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| A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918
Paperback
Author: G.J. Meyer
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: 2007-05-29
ISBN-10: 0553382403
ISBN-13: 9780553382402
List Price: $21.00
Average Customer Rating:
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Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
The First World War is one of history’s greatest tragedies. In this remarkable and intimate account, author G. J. Meyer draws on exhaustive research to bring to life the story of how the Great War reduced Europe’s mightiest empires to rubble, killