Publishing The Consequences of the Peace: The Versailles
Book SynopsisThe Versailles Settlement does not enjoy a good international reputation: despite its lofty aim to settle the world's affairs at a stroke, it is widely considered to have set the world on the path to a second major conflict within a generation. Woodrow Wilson's controversial principle of self-determination amplified political complexities, and the war and its settlement bear significant responsibility for national borders and related conflicts in the Middle East. Furthermore, other objectives of the peacemakers, such as global disarmament and minority protection, are yet to be realised. This book, revised and updated with new material to mark the centenary of the First World War, sets the consequences - for good or ill - of the Paris Peace Treaties into their longer term context and argues that the responsibility for Europe's continuing interwar instability cannot be wholly attributed to the peacemakers of 1919-23.Trade Review'..shrewd, incisive and learned, a masterpiece of analytical narrative by a notable authority on the international relations of the period.' - Jonathan Sumption, The Spectator
£21.25
Haus Publishing The Hidden Perspective: The Military
Book SynopsisDecember 1905: Foreign Minister Edward Grey enters into secret talks with the French about sending British forces to their aid in the event of a German attack. The details were only revealed to the Cabinet and Prime Minister in 1911, by which point the 'hidden perspective' was firmly entrenched, and Britain all but obliged to stand by France in the event of a war. Yet dissenting voices remained, and diplomatic missions to Germany were still underway as late as August 1914. In this scholarly and eloquent work, former Foreign Secretary David Owen argues that the outbreak of war in 1914 was far from inevitable, instead representing eight years of failed diplomacy. The importance of transparent government is particularly relevant in a year in which Sir John Chilcot's Iraq Inquiry is published.Trade Review"The history of the First World War has been exhaustively studied in relation to events of the fateful structure of the alliances. The area in between, the impact of the tactical management of diplomacy on the inevitability of war, has received inadequate attention. David Owen has filled that gap. He explains in lucid detail how Britain s abandonment of its splendid isolation in favor of entente with France and an understanding with Russia deprived the international system of any flexibility. Britain, heretofore the balancer of the balance of power, transformed itself into a direct participant in the power politics of the Continent. This decision, taken essentially in secret by military staffs, was all the more fateful because it induced rigidity in two ways. In their strategic planning, France and Russia counted on British support; Germany half-convinced itself of British neutrality. In every previous conflict, the consciousness that Britain might intervene on either side had inspired caution in both. Now, Britain weakened its capacity to induce restraint by being taken for granted by one side even as the other discounted its deterrence. David Owen s book should be essential reading for contemporary statesmen; it is a story of how overreaction to immediate problems can lead to eventual disaster." --Henry Kissinger 'Countless new books and articles are analysing the origins of the War and the military convulsions that followed. David Owen makes a powerful contribution in his new book, 'The Hidden Perspective: The Military Conversations of 1906-1914'. He looks through the keen operational eye of a former Foreign Secretary at the high-level manoeuvrings of London and other European capitals ... [arguing] that they took on a life and logic of their own, discouraging other political and military options that might have been far more effective - and far more wise. Readers of Diplomat will enjoy - and be startled by - many details Lord Owen gives us about diplomacy as practised a century and more ago.' - Charles Crawford, Diplomat Magazine
£11.69
University of Hertfordshire Press St Albans: Life on the Home Front, 1914-1918
Book SynopsisMuch has been written about the men who left to fight in the First World War but what was life really like for those left behind on the Home Front? A bustling market town profoundly touched by the war, St Albans is the perfect place of which to ask this question, thanks in part to the survival of exceptionally rich archives of records from the period.This book explores the immediate challenges the townspeople faced during the war as well as the longer-term effects on the city. When the war finally ended, could life ever return to 'normal' as some 3,000 soldiers returned home?Table of Contents1. St Albans in 19142. The City's Contribution to the Army3. The Army in the City4. Administering the City in Wartime5. The Challenges to Business6. Feeding the City7. Daily Life in the City8. The Aftermath
£999.99
Grub Street Publishing Billy Bishop
Book SynopsisWilliam Avery Bishop best known as Billy has been hailed as the British Empires highest-scoring World War I fighter ace. Officially credited with victory in seventy-two air battles, the Canadian-born pilot was honoured in a special ceremony by King George V, who presented Bishop with the Victoria Cross, Distinguished Service Order and Military Cross at the same time. Bishop also became an early recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross. Making lone wolf attacks on German aircraft, the daring young flyer pursued targets over enemy lines without having to be responsible for less experienced men in a patrol. Bishops approach to aerial combat was extremely dangerous, however, making him more vulnerable to his adversaries. And, with sparse independent corroboration of his air fighting claims, Bishops tactic left him open to suspicions about the veracity of his combat reports. A key point of this book is Peter Kilduffs careful review of the aces existing combat reports and private correspondence, as well as accounts by friends and foes. Another side of Billy Bishop is revealed in many letters to his fiancée (later wife) relating death-defying experiences while sharing tender inner thoughts. Drawing on some five decades of extensive, even-handed and thorough research into World War I aviation history, Kilduff examines a wealth of German sources for this in-depth study of the aces aerial exploits. Drawing on all his experience, the author sheds new light on Bishops air missions and combats, which so far are steeped in controversy. Such methodology provides as complete an account as possible. Billy Bishop VC Lone Wolf Hunter also serves as a valuable reference work, containing over seventy illustrations relating to Bishop and his adversaries, many previously unpublished.
