Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Macmillan Company (1962), Hardcover
Description
History. Military. Nonfiction. HTML:Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time The Proud Tower, the Pulitzer Prize�winning The Guns of August, and The Zimmerman Telegram comprise Barbara W. Tuchman�s classic histories of the First World War era In this landmark, Pulitzer Prize�winning account, renowned historian Barbara W. Tuchman re-creates the first month of World War I: thirty days in the summer of 1914 that determined the course of the conflict, the century, and ultimately our present world. Beginning with the funeral of Edward VII, Tuchman traces each step that led to the inevitable clash. And inevitable it was, with all sides plotting their war for a generation. Dizzyingly comprehensive and spectacularly portrayed with her famous talent for evoking the characters of the war�s key players, Tuchman�s magnum opus is a classic for the ages. Praise for The Guns of August �A brilliant piece of military history which proves up to the hilt the force of Winston Churchill�s statement that the first month of World War I was �a drama never surpassed.���Newsweek �More dramatic than fiction . . . a magnificent narrative�beautifully organized, elegantly phrased, skillfully paced and sustained.��Chicago Tribune �A fine demonstration that with sufficient art rather specialized history can be raised to the level of literature.��The New York Times �[The Guns of August] has a vitality that transcends its narrative virtues, which are considerable, and its feel for characterizations, which is excellent.��The Wall Street Journal.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member brenzi
”So gorgeous was the spectacle on the May morning of 1910 when nine kings rode in the funeral of Edward VII of England that the crowd, waiting in hushed and black-clad awe, could not keep back gasps of admiration. In scarlet and blue and green and purple, three by three the sovereigns rode
So opens Barbara Tuchman’s wonderful narrative non-fiction account of the events leading up to WWI and the first month of the conflict. First published in 1962, it’s easy to understand the book’s lasting legacy. As lovely as the prose in that paragraph is (some have called it the most beautiful opening paragraph ever written) the remainder of the book provides many instances of her ability to turn a phrase. And that made the reading of this summary of this sad period in history actually very enjoyable.
Tuchman concentrated on the Western Front with a small bit about Russian involvement in the East. She didn’t touch on the war in the Balkans. Her description of the German occupation of Belgium and the atrocities that ensued was so vivid that it literally leaped from the page:
”Von Kluck complained that somehow the methods employed ‘were slow in remedying the evil.’ The Belgian populace continued to show the most implacable hostility. ‘These evil practices on the part of the population ate into the very vitals of our Army.’ Reprisals grew more frequent and severe. The smoke of burning villages, the roads clogged with fleeing inhabitants, the mayors and burgomasters shot as hostages were reported to the world by the crowds of Allied, American and other neutral correspondents. They wrote of the debris of sacked houses, the blackened villages in which no human was left but only a silent cat on a shattered doorstep, the streets strewn with broken bottles and broken windowpanes, the agonized lowing of cows with unmilked udders, the endless files of refugees with their bundles and wagons and carts and umbrellas for sleeping on rainy nights along the roadside, of the fields of grain bending over with ripeness and no one to reap them.”
Then Tuchman laid out the difficulties of this war: the hesitation of the English to commit to the war and join France against Germany; the failure of all sides to prepare for a long war; the enormous and never before seen siege mortars of the Germans; the German justification for the atrocities their troops committed; the lack of a French defensive war; the trench warfare that determined the war of position that would last for four long years; and finally, the enormous egos of the generals who led the charge, especially the French General Joffre and the English general Sir John French whose refusal to cooperate and change their initial plan in order to implement a cooperative plan that might work, almost led to the defeat of the allies in the first month.
The Battle of the Marne turned out to be “one of the most decisive battles of the world not because it determined that Germany would ultimately lose or the Allies ultimately win but because it determined that the war would go on.”
Beautifully written, carefully researched The Guns of August should be on your reading list. Very highly recommended.
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through the palace gates, with plumed helmets, gold braid, crimson sashes, and jeweled orders flashing in the sun. After them came five heirs apparent, forty more imperial or royal highnesses, seven queens---four dowagers and three regnant---and a scattering of special ambassadors from uncrowned countries. Together they represented seventy nations in the greatest assemblage of royalty and rank ever gathered in one place and, of its kind, the last. The muffled tongue of Big Ben tolled nine by the clock as the cortege left the palace, but on history’s clock it was sunset, and the sun of the old world was setting in a dying blaze of splendor never to be seen again.” (Page 1)So opens Barbara Tuchman’s wonderful narrative non-fiction account of the events leading up to WWI and the first month of the conflict. First published in 1962, it’s easy to understand the book’s lasting legacy. As lovely as the prose in that paragraph is (some have called it the most beautiful opening paragraph ever written) the remainder of the book provides many instances of her ability to turn a phrase. And that made the reading of this summary of this sad period in history actually very enjoyable.
Tuchman concentrated on the Western Front with a small bit about Russian involvement in the East. She didn’t touch on the war in the Balkans. Her description of the German occupation of Belgium and the atrocities that ensued was so vivid that it literally leaped from the page:
”Von Kluck complained that somehow the methods employed ‘were slow in remedying the evil.’ The Belgian populace continued to show the most implacable hostility. ‘These evil practices on the part of the population ate into the very vitals of our Army.’ Reprisals grew more frequent and severe. The smoke of burning villages, the roads clogged with fleeing inhabitants, the mayors and burgomasters shot as hostages were reported to the world by the crowds of Allied, American and other neutral correspondents. They wrote of the debris of sacked houses, the blackened villages in which no human was left but only a silent cat on a shattered doorstep, the streets strewn with broken bottles and broken windowpanes, the agonized lowing of cows with unmilked udders, the endless files of refugees with their bundles and wagons and carts and umbrellas for sleeping on rainy nights along the roadside, of the fields of grain bending over with ripeness and no one to reap them.”
Then Tuchman laid out the difficulties of this war: the hesitation of the English to commit to the war and join France against Germany; the failure of all sides to prepare for a long war; the enormous and never before seen siege mortars of the Germans; the German justification for the atrocities their troops committed; the lack of a French defensive war; the trench warfare that determined the war of position that would last for four long years; and finally, the enormous egos of the generals who led the charge, especially the French General Joffre and the English general Sir John French whose refusal to cooperate and change their initial plan in order to implement a cooperative plan that might work, almost led to the defeat of the allies in the first month.
The Battle of the Marne turned out to be “one of the most decisive battles of the world not because it determined that Germany would ultimately lose or the Allies ultimately win but because it determined that the war would go on.”
Beautifully written, carefully researched The Guns of August should be on your reading list. Very highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member anna_in_pdx
I am not a very apt student of history, particularly military history. I am also of the generation that grew up in the 80s. World War I was not something I knew much about, apart from having read All Quiet on the Western Front in high school.
I also come from a nonmilitary family. However, I had a
This book was not easy for me to read. My brain does not keep up with troop movements and logistics, I don't understand military theories, and I am a lifelong pacifist. I kept feeling an overwhelming sense of doom, since I knew that this story of the first month of World War I was going to end with the pieces in place for the horrible trench warfare that lasted four years and caused so many deaths.
However, I could not stop reading it, and even when it saddened me to the point that I left it for weeks at a time, I had to go back to it. This is for two reasons. The first is that I feel a sense of duty to learn more about the war that set the pattern for the terrible, blood-drenched 20th century. The second is that Barbara Tuchman is such a compelling writer.
The book hurled me (I was going to say "the reader," but it occurs to me that not all readers may react as emotionally as I do) between anger and frustration - with the various military leaders. for their adherence to what seemed to me to be insane military theories - and extreme admiration mixed with sadness - for sometimes those very same military leaders, but also civilians, who behaved with great courage and did truly great things. These were people I'd never heard of. It is shameful to me that I knew so little about them. King Albert of Belgium, for example - what an inspiring leader. And the taxi drivers of Paris who transported the soldiers to the Marne - Tuchman says in her Afterward, "Of course all the world knows about the taxi drivers," but I am afraid not.
This book chastened me and saddened me. I feel that I am a different person for having read it - definitely wiser, if not happier.
I also come from a nonmilitary family. However, I had a
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godfather who was a Tuchman fan as well as an amateur historian and who had worked in the shipyards in Portland in World War II. This is his book. I saw it on my mother's shelves a couple of months ago (my godfather having passed away in 1993) and something made me ask to borrow it. This book was not easy for me to read. My brain does not keep up with troop movements and logistics, I don't understand military theories, and I am a lifelong pacifist. I kept feeling an overwhelming sense of doom, since I knew that this story of the first month of World War I was going to end with the pieces in place for the horrible trench warfare that lasted four years and caused so many deaths.
However, I could not stop reading it, and even when it saddened me to the point that I left it for weeks at a time, I had to go back to it. This is for two reasons. The first is that I feel a sense of duty to learn more about the war that set the pattern for the terrible, blood-drenched 20th century. The second is that Barbara Tuchman is such a compelling writer.
The book hurled me (I was going to say "the reader," but it occurs to me that not all readers may react as emotionally as I do) between anger and frustration - with the various military leaders. for their adherence to what seemed to me to be insane military theories - and extreme admiration mixed with sadness - for sometimes those very same military leaders, but also civilians, who behaved with great courage and did truly great things. These were people I'd never heard of. It is shameful to me that I knew so little about them. King Albert of Belgium, for example - what an inspiring leader. And the taxi drivers of Paris who transported the soldiers to the Marne - Tuchman says in her Afterward, "Of course all the world knows about the taxi drivers," but I am afraid not.
This book chastened me and saddened me. I feel that I am a different person for having read it - definitely wiser, if not happier.
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LibraryThing member mattries37315
While the ultimate outcome of The Great War was not decided in it's first month, the nature of the contest was as Barbara Tuchman so masterfully illustrates in "The Guns of August".
From the outset Tuchman shows that all the belligerents made crucial mistakes that slowly mounted resulting the Allied
In almost 450 pages of text, Tuchman gives an overview of how the war plans that both sides would use in that first month were developed and then showed the history of what happened when they were applied. She filled each page with dense material but with no frivolous words to get in the way. Although in a few places she must, along with the reader guess at what a particular individual commander was thinking at a particular moment she supports her conclusion with the overall situation he faced at the time. Tuchman quoted individuals in their native tongue, however for some one like myself who didn't now any French or German it meant nothing and I had to figure out what was implied by what Tuchman wrote before and afterwards. If leaving unexplained a quote in foreign language is the worst critique I can assess a book, then I'm literally grabbing at straws.
"The Guns of August" was an instant classic upon publication and for any student of history it is a must read. With the 100-year anniversary of The Great War's beginning fast approaching, now is an excellent time to do so.
From the outset Tuchman shows that all the belligerents made crucial mistakes that slowly mounted resulting the Allied
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victory at the Marne then to total stalemate for four bloody years. The first 30 days of combat on the Western Front when the entire continent and possibly the world thought it would be a short war, after over 40 years of continental peace, changed everything and everyone it touched along with those it didn't.In almost 450 pages of text, Tuchman gives an overview of how the war plans that both sides would use in that first month were developed and then showed the history of what happened when they were applied. She filled each page with dense material but with no frivolous words to get in the way. Although in a few places she must, along with the reader guess at what a particular individual commander was thinking at a particular moment she supports her conclusion with the overall situation he faced at the time. Tuchman quoted individuals in their native tongue, however for some one like myself who didn't now any French or German it meant nothing and I had to figure out what was implied by what Tuchman wrote before and afterwards. If leaving unexplained a quote in foreign language is the worst critique I can assess a book, then I'm literally grabbing at straws.
"The Guns of August" was an instant classic upon publication and for any student of history it is a must read. With the 100-year anniversary of The Great War's beginning fast approaching, now is an excellent time to do so.
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LibraryThing member Choccy
The Guns of August is the best researched book I’ve ever read so far with such poised and skillful narrative style. Tuchman managed to entertain her readers with vivid, incredible details about the prelude to the first thirty days of World War I. She never cease in captivating our minds with epic
Did I say “entertain”? Ah indeed, this book is indubitably a remarkable form of entertainment. Battles, maneuvres, and actions in the field plus debates (internal and external) outside the field are told with great pace, well-structured and easy to understand. Even someone with pathetic sense of direction like yours truly could have a grasp on what happened without having to consult a map for every paragraph.
The book itself is divided into three parts: “Plans” (war preparation by the main actors: Germany, France, Britain and Russia), “Outbreak” and of course the most stirring part, “Battle”. It amazed me when I read the inanity and misjudgment by commanders in chief, field marshalls, generals and politicians, causing all the gratuitous calamities. I think I rolled my eyes lots of times or simply sighed with frustration when reading the accounts of Germans’ over-optimism, the Russians’ unpreparedness, the Frenchs’ over-confidence and the British’ reluctance. However, they’re human after all, right? Errare humane est.
The characters (historical figures) are unforgettable, especially the commanders such as Joffre, Foch, Gallieni, Moltke, Kluck, Samsonov, and the most annoying one, Sir John French, the British Field Marshall. Their thoughts, actions and interactions – which had got to be compiled meticulously and painstakingly from various memoirs and other sources – are making me feel as if I was reading a novel, of course without all the dramatization.
I applaud Tuchman for this superb and extraordinary work of literature which gave me a very real perspective on one of the greatest debacles in human history. The Guns of August truly deserves all the praises as a true military classic.
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tales of bravery, cowardice and indecisiveness. Did I say “entertain”? Ah indeed, this book is indubitably a remarkable form of entertainment. Battles, maneuvres, and actions in the field plus debates (internal and external) outside the field are told with great pace, well-structured and easy to understand. Even someone with pathetic sense of direction like yours truly could have a grasp on what happened without having to consult a map for every paragraph.
The book itself is divided into three parts: “Plans” (war preparation by the main actors: Germany, France, Britain and Russia), “Outbreak” and of course the most stirring part, “Battle”. It amazed me when I read the inanity and misjudgment by commanders in chief, field marshalls, generals and politicians, causing all the gratuitous calamities. I think I rolled my eyes lots of times or simply sighed with frustration when reading the accounts of Germans’ over-optimism, the Russians’ unpreparedness, the Frenchs’ over-confidence and the British’ reluctance. However, they’re human after all, right? Errare humane est.
The characters (historical figures) are unforgettable, especially the commanders such as Joffre, Foch, Gallieni, Moltke, Kluck, Samsonov, and the most annoying one, Sir John French, the British Field Marshall. Their thoughts, actions and interactions – which had got to be compiled meticulously and painstakingly from various memoirs and other sources – are making me feel as if I was reading a novel, of course without all the dramatization.
I applaud Tuchman for this superb and extraordinary work of literature which gave me a very real perspective on one of the greatest debacles in human history. The Guns of August truly deserves all the praises as a true military classic.
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LibraryThing member tfehr
This is a ridiculously well written book. I was assigned this book to write a paper on, and I got started late, and as a consequence had to read the book (600ish pages) in two days; this however, was not a problem. Beginning with the first paragraph (which could be the best introducation to any
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history book I've read - seriously at least check that out) until the end of the book, I was constantly captivated by Tuchman's narrative. The first 6 chapters, in which Tuchman describes the politico-military sitation in each major belligerent state, goes far further in explaining the causes of WWI than anything I have ever read. Show Less
LibraryThing member Smiler69
In this Pulitzer Prize-winning work, Barbara Tuchman set out to describe the events which led up to the onset of the Great War. Focusing primarily on the heads of state and government, she describes what the dynamics were in the early years of the 20th century, in the aftermath of the
I can't say this is the kind of book I normally gravitate to. It's focus is on the military strategies, plans of action and commands, which is an aspect of war which is not of great interest to me. I am more interested in the human element, which is usually to be found in fictional novels, or stories about individual experiences, but it seemed to me important to read about the major forces which led to the onset of war so I could gain a bit more understanding of the political aspects which influenced an entire generation and were then responsible for tens of millions of casualties in that other war just a couple of decades later. I was quite fascinated with the first chapter, describing the pomp and ceremony of the Funeral procession of King Edward VII in May 1910, which presents all the major world-wide players of the day, at what was reportedly one of the largest gatherings of European royalty ever to take place, and one of the last before many royal families were deposed in World War I and its aftermath. Later on, I was much less enthused with the focus remaining on strategy and troupe movements, but instead of abandoning ship (so to speak) as I was tempted to do, decided to keep listening in a similar spirit in which I would have continued attending a lecture series in hopes of bettering my general knowledge, even if this meant listening distractedly at best though long bouts of the narrative.
It's hard for me to say whether Tuchman's is a biased view of events or not, as I have not yet read anything else comparable about WWI, but I did get the strong impression that the blame as to who was responsible for causing the war lay strongly on German powers . There followed detailed descriptions of decisions by the allied forces which might have turned things around, so the blame does not solely rest on the Germans, but one can hardly read this book and walk away feeling much sympathy for them, and for this reason I think I will have to make a point on reading works where the focus is quite different so I can form a more balanced view. As it is, I walk away quite angry, thinking that all this massacre could have been avoided had the Keiser and some of the 'great German intellectuals' not been obsessed with world domination. In other words, my prejudices are more or less intact thus far.
This is a rare case when I've decided to rate the book more on it's own merit than to reflect my private appreciation of it. As a history course, I think it is to be highly recommended. Those who tend to read non-fiction regularly and are comfortable in the realm of power plays and politics will definitely find full satisfaction here. For those like me who only occasionally read non-fiction and prefer to read about the day-to-day realities of living through war, this may seem too dry, but then there is a time and place for everything, and I thought 2014 was a good year to make room for reading the kinds of books about war I would not normally gravitate to. A last note about this particular audio version; I was very annoyed with John Lee, who insisted on adopting the various accents of whoever was being quoted. He is no Meryl Streep and his accents were far from convincing, besides which it took away from the serious tone of the work and was not at all appropriate. I know there is another audio version narrated by Nadia May, though I do not know whether or not she puts in a similar type of performance.
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Franco-Prussian war from which Germany emerged victorious and hungered for world domination. Until reading this book, I had always believed that the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28th, 1914 was the spark that suddenly started it all. I had also been under the impression that the war could have been averted, but the picture Tuchman paints of those years leading up to August 1914 seems to show that the Germans were bent on invasion and domination and in effect forcibly provoked it's enemies to retaliate. I had not known the history of Belgium, nor that it was, up till the German invasion in August 1914, a neutral country as determined by a treaty which had been signed by Prussia in 1839. Tuchman describes how the Germans deliberately invaded Belgium and proceeded to brutalize the local population with the excuse that they were meeting violent resistance from the civilians, in what came to be known as the Rape of Belgium. Here, the assassination of Ferdinand is barely mentioned. In this version of events, it seems that the allied forced of France and Britain on the Western front, and Russia on the Eastern front, had no choice but to retaliate to stop the German forces from proceeding on to their targeted invasion of France and onward.I can't say this is the kind of book I normally gravitate to. It's focus is on the military strategies, plans of action and commands, which is an aspect of war which is not of great interest to me. I am more interested in the human element, which is usually to be found in fictional novels, or stories about individual experiences, but it seemed to me important to read about the major forces which led to the onset of war so I could gain a bit more understanding of the political aspects which influenced an entire generation and were then responsible for tens of millions of casualties in that other war just a couple of decades later. I was quite fascinated with the first chapter, describing the pomp and ceremony of the Funeral procession of King Edward VII in May 1910, which presents all the major world-wide players of the day, at what was reportedly one of the largest gatherings of European royalty ever to take place, and one of the last before many royal families were deposed in World War I and its aftermath. Later on, I was much less enthused with the focus remaining on strategy and troupe movements, but instead of abandoning ship (so to speak) as I was tempted to do, decided to keep listening in a similar spirit in which I would have continued attending a lecture series in hopes of bettering my general knowledge, even if this meant listening distractedly at best though long bouts of the narrative.
It's hard for me to say whether Tuchman's is a biased view of events or not, as I have not yet read anything else comparable about WWI, but I did get the strong impression that the blame as to who was responsible for causing the war lay strongly on German powers . There followed detailed descriptions of decisions by the allied forces which might have turned things around, so the blame does not solely rest on the Germans, but one can hardly read this book and walk away feeling much sympathy for them, and for this reason I think I will have to make a point on reading works where the focus is quite different so I can form a more balanced view. As it is, I walk away quite angry, thinking that all this massacre could have been avoided had the Keiser and some of the 'great German intellectuals' not been obsessed with world domination. In other words, my prejudices are more or less intact thus far.
This is a rare case when I've decided to rate the book more on it's own merit than to reflect my private appreciation of it. As a history course, I think it is to be highly recommended. Those who tend to read non-fiction regularly and are comfortable in the realm of power plays and politics will definitely find full satisfaction here. For those like me who only occasionally read non-fiction and prefer to read about the day-to-day realities of living through war, this may seem too dry, but then there is a time and place for everything, and I thought 2014 was a good year to make room for reading the kinds of books about war I would not normally gravitate to. A last note about this particular audio version; I was very annoyed with John Lee, who insisted on adopting the various accents of whoever was being quoted. He is no Meryl Streep and his accents were far from convincing, besides which it took away from the serious tone of the work and was not at all appropriate. I know there is another audio version narrated by Nadia May, though I do not know whether or not she puts in a similar type of performance.
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LibraryThing member chrissie3
Phew, this was a difficult book to digest in the audiobook format. Neither is it easy to digest in a paper book format. It is dense. It is detailed. Names and places and battles are thrown at you in rapid succession. You have to remember who is who, which corps is fighting where and its number, the
Does this mean I regret reading it? My response is emphatically no.
Much of the book is set in Belgium and France. (It also covers the Eastern Prussian Front.) I have been to many of the towns, cities, citadels, squares, forests and rivers named. Knowing the history of what happened where I have walked is special to me. I am a bit unsure if it would mean as much to one who has not been there. If you have been in the Ardennes you immediately understand the difficulty of moving artillery around there. Having walked in Leuven, Dinant, Mons, Charleroi and Namur, to name a smattering, when you hear of the burning and sacking and murder of hostages, you more intimately understand. I believe my own experiences, rather than the writing made the events real.
It is important to know that this book is focused primarily on the military battles of the first month of the war. Why? Because what happened then set the course for the four years that followed. You might as well be told that the primary focus is military because that will not appeal to all. The start of World War One is all about the idiosyncrasies of generals. It is about a lack of communication. It is about men who have decided on a plan and from that they will not budge.
The narration by John Lee was fine, but he does not speak slowly and that might have made things a bit easier. Some say he speaks with a Scottish dialect. That is fine by me!
I will tell you why I liked this book. I now have the basics for how the war started. I appreciate knowing what has happened to the people living around me here in Belgium; I understand them better. I understand why they so quickly capitulated in the Second World War. Today there is so much squabbling going on between the Flemish and the French people of Belgium. It was wonderful to see how in the First World War they fought united, as one people, for their independence and very existence. I needed to learn of this.
Completed July 11, 2013
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title of each commander and more. You do not have time to stop and think and recall what was told to you minutes/pages or even hours/chapters before. You need more than a detailed map because you don’t have much time to spend looking at that map. What you need most of all is a good memory, a good knowledge of history and geographic knowledge before you even pick up the book. OR you can read this book to begin learning and accept that there will be parts that go over your head. That is what I did, and I enjoyed much of it, but I also spent time exasperated since there were sentences I had to think about and ponder before I understood their implications. I had to rewind and write notes and search on the internet.Does this mean I regret reading it? My response is emphatically no.
Much of the book is set in Belgium and France. (It also covers the Eastern Prussian Front.) I have been to many of the towns, cities, citadels, squares, forests and rivers named. Knowing the history of what happened where I have walked is special to me. I am a bit unsure if it would mean as much to one who has not been there. If you have been in the Ardennes you immediately understand the difficulty of moving artillery around there. Having walked in Leuven, Dinant, Mons, Charleroi and Namur, to name a smattering, when you hear of the burning and sacking and murder of hostages, you more intimately understand. I believe my own experiences, rather than the writing made the events real.
It is important to know that this book is focused primarily on the military battles of the first month of the war. Why? Because what happened then set the course for the four years that followed. You might as well be told that the primary focus is military because that will not appeal to all. The start of World War One is all about the idiosyncrasies of generals. It is about a lack of communication. It is about men who have decided on a plan and from that they will not budge.
The narration by John Lee was fine, but he does not speak slowly and that might have made things a bit easier. Some say he speaks with a Scottish dialect. That is fine by me!
I will tell you why I liked this book. I now have the basics for how the war started. I appreciate knowing what has happened to the people living around me here in Belgium; I understand them better. I understand why they so quickly capitulated in the Second World War. Today there is so much squabbling going on between the Flemish and the French people of Belgium. It was wonderful to see how in the First World War they fought united, as one people, for their independence and very existence. I needed to learn of this.
Completed July 11, 2013
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LibraryThing member kaitanya64
Go ahead and criticize Tuchman's "unscholarly" approach all you want, this book makes the beginning of WW I clear and understandable for the lay reader. She managed to keep me clear on the identities and roles of many, many historical figures whom I had never encountered before and keep my interest
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throughout the events. I felt compelled to keep reading. Her books are a gift to those of us who are not scholars of the period but want to understand one of the pivotal events of our time. Show Less
LibraryThing member SeriousGrace
The Guns of August is nothing short of impressive. It should have won a Pulitzer for history but because Pulitzers for history can only be handed out for U.S. history, it got one for nonfiction. Same diff in my book. It was a national best seller, John F. Kennedy referred to it on more than one
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occasion as the end all-be all for political strategy and it was made into a movie. In other words, the critics have weighed in - it's a good book. Show Less
LibraryThing member Smiley
The place to start to understand the run up to WWI.
