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The First World War (Smithsonian History of Warfare)

By: Robin Prior Trevor Wilson
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Smithsonian Books
ISBN: 0061142050
ISBN-13: 9780061142055
Released: 03 Sep 2006
RRP: £11.69
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Customer Reviews

Six easy chapters on World War I - By: Mark Klobas, 10 Aug 2005
In this book, Robin Prior & Trevor Wilson offer a good, basic overview of the First World War. They summarize the conflict in six easy chapters - one for each year on the fighting in Europe, plus one on the fighting in the 'peripheries' - & they have an introduction & conclusion that covers the origins of the war & its aftermath. Prior & Wilson make no secret of their views on the war; they are unabashed 'Westerners' with a healthy contempt for most of the political & military leadership involved, a judgment that emerges repeatedly when assessing the outcome of battles & the results of strategic decisions.

Despite their approach, the authors do a good job of presenting the war. Well illustrated, the text is accompanied by a number of computer-generated maps of the various fronts & battlefields, & there is a section at the end with brief biographies of the leading military & civilian commanders of the conflict. Readers familiar with the war would do better to consult some of the books listed in the bibliography at the end, but for anyone seeking an introduction to the 'Great War' this is a good book to start with.