£18.00
Luath Press Ltd A Dirty Swindle: True Stories of Scots in the
Book SynopsisWalter Stephen provides an uninhibited look at the misery and toil of World War I through a collection of twelve diverse stories. Providing a Scottish perspective, he takes a look at tales from home and abroad with scepticism, delving deeper to unveil the unencumbered truth. Recalling Siegfried Sassoon’s words, Stephen reveals the failures of those in command as the Great War became known as A Dirty Swindle. The varied accounts chronicle the progress of troops from recruitment to training to the frontline, as well as enlightening historians to a side of Field Marshal Haig never seen before.Trade Review.Table of ContentsContents Acknowledgements 9 Introduction True Stories 11 Chapter 1 A Peace Warrior and His Family in the Great War 27 Chapter 2 Out of the Frying Pan 78 Chapter 3 Dark Lochnagar 85 Chapter 4 The First Hundred Thousand 90 Chapter 5 McCrae’s Battalion – Eponymous or Anonymous? 102 Chapter 6 The War Poets in the Eye of the Storm 125 Chapter 7 Memento Mori 144 Chapter 8 Their Name Liveth 154 Chapter 9 Observe the Sons of Ulster 160 Chapter 10 The Scottish National War Memorial 168 Chapter 11 ‘God bless the Kaiser!’ 174Chapter 12 Andra and the Field-Marshal 178 Bibliographical Note 187
£15.29
Legend Press Ltd Lafayette We Are Here!: 6th June 1918: The
Book Synopsis6th June 1918 saw more American soldiers fall on French soil than the famous 1944 D-Day landings. Why is this fact so little known?As well as providing a detailed account of this funereal episode, Lafayette We Are Here! looks at the reasons behind American involvement in what was primarily a European conflict. Why did a neutral government in 1914, driven by a largely pacifist population, end up joining the Allies in 1917?In this third instalment of his trilogy concerning the deadliest days of the First World War, Jean-Michel Steg investigates a cataclysmic battle for the American Marines in a small wood in northern France, and presents an informative and accessible overview of the military strategy and geopolitical context.
£9.49
Wellred Books Lenin Selected Writings On Imperialist War
Book Synopsis
£999.99
Walter de Gruyter Stars des Krieges
£36.90
Brill Schoningh Jenseits Der Materialschlacht: Der Erste
Book Synopsis
£999.99
V&R Unipress Der Erste Weltkrieg: The First World War:
Book Synopsis
£999.99
Boydell & Brewer Ltd The Church of England and the Home Front,
Book SynopsisChallenges the tired orthodoxy that the Church of England had a bad First World War. In telling the story of the Church and its people in Colchester, a garrison town, Robert Beaken enlivens our understanding of the First World War - not only as a clash of mighty forces, but also at a personal and communal level.'The Very Rev. Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster The Church of England is popularly believed to have had a bad First World War. This book challenges that tired orthodoxy. It examines the relationship between parish churches and the Army during the war, using the important garrison town of Colchester as a case study. Colchester in 1914-18 was a microcosm both of English society and of the Church of England, in all their diversity. The presence of the Army also meant that wartime experiences and trends which were noticeable elsewhere in England were sharply felt in Colchester. For the generation of Britons who lived through the Great War, Christianity was an important part of their culture, world view and, in many instances, personal lives. To understand life on the home front during the war, it is vital to understand the part played by Christianity, and particularly by the parishes of the Church of England. With the help of newly discovered archival material, this book reassesses the relations between clergy, soldiers and civilians to show that, contrary to widely-held belief, the clergy and their parishioners responded to the crisis of 1914-18 with courage, common sense and self-sacrifice: their ministry kept much of the population going during the Great War. ROBERT BEAKEN is parish priest of St Mary the Virgin, Great Bardfield,and St Katharine, Little Bardfield, in Essex. He holds a PhD from King's College, London, and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He is the author of seven works, including Cosmo Lang: Archbishop in War and Crisis(2012).Trade ReviewBeaken.an Anglican priest and a resident of Essex.writes with a denizen's eye for detail and a scientific interest in accuracy..A pleasure to read. * HEYTHROP JOURNAL *A well-researched and written account of how the Church of England carried out its wartime duties. It will be of interest to military, social and family historians to better understand life during that time. * ESSEX SOCIETY FOR FAMILY HISTORY *Beaken's research is immense . . . and his writing is accessible and attractive, a combination that makes for an absorbing read. * JOURNAL OF BRITISH STUDIES *A well-researched and written account... [Beaken] shows a generally excellent and up-to-date sense of the wider historiography of the British home front during World War I. * CATHOLIC HISTORICAL REVIEW *Robert Beaken shows how the Church of England typically responded to mass casualties and civilian privations. His careful research demonstrates the response to have been much better than popularly painted. * THE TIMES 'Must-read military books of the year' (The Right Rev. Nigel Stock) *Dr Beaken's dual background as an Essex parish priest and historian, allow him to paint an informed and critical, but generally sympathetic picture of the