LibraryThing member TheAmpersand
I should note that my three-star rating describes my experience of "The Guns of August" does not reflect the book's merits. It's a very fine history book, but I found, as I did the last time I read it, that I've got no talent or patience for battlefield history, and the fact that I read a digital
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copy this time around really didn't help matters. Still, Tuchman's prose is excellent and her takes on the cultural climate that contributed to the start of the Great War, such as German nationalism and every major army's obsession with taking the initiative, are quite good. Fittingly, for a historian, she's also got an excellent grasp of narrative. Her accounts of the diplomatic machinations that led up to the outbreak of the war and the flight of the Goeben to Istambul are both absolutely gripping. On the centenary of the First World War's outbreak, it's probably more important than ever to remind ourselves how badly things can deteriorate in the international arena, and how quickly. "The Guns of August" still seems unnervingly relevant. Show Less
LibraryThing member wildbill
This is a book that I have read at least four times over a 25 year period. I am drawn to Barbara Tuchman partly because of her "amateur" status as an historian. She was not a credentialed academic with an endowed chair. She seemed to write history because she enjoyed history, what I consider to be
The book covers the first months of WW I ending with the stalemate on the western front that led to the great war of attrition. The author provides insightful looks at the motivation and beginning strategies of the combatants. Contrasting the meticulous planning of the Germans with the emphasis of elan in the French. The contrasting plans of each party show clearly the maxim that generals always fight the last war.
As in most wars everyone was convinced that their troops would achieve a quick victory, ironic predictions compared to the reality that unfolded.
WW I caused the end of an era and the beginning of the modern world. The author portrays the thinking of the old era and its failure to see the changes ahead. Tuchman's writing elevates history to the page turning immediacy of suspense. Her command of the subject puts the reader in the middle of the events and on a first name basis with the emperors, generals and foot soldiers that made things happen.
For all of these reasons I highly recommend this book for those interested in history or a well written book.
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the best reason.The book covers the first months of WW I ending with the stalemate on the western front that led to the great war of attrition. The author provides insightful looks at the motivation and beginning strategies of the combatants. Contrasting the meticulous planning of the Germans with the emphasis of elan in the French. The contrasting plans of each party show clearly the maxim that generals always fight the last war.
As in most wars everyone was convinced that their troops would achieve a quick victory, ironic predictions compared to the reality that unfolded.
WW I caused the end of an era and the beginning of the modern world. The author portrays the thinking of the old era and its failure to see the changes ahead. Tuchman's writing elevates history to the page turning immediacy of suspense. Her command of the subject puts the reader in the middle of the events and on a first name basis with the emperors, generals and foot soldiers that made things happen.
For all of these reasons I highly recommend this book for those interested in history or a well written book.
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LibraryThing member Pondlife
A very detailed and surprisingly readable history of the early stages of the Great War, which would later become known as World War One.
Before reading this book, most of my knowledge of WW1 was based around the later stages when the war had got bogged down: the privations of the trenches, the
This book gave me a much better understanding of the underlying reasons behind the war, and the tensions and alliances at the time which allowed a "damned foolish thing in the Balkans" to provide the spark that led to the war.
Some major themes in the book are the obstinacy in sticking to agreed plans and timetables, which often caused missed chances and indirectly led to huge loss of life; the prescience of a few people like Bismarck and Kitchener.
Before reading this book, most of my knowledge of WW1 was based around the later stages when the war had got bogged down: the privations of the trenches, the
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horror and futility of some of the battles, and the massive loss of life. I also knew that the war was somehow triggered by the assassination of the Arch Duke Ferdinand, but didn't really understand how or why.This book gave me a much better understanding of the underlying reasons behind the war, and the tensions and alliances at the time which allowed a "damned foolish thing in the Balkans" to provide the spark that led to the war.
Some major themes in the book are the obstinacy in sticking to agreed plans and timetables, which often caused missed chances and indirectly led to huge loss of life; the prescience of a few people like Bismarck and Kitchener.
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LibraryThing member cbl_tn
Anyone wanting to learn about World War I will encounter so many references to The Guns of August that it will work its way to the top of the reading list. The 100th anniversary of the beginning of the war seemed like the perfect time to read it. Barbara Tuchman has a gift for writing that many
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historians would envy. Dates, locations, names, and numbers are not dry facts in her hands. They become an absorbing, page-turning account of hopes and fears, opportunities won and lost, preconceived notions, unwarranted optimism, and unappreciated pragmatism. The list of primary sources Tuchman consulted is impressive. All it lacks are footnotes or endnotes linking Tuchman's conclusions to specific sources. Show Less
LibraryThing member NPJacobsen
If you like your histories factual and documented, then Barbara Tuchman's "The Guns of August" is the book for you. Tuchman details the politics and the miltary planning that brought the world to the war to end all wars, and hundreds of thousands of young men to their deaths.