work of the Anglican clergy and laity during the war. * JOURNAL OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY *If anyone is looking for a way to understand how the Church of England worked for the first half of the twentieth century...this book would be an excellent starting place. * PRAYER BOOK TODAY *An eminently readable work which makes a significant contribution to the on-going reappraisal of the ecclesiastical history of the war while remaining accessible to the interested non-specialist reader. * JOURNAL OF BELIEFS AND VALUES *A captivating account of an extraordinary time in our history. The thoroughness of his research is balanced by warm and endearing personal stories as well as by some wise and helpful reflections on the issues raised. * THE MONTH [The Right Rev. Roger Morris, Bishop of Colchester] *The publishers are to be congratulated on a handsomely produced and clearly printed book, and author and publisher on the excellent illustrations, which admirably complement the text. [A] fine book. * ANGLO-CATHOLIC HISTORY SOCIETY *[Robert Beaken] is to be congratulated for blowing away a myth about the church and the war that has had far too much currency. * CHURCH TIMES *Table of ContentsForeword by Terry Waite CBE The First World War - one hundred years on Colchester Wartime The Clergy The Laity Prayer and Worship The National Mission of Repentance and Hope Thought and Attitudes Armistice, Remembrance, and Aftermath The Church of England and the First World War Bibliography
£999.99
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Gallipoli
Book Synopsis
£17.09
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Great and Holy War
Book SynopsisThe Great and Holy War offers the first look at how religion created and prolonged the First World War. At the one-hundredth anniversary of the outbreak of the war, historian Philip Jenkins reveals the powerful religious dimensions of this modern-day crusade, a period that marked a traumatic crisis for Western civilization, with effects that echoed throughout the rest of the twentieth century.The war was fought by the world's leading Christian nations, who presented the conflict as a holy war. Thanks to the emergence of modern media, a steady stream of patriotic and militaristic rhetoric was given to an unprecedented audience, using language that spoke of holy war and crusade, of apocalypse and Armageddon. But this rhetoric was not mere state propaganda. Jenkins reveals how the widespread belief in angels and apparitions, visions and the supernatural was a driving force throughout the war and shaped all three of the major religions—Christianity, Judaism and
£15.19
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Poppy Wife
Book Synopsis
£999.99
HarperCollins The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights
Book Synopsis“A haunting meditation on the bonds between mothers and daughters. Zeldis offers a fascinating look into historic New York City and New Orleans, and her skill as a storyteller is matched by her compassion for her characters. What a beautiful read.”—Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Magnolia Palace“By turns heartbreaking and heartwarming, Kitty Zeldis’s The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights, set against the backdrop of the not-always-so-roaring Twenties, is an only-in-America story of reinvention, rising above tragedy, and finding family.”—Lauren Willig, New York Times bestselling author of Band of SistersFor fans of Fiona Davis, Beatriz Williams, and Joanna Goodman, a mesmerizing historical novel from Kitty Zeldis, the author of Not Our Kind, about three women in 1920s New York City and the secrets they ho
£999.99
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance
Book Synopsis
£999.99
Penguin Putnam Inc Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey A Novel
Book SynopsisBoth heartbreaking and sharply funny...Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey is brilliant and surprising at every turn.—Rebecca Makkai, Pulitzer finalist for The Great BelieversA heart-tugging and gorgeously written novel based on the incredible true story of a WWI messenger pigeon and the soldiers whose lives she forever altered, from the author of Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk. From the green countryside of England and the gray canyons of Wall Street come two unlikely heroes: one a pigeon and the other a soldier. Answering the call to serve in the war to end all wars, neither Cher Ami, the messenger bird, nor Charles Whittlesey, the army officer, can anticipate how their lives will briefly intersect in a chaotic battle in the forests of France, where their wills will be tested, their fates will be shaped, and their lives will emerge forever altered. A saga of hope and duty, love and endurance, as well as the claustrophobia of fa
£999.99
Mariner Books The Last of the Doughboys
Book Synopsis
£999.99
St. Martin's Griffin Meet Me in Bombay
Book SynopsisJenny Ashcroft''s Meet Me in Bombay is a powerful, poignant and deeply emotional tale of love, mystery, loss and joy.Kate Furnivall, New York Times bestselling author.All he needs is to find her. First, he must remember who she is.It''s New Year''s Eve in Bombay, 1913, and Madeline Bright, new to the sweltering heat of colonial India, is yearning for all she has left behind in England. Then, at the stroke of midnight, Maddy meets Luke Devereaux, and as the year changes so do both their lives.Bold and charismatic, Luke opens her eyes to the wonders of Bombay, while Maddy''s beauty and vivacity captures his heart. Only her mother disapproves, preferring the devoted Guy Bowen as a match for her daughter.But while Maddy and Luke are falling in love, the world is falling apart. World War I is on the horizon, and Luke will be given no choice but to fight. They will be continents apart, separated by danger and devastating loss, but bound
£16.19
Picador USA The Facemaker
Book SynopsisA New York Times BestsellerEnthralling. Harrowing. Heartbreaking. And utterly redemptive. Lindsey Fitzharris hit this one out of the park. Erik Larson, author of The Splendid and the VileLindsey Fitzharris, the award-winning author of The Butchering Art, presents the compelling, true story of a visionary surgeon who rebuilt the faces of the First World War's injured heroes, and in the process ushered in the modern era of plastic surgery.From the moment the first machine gun rang out over the Western Front, one thing was clear: mankind's military technology had wildly surpassed its medical capabilities. Bodies were battered, gouged, hacked, and gassed. The First World War claimed millions of lives and left millions more wounded and disfigured. In the midst of this brutality, however, there were also those who strove to alleviate suffering. Lindsey Fitzharris's The Facemaker tells the extraordinary story of such
£18.00
WW Norton & Co The Air We Breathe A Novel
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Barrett’s powers of historical evocation, especially her knowledge of the scientific preoccupations of the time, are impressive." -- The New Yorker"Barrett eloquently blends scientific elements…with her diverse characters’ hopes and heartbreaks to bring the book to crackling life." -- Allyssa Lee - People"[The Air We Breathe] thoughtfully examines xenophobia during wartime, the manner in which political events impinge on personal lives and related attendant issues.…The book’s most winning aspect, however, is the manner in which Barrett keeps the narrator’s identity a mystery." -- Tim Follos - Washington Post"[Barrett’s] gift for story, for mining America’s past, and her ability to construct a specific moment in the quest for knowledge are remarkable." -- Karen Heller - Philadelphia Inquirer"Barrett enriches her story with science…In fact, her style, always stylish and exact, is at its most compelling when she’s describing her characters’ engagement in their scientific studies." -- Atlantic"A careful researcher and an even more deliberate writer.…This expertly paced and thoughtfully written book is ample testament to her gifts." -- Corrie Pikul - Elle"This novel is like an elegant ghost story, narrated by a chorus of not-quite-innocent spectral bystanders." -- Washington Post Book World"An evocative panorama of America…on the cusp of enormous change." -- Newsday"Richly detailed…A marvel of intelligent design, and a truly original cautionary tale, from one of the most interesting and unconventional of all contemporary American writers." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"A deft and quietly wrenching tale of human misunderstanding." -- Library Journal"Vivid and engrossing." -- Publishers Weekly
£999.99
Basic Books No Man's Land: The Trailblazing Women Who Ran
Book Synopsis The 'absorbing and powerful' (Wall Street Journal) story of two pioneering suffragette doctors who shattered social expectations and transformed modern medicine during World War I. A month after war broke out in 1914, doctors Flora Murray and Louisa Garrett Anderson set out for Paris, where they opened a hospital in a luxury hotel and treated hundreds of casualties plucked from France’s battlefields. Although prior to the First World War, female doctors were restricted to treating women and children, Murray and Anderson’s work was so successful that the British Army asked them to run a hospital in the heart of London. Nicknamed the Suffragettes’ Hospital and staffed from top to bottom by women, Endell Street soon became known for its lifesaving treatments and lively atmosphere. In No Man’s Land, Wendy Moore illuminates this turbulent moment of global war when women were, for the first time, allowed to operate on men. Their fortitude and brilliance serve as powerful reminders of what women can achieve against all odds.
£17.09
Fonthill Media Ltd If the Kaiser Comes: Defence Against a German
Book SynopsisOn the night of 20 November 1914, everything pointed to the likelihood of invasion by a German army, whisked across the North Sea on a fleet of fast transports. The Royal Navy's Grand Fleet prepared to sail south from remote bases in Scotland; shallow-draught monitors were moored in the Wash; and 300,000 troops stood by to repel the enemy on the beaches. Fortunately, the night passed without incident. For thirty years prior to the First World War, writers, with a variety of motivations, had been forecasting such an invasion. Britain regarded the army as an imperial police force and, despite the experience gained in military exercises involving simulated invasions, the Royal Navy was still expected to fulfil its traditional role of intercepting and destroying enemy forces. However, as the technology of warfare developed, with the proliferation of ever more powerful warships, submarines, mines, and torpedoes, alongside the added promise of aerial assault, it became obvious that these long-established notions of the Navy's invincibility might no longer be realistic. The perceived threat of invasion, whether justified or not, persisted throughout the First World War, and this book describes the measures taken to protect Britain against enemy attack by land, sea, or air.