All the main players
All in all, a top notch history of the start to WWI. Barbara Tuchman won a Pulitzer Prize in 1962 for her extraordinary effort writing this novel. I chose this book because I didn't know very much about World War I, especially how it started, but this book surely changed that. I would bet that even the most avid history buff would acquire some additional knowledge from reading this novel. If you are interested in history, especially WWI, then I whole-heartedly recommend "The Guns of August" by Barbara W. Tuchman.
All the main players
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are covered: Germany, France, England, and Russia. The main catalyst of the war, the assassination of Austrian archduke Ferdinand by a Serbian nationalist, is only briefly mentioned, however a thorough explanation of how that event led all of Europe to take up arms follows. As the title states, this book covers only the first month of World War I, August of 1914 (although a few days in September are mentioned for continuity sake.) I was astonished to find out just how close Germany came to winning the war in that first month, if not for a few missteps and some luck on the Allies part.All in all, a top notch history of the start to WWI. Barbara Tuchman won a Pulitzer Prize in 1962 for her extraordinary effort writing this novel. I chose this book because I didn't know very much about World War I, especially how it started, but this book surely changed that. I would bet that even the most avid history buff would acquire some additional knowledge from reading this novel. If you are interested in history, especially WWI, then I whole-heartedly recommend "The Guns of August" by Barbara W. Tuchman.
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LibraryThing member thornton37814
Tuchman's work on World War I shows events leading up to World War I and its beginning, focusing mostly on the month of August 1914. She spends a lot of the time describing the various strategies of the parties involved in the Conflict. It is easy to see why this work won the Pulitzer Prize when
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published. It has definitely stood the test of time. While I'm certain that other books cover the build-up to war and first month of it, this book needs to be read by anyone doing serious study of that time. Show Less
LibraryThing member bevok
This book lived up to every expectation. Robert Massie's introduction set the contedt well. Barbara Tuchman certainly showed that membership of the Academy is not the sole qualification for being a great historian. Her attention to the quality of her prose really sets her apart as she concentrated
The story of the first month of World War One is fascinating. Criticism of the book by the likes of Sean McMeekin and Christopher Clark is unfounded and seems almost to be name dropping. I had gained the impression prior to reading the book that it was an exposition on the causes of World War One. It is not, and the events and mechanations of Balkan politics are incidental. This is the story of war leaders and strategy in the first month of the conflict.
The characters are brilliantly drawn, and the story holds us on the edge of our seats (even knowing the outcome) with Tuchman's prose.
French's unreliability, the Kaiser's erratic behaviour, Jofre's fixation on Plan 17 to the exclusion of the evidence.
This is a book difficult to put down. I listened to the Audible edition which was superbly narrated. The accents made it very easy to follow the multinational participants.
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on telling a story. Many historians get too preoccupied with theory, fashionable terminology and speculation on causation and neglect the art of exposition. The story of the first month of World War One is fascinating. Criticism of the book by the likes of Sean McMeekin and Christopher Clark is unfounded and seems almost to be name dropping. I had gained the impression prior to reading the book that it was an exposition on the causes of World War One. It is not, and the events and mechanations of Balkan politics are incidental. This is the story of war leaders and strategy in the first month of the conflict.
The characters are brilliantly drawn, and the story holds us on the edge of our seats (even knowing the outcome) with Tuchman's prose.
French's unreliability, the Kaiser's erratic behaviour, Jofre's fixation on Plan 17 to the exclusion of the evidence.
This is a book difficult to put down. I listened to the Audible edition which was superbly narrated. The accents made it very easy to follow the multinational participants.
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LibraryThing member tloeffler
A detailed telling of the first month of the First World War. I like Tuchmans writing, and I found this to be a fascinating and depressing story. When you start reading at this detailed level, you see more clearly how so much of history is based on chance, just one decision that can change
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everything. And, of course, the folly of war is reinforced for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member jddunn
Probably the best popular history of WWI that I’ve seen. Does an excellent job of zooming in from the big picture to the individuals acting within(and often in ignorance of) it, and back. Does an excellent job of tying together the personalities, politics, plans, cultural forces, technological
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advances, and terrible follies that caused the old world to spin apart in a sudden and inexorable conflagration that almost nobody seemed able to anticipate or resist. Show Less
LibraryThing member dswaddell
This book gives a very comprehensive account about the causes and personalities involved in the early WW1 battles and mistakes which lead to the stalemate and trenchlines in WW1. I somewhat disjointed read but overall educational and enjoyable.
LibraryThing member MaowangVater
Germany came close to winning the First World War in the first month of fighting. German commanders confidently expected to march their exhausted troops into Paris in the first week of September. The French Government has already fled the capital. It was to be the crowning glory of a month of
Tuchman’s Pulitzer Prize winning history stops on the eve of the first Battle of the Marne. It critiques the persistence of generals on both sides for their unwavering adherence to their war plan even in the face of contrary evidence that the enemy was not behaving as expected. Her portraits of officers and heads of state are vivid and witty, and her narrative style is superb.