£999.99
Fonthill Media Ltd Todger: Thomas Jones VC, DCM, 1st Battalion, The
Book SynopsisEven by Victoria Cross standards, the exploits of Thomas 'Todger' Jones V.C., D.C.M., of the 1st Battalion, The Cheshire Regiment, are truly extraordinary. It was a miracle that he survived the act for which he was awarded his V.C., but remarkably, after going 'over the top' by himself, he defeated the odds and secured what is believed to be the most prisoners ever captured by a single individual in the entire war. 'Todger', as he was affectionately known, served as a private soldier for the duration of the conflict, but in that time he displayed outstanding levels of gallantry and leadership, far in excess of his rank. A quiet man unassuming man in peacetime, Todger was a force to reckon with when in battle. This book chronicles his life with an added emphasis on his wartime service in the trenches of France and Flanders. Todger was born and bred in Runcorn, Cheshire. In 2014 his commemorative statue was unveiled opposite the town's cenotaph. This book also features never seen before photographs of the statue being made.Table of ContentsForeword; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1 Pre-War; 2 The World Goes to War; 3 Hill 60: 'One of my Hottest Trials'; 4 A Bombing Attack; 5 The Somme; 6 'I Laughed like Blazes'; 7 Heartiest Congratulations; 8 The Closest of Friends; 9 'How the Dickens did you do it Jones'?; 10 The Engagements Continue; 11 Back to the Front; 12 Return to Blighty; 13 Post War; 14 Family and Personal Life; 15 A Character Assessment; 16 Remembrance; 17 In His Own Words; Appendix I: Hugh Colvin VC; Appendix II: Todger's Siblings; Appendix III: Todger's Funeral; Endnotes; Bibliography; Index.
£999.99
Merrion Press Ireland’s Call: Irish Sporting Heroes Who Fell in
Book Synopsis
£999.99
£999.99
£999.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC World War I Trench Warfare (1): 1914–16
Book SynopsisThe years from 1914 to 1918 saw a whole series of complex and very rapid changes in infantry tactics, which fundamentally altered the way wars had been fought for 150 years. This two-part study describes and illustrates the development of infantry equipment and weapons; of support weapons; of field fortifications; and, most importantly, exactly how these items and techniques were all employed in attack and defence. The texts are illustrated with contemporary photos and diagrams, and with new colour plates combining details of uniforms, equipment and weapons with 'bird's-eye views' explaining their use in battle. In short, they offer a detailed but accessible tactical guidebook on 'how to fight a trench war'.Table of ContentsOpen field warfare in 1914 - archaic tactics of infantry, cavalry and short range field artillery * The triumph of firepower & the cost of open field tactics - the Mame and Tannenberg * Digging in - the early trench systems, 1915 * Development of weapons and minor tactics 1915-16 - machine guns, trench mortars, grenades, sniping, gas, helmets & armour, new artillery * Increased sophistication of trench systems - support and reserve lines, deep dug-outs * Attempts to break the trench deadlock - the battles of Loos and Verdun.
£999.99
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Flanders 1915
Book SynopsisBy Christmas 1914 Britain's Regular Army had virtually ceased to exist. Four months of hard fighting had drained its manpower and the Territorial Army were called on to plug the gaps. The part-timers leapt at the chance to serve their country overseas and were soon on their way to the trenches and the harsh realities of war on the Western Front. Flanders 1915 tells the story, through rare and previously unpublished photographs and extended captions, of one of those eager Territorial battalions posted to Flanders during the first twelve months of WW1. It forms a unique and intimate record of the early years of war; many images captured on film by the private cameras of the battalion's junior officers, before official censorship was established. Above all it is a rare and outstanding portrait of the 'great adventure' of war in the days before Loos, the Somme and Passchendaele and the resulting lengthy casualty lists.
£18.11
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Killing Ground: The British Army, The Western
Book SynopsisThis books explains why the British Army fought the way it did in the First World War. It integrates social and military history and the impact of ideas to tell the story of how the army, especially the senior officers, adapted to the new technological warfare and asks: Was the style of warfare on the Western Front inevitable?Using an extensive range of unpublished diaries, letters, memoirs and Cabinet and War Office files, Professor Travers explains how and why the ideas, tactics and strategies emerged. He emphasises the influence of pre-war social and military attitudes, and examines the early life and career of Sir Douglas Haig. The author's analysis of the preparations for the Battles of the Somme and Passchendaele provide new interpretations of the role of Haig and his GHQ, and he explains the reasons for the unexpected British withdrawal in March 1918. An appendix supplies short biographies of senior British officers. In general, historians of the First World War are in two hostile camps: those who see the futility of lions led by donkeys on the one hand and on the other the apologists for Haig and the conduct of the war. Professor Travers' immensely readable book provides a bridge between the two.