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victories. Germany had a forty-day plan for winning the war and their armies were right on schedule. In four days they expected to be in Paris. What they did not expect was for the retreating French forces to turn and attack. Tuchman’s Pulitzer Prize winning history stops on the eve of the first Battle of the Marne. It critiques the persistence of generals on both sides for their unwavering adherence to their war plan even in the face of contrary evidence that the enemy was not behaving as expected. Her portraits of officers and heads of state are vivid and witty, and her narrative style is superb.
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LibraryThing member jsnrcrny
Although much of this book was difficult for me to follow, I was impressed by it. I expected it to be a general history of World War I, and was surprised to discover it is actually an analysis--give or take a few days--of the first month of the war, the days before the stasis of trench warfare.
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Despite the fact that it is is a book of military tactics and political analysis, Tuchman has the talent of a novelist. She brings the war to life through surprising anecdotes, haunting images, and piercing, though subtle, quips of wisdom. Show Less
LibraryThing member arthos
I was interested in this book because JFK was reportedly deeply impressed by it. Tuchman describes how, once the first ultimatum was issued, the leaders of the countries involved were trapped in the inexorable schedules of the war plans; the war plans represented a giant clock that, once started,
The book describes the first month of the war. The prose is marvelously well-turned, and the accounts of the events, and the motivations behind the events, are a model of clarity. Tuchman balances detail and pacing masterfully.
I knew next to nothing about World War I. I was particularly struck by the extent to which World War II was a replay of World War I. If the Germans had had armor at the opening of the first war, it would have been over in six weeks.
I was also surprised to learn that terror against the citizenry as a weapon of policy, as practiced by the Gestapo, was not a Nazi invention, but was a doctrine of Clausewitz, and was practiced by the Germans in the first war as well as in the second.
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could not be stopped.The book describes the first month of the war. The prose is marvelously well-turned, and the accounts of the events, and the motivations behind the events, are a model of clarity. Tuchman balances detail and pacing masterfully.
I knew next to nothing about World War I. I was particularly struck by the extent to which World War II was a replay of World War I. If the Germans had had armor at the opening of the first war, it would have been over in six weeks.
I was also surprised to learn that terror against the citizenry as a weapon of policy, as practiced by the Gestapo, was not a Nazi invention, but was a doctrine of Clausewitz, and was practiced by the Germans in the first war as well as in the second.
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LibraryThing member TadAD
This eminently-readable history book covers the first 30 days of World War I, ending with the Battle of the Marne that stopped the German drive toward Paris.
As a complete picture of history, it is somewhat deficient. The book focuses almost exclusively on the German-French conflict, and barely
However, as a recounting of the actions and disasters of those opening days of battle, it was riveting. The common picture of World War I as a static battle of trenches had not yet come into focus; this was a time of rapid move and countermove that set the stage for the rest of the war and, arguably, the rest of the half-century.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of this book is how much the lives of millions were affected, not by the results of actual fighting, but by the unwillingness of a few military leaders to deal with what was rather than their opinions of what should be: the reliance of the French military generals, particularly Joffre, on the absurd doctrine of élan as embodied in Plan XVII; Sir John French's certainty that his troops were unable to fight despite the reports of their commanders; Kluck's exposure of his right flank to the French and British because German doctrine stated that troops in towns expecting siege never advanced out from their fortifications. Equally depressing was the realization that the Germans deliberately reintroduced a campaign of terror on civilians as a weapon of war, thereby presaging the remaining conflicts of the century.
I highly recommend this.
As a complete picture of history, it is somewhat deficient. The book focuses almost exclusively on the German-French conflict, and barely
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mentioning the precipitating ambitions of Austro-Hungary, the precipitating actions of Serbia, the British economic pressures and the internal Social Democrat pressures on Germany, and very little about the Russian involvement after the Battle of Tannenberg.However, as a recounting of the actions and disasters of those opening days of battle, it was riveting. The common picture of World War I as a static battle of trenches had not yet come into focus; this was a time of rapid move and countermove that set the stage for the rest of the war and, arguably, the rest of the half-century.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of this book is how much the lives of millions were affected, not by the results of actual fighting, but by the unwillingness of a few military leaders to deal with what was rather than their opinions of what should be: the reliance of the French military generals, particularly Joffre, on the absurd doctrine of élan as embodied in Plan XVII; Sir John French's certainty that his troops were unable to fight despite the reports of their commanders; Kluck's exposure of his right flank to the French and British because German doctrine stated that troops in towns expecting siege never advanced out from their fortifications. Equally depressing was the realization that the Germans deliberately reintroduced a campaign of terror on civilians as a weapon of war, thereby presaging the remaining conflicts of the century.
I highly recommend this.
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LibraryThing member Othemts
In depth description and analysis of the first month of World War I. This groundbreaking work of history demonstrates how the forces of European power came together to create the deadlock that would last for much of the remainder of the war and set the course for the changes in power that would
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last for decades. This highly readable book is a great introduction to the history of the Great War. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
National Book Award (Finalist — Nonfiction — 1963)
Pulitzer Prize (Winner — History — 1963)
Notable Books List (1962)
Language
Original publication date
1962-01-29 (1e édition originale américaine)
1962 (1e traduction et édition française, Presses de la Cité)
Physical description
575 p.; 6.9 inches
ISBN
0553139592 / 9780553139594