£999.99
Countryside Books Homes Fit For Heroes: The Aftermath of the First
Book SynopsisAfter the trauma of the war, those returning home required jobs, and with them clean and modern homes for their families. The slums and tenements of the pre-war years were not going to enable a healthy workforce that was fit to tackle the challenges of the new post-war world. At all cost Britain had to avoid the riot and revolution that had swept Europe in the later stages of the war. This book describes the re-building of the country during the decades after 1918. Bold advances were made in social provision, especially in housing, with ambitious schemes by local authorities, no longer solely through private builders. These early developments were not always able to keep ahead of the economic realities of the time, and many faltered. But through such pioneering improvements, housing was fixed firmly at the centre of British politics. It remains so today.
£999.99
Four Courts Press Ltd The Country House and the Great War: Irish and
Book Synopsis
£999.99
Pen & Sword Books Ltd With the German Guns: Four Years on the Western Front
Book SynopsisAt once harrowing and light-hearted, Sulzbach's exceptional diary has been highly praised since its orginal publication in Germany in 1935. With the reprint of this classic account of trench warfare it records the pride and exhilaration of what to him was the fight for a just cause. It is one of the very few available records of an ordinary German soldier during the First World War."One of the most noteable books on the Great War. It is a book which finely expressed the true soldierly spirit on its highest level; the combination of a high sense of duty, courage, fairness and chivalry." Sir Basil Liddell Hart
£999.99
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Rommel and Caporetto
Book SynopsisThe Austro-German attack at Caporetto in 1917 produced a full scale breakthrough which forced the Italian armies to retreat from near the Austrian frontier to within twenty miles of Venice. Young Lieutenant Rommel had the good fortune to be part of one of the German units which led the attack on the Italian positions. The masterly German plan carried out by some of the best German and Austrian troops immediately established a war of movement which offered fine opportunities to ambitious young officers. No one made greater use of these opportunities than Erwin Rommel.Rommel's own account of the action has been translated into English but, until now, there has been no satisfactory work in English covering the wider aspects of the Battle of Caporetto which are an essential background for an understanding of his dramatic exploits. This book, by the authors of the acclaimed The British Army in Italy 1917-1918, is based largely on official histories and documents, and the records of Rommel and his commanding officer in Italy.In addition to being a thorough and authoritative description of the overall battle, Rommel and Caporetto gives a fascinating insight into the qualities that this superb soldier was to display to such devastating effect against the Allies during the Second World War.Trade ReviewThis book covers two topics - first is the overall battle of Caporetto - the background on both sides, weaknesses of the Italian command and positions, the German plan and the course of the battle. Second is the role that Rommel and the small unit under his command played in the fighting. The general narrative is clear, with a good use of material from both sides. The sections on Rommel are detailed and closely follow the actions of his small units. The result is a book that should be of interest to two markets - that on the First World War and that on the leaders of the Second World War. History of War
£999.99
Haus Publishing Sir Robert Borden: Canada
Book SynopsisSir Robert Borden was Plenipotentiary of Canada at the Peace Conference. With the Versailles Treaty ratified by the Canadian Parliament, Borden largely believed his work was done. He retired as Prime Minister in 1920. Although Borden died in 1937, the great legacy for Canada that derived from Borden's attitudes towards the role of the Dominions in international affairs was the drive towards a constitutional recognition of Canada's international position. Canada's control of its own foreign policy was finally confirmed in a declaration by Arthur Balfour in 1926 and the Statute of Westminster in 1931 that created the British Commonwealth of Nations. Borden helped to produce a Canada with an autonomous and independent foreign policy, the seeds of this work led to the growth of a vigorous foreign policy for Canada within a United Nations and its specialised agencies.
£999.99
Haus Publishing 28 June: Sarajevo 1914 - Versailles 1919: The War
Book SynopsisOn June 28, 1919, the Peace Treaty was signed in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, five years to the day after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo triggered Europe's precipitousdescent into war. This war was the first conflict to be fought on a global scale. By its end in 1918, four empires had collapsed, and their minority populations, which had never before existed as independent entities, were encouraged to seek self-determination and nationhood. Following on from Haus's monumental thirty-two Volume series on the signatories of the Versailles peace treaty, The Makers of the Modern World, 28Junelooks in greater depth at the smaller nations that are often ignored in general histories, and in doing so seeks to understand the conflict from a global perspective, asking not only how each of the signatories came to join the conflict but also giving an overview of the long-term consequences of their having done so.
£999.99
Merrion Press Out of the Dark, 1914-1918: South Dubliners Who
Book Synopsis
£999.99
Merrion Press Irish Voices from the Great War
Book Synopsis
£999.99
Helion & Company From Docks and Sand: Southport and Bootle’S
Book Synopsis
£999.99
Grub Street Publishing Open Cockpit
Book SynopsisThanks to a broken leg during flight school, Arthur Stanley Gould Lee gained valuable additional time flying trainers before he was posted to France during World War I. In November 1917 during low-level bombing and strafing attacks, he was shot down three times by ground fire. He spent eight months at the front and accumulated 222 hours of flight time in Sopwith Pups and Camels during a staggering 118 patrols; being engaged in combat fifty-six times. He lived to retire from the RAF as an air vice-marshal in 1946. Author of three books, this is by far his best. Lee puts you in the cockpit in a riveting account of life as a fighter pilot at the front. At turns humorous and dramatic, this thoughtful, enlightening, true account is a classic to be ranked with Winged Victory by V. M. Yeates, also published by Grub Street.Trade Review`Open Cockpit is a great read, and generously illustrated with a mix of well-known images, and the author's own album snaps to add a personal touch. For a gripping first-hand account of what flying and fighting in WWI was all about, this one has few peers and it is good to see a new edition available for a fresh generation of enthusiasts..' WINDSOCK; `Most enjoyable book... A welcome reprint.' The Aviation Historian; `Without a doubt, this is a classic account of the air war over the Western Front.' Britain at War; `There are some books which deserve a place on the shelves of anyone with an interest in WWI aviation and this is one of them.' Cross & Cockade International; `A superb account. 10/10' The Great War; `Grub Street has really done the bookshelves of WWI aviation enthusiasts a favour here. This is a must-own book. I would encourage anyone to get this very readable book while they can. You won't be disappointed with the purchase and I can promise you that you will read it more than once.' WWI Aero
£999.99
Grub Street Publishing Black September 1918
Book Synopsis
£999.99
GINGKO They All Made Peace - What's Peace?: The 1923
Book SynopsisThe 1923 Treaty of Lausanne may have been the last of the post-World War One peace settlements, but it was very different from Versailles. Like its German and Austro-Hungarian allies, the defeated Ottoman Empire had initially been presented with a dictated peace in 1920. In just two years, however, the Kemalist insurgency turned defeat into victory, enabling Turkey to claim its place as the first sovereign state in the Middle East. Meanwhile those communities who had lived side-by-side with Turks inside the Ottoman Empire struggled to assert their own sovereignty, jostled between the Soviet Union and the resurgence of empire in the guise of League of Nations mandates. For 1.5m Ottoman Greeks and Balkan Muslims, ‘making peace’ involved forced population exchanges, a peace-making tool now understood as ethnic cleansing. Chapters consider competing visions for a postOttoman world, situate the population exchanges relative to other peace-making efforts, and discuss economic factors behind the reallocation of Ottoman debt as well as refugee flows and oil politics. Further chapters consider Arab, Armenian, American and Iranian perspectives, as well as the long shadow cast by Lausanne over contemporary politics, both inside Turkey and out.Trade Review‘They All Made Peace—What is Peace? is a welcome addition to the literature on the 1923 Lausanne Treaty and the impact of the decisions made there that continue to resonate in present-day international politics. Long overdue, the volume represents a primer on a neglected and under-represented moment of post-imperial Ottoman history.’ Virginia H. Aksan Professor of History Emeritus, McMaster University; 'Of all the international treaties signed after World War I, only Lausanne remains intact: the founding document of the Turkish Republic. Yet the Lausanne peace process has not attracted the interest it deserves. In the absence of well-grounded research, journalists and Islamist demagogues alike have come up with their own myths, myths that continue to circulate today. Here at last, a century on, we have the definitive work: of interest not only to diplomats, political scientists and historians, but the educated public in general.' Ayhan Aktar former Professor of Sociology, Istanbul Bilgi University: ‘An important book offering new perspectives on the Lausanne Treaty of 1923. Gone is the positive interpretation of Lausanne as the most ‘successful’ of the treaties ending hostilities in the Great War; in its place is a multilayered account of exploitation, exclusion, and betrayal of the promise of recovery and development in a region ravaged by war, famine, and genocide.These essays offer a new and important interpretation not only of Middle Eastern history but of international history in the 1920s.’Jay Winter Professor of History Emeritus, Yale UniversityTable of ContentsContents Part 1: From One Imperial Order to Another Minority Rights and International Law at Lausanne – Aimee Genell Britain’s Plans for a New Eastern Mediterranean Empire, 1916-1923 – Erik Goldstein On the Margins of the Lausanne Conference: The Soviet Union and the Exclusions of the post-World War I International Order – Samuel Hirst & Etienne Peyrat The Lausanne Treaty in the Contested Narratives of World Politics– Cemil Aydın Part 2: Absent Presences Debates over an Armenian National Home at the Lausanne Conference and the Limits of Post-Genocide Co-Existence – Lerna Ekmekçioglu Iranian Attempts to Participate in the Lausanne Conference – Leila Koochakzadeh Arab Exclusion at Lausanne: A Critical Historical Juncture – Elizabeth F. Thompson Part 3: Making Concessions Oil over Armenians: The 1920s ‘Lausanne Shift’ in US Relations with the Middle East– Andrew Patrick The Mosul Question: Lausanne and After – Sarah Shields Turkey and the Division of the Ottoman Debt at Lausanne – Patrick Schilling & Mustafa Aksakal Part 4: Moving the People International Law and the Greek-Bulgarian and Greek-Turkish Population Exchanges– Leonard V. Smith A Capitalist Peace? Money, Labor, and Refugee Resettlement – Laura Robson At the Crossroads of History:Thanassis Aghnides, Ayrilios Spatharis and the Greek-Turkish Population Exchange – Haakon Ikonomou & Dimitris Kamouzis Part 5: Framing Lausanne Framing Pasts and Futures at the Lausanne Near East Peace Conference – Hans-Lukas Kieser Lausanne in Turkish Official and Popular Historiography: A ‘War of Identities’ in Turkey – Gökhan Çetinsaya Diplomacy, Entertainment, Souvenir? Guignol à Lausanne (1922) and the Lausanne Conference in Caricature – Julia Secklehner
£999.99
Monash University Publishing A Trip to the Dominions: The Scientific Event
Book Synopsis
£999.99
Casemate Publishers Immelmann: The Eagle of Lille
Book SynopsisMax Immelmann was born in Dresden, the son of a paper board container factory owner. When World War I started, Immelmann was recalled to active service, transferred to the Luftstreitkräfte and was sent for pilot training in November 1914. He was initially stationed in northern France as a reconnaissance aviator. On June 3, 1915 he was shot down by a French pilot but managed to land safely behind German lines. He was decorated with the Iron Cross, Second Class for preserving his aircraft. Later in 1915, he became one of the first German fighter pilots, quickly building an impressive score of air victories. He became known as “The Eagle of Lille” (Der Adler von Lille) due to Lille being one of his favourite scouting areas.Immelmann was the first pilot to be awarded the Pour le Mérite, Germany's highest military honour. The medal became colloquially known as the "Blue Max" in the German Air Service in honor of Immelmann. His medal was presented by Kaiser Wilhelm II in January 1916. Oswald Boelcke received his medal at the same ceremony. Immelmann was credited with 15 victories. His final victory was on 30 March 1916.Immelmann will forever be associated with the Fokker Eindecker, Germany's first fighter aircraft, and the first to be armed with a machine gun synchronised to fire forward, through the propeller arc. Along with Oswald Boelcke and other pilots, Immelmann was one of the main instigators of the Fokker Scourge which inflicted heavy loses upon British and French aircrews during 1915. This new edition has been entirely reoriginated. Not a word has been changed, but the original type and page layout have been reworked, as has been the format in which the book is presented, to give a beautiful new treatment for this classic of aviation literature.Trade ReviewAn excellent, highly readable period piece. * Aircraft *
£999.99
Casemate Publishers King of Airfighters: The Biography of Major Mick
Book SynopsisIra Jones' biography of Britain's top scoring ace of World War I has become the subject of some controversy over the last few years, most notably as it is the source of the claim of 73 "kills" for Mannock, thereby making him the number one scoring Allied Ace of the war. Later research has thrown serious doubt on this claim and indeed Mannock himself only claimed 51 kills. Jones' biography is nevertheless an important account, especially when seen in the context of the time in which it was first written. In particular, the biography really gets into the mind of Mannock, the author having been a flying comrade, and portrays the singular nature of his character and the incredible stresses that these pioneer airfighters were under in the last few months of the war by a man who flew in the thick of it.Originally published in 1934 by Ivor Nicholson and Watson in London, this aviation classic has been reprinted many times, yet each time has been reproduced from the original 1930s version of the book. This new edition has been entirely reoriginated. Not a word has been changed, but the original type and page layout have been reworked, as has been the format in which the book is presented, to give a beautiful new treatment for this classic of aviation literature.About the AuthorIra Jones enlisted in 1913. When the war began, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps and joined 10 Squadron as an air mechanic. In July 1915 he was sent to France and by January 1916 he was flying combat missions as an observer. He was then posted to 74 Squadron in early 1918, where he developed a close bond with his flight commander, Mick Mannock. In just three months he scored 37 victories flying the S.E.5a.
£999.99
Butler Centre for Arkansas Studies To Can the Kaiser: Arkansas and the Great War
Book SynopsisOn April 2, 1917, the United States officially entered a war that had been raging for nearly three years in Europe. Even though America’s involvement in the “Great War” lasted little more than a year and a half, the changes it wrought were profound. More than seventy thousand Arkansans served as soldiers during the war.Wartime propaganda led to suspicions directed against Germans, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and African Americans in Arkansas, but war production proved a boon to the state in the form of greater demand for cotton, minerals, and timber.World War I connected Arkansas to the world in ways that changed the state and its people forever, as shown in the essays collected here.
£999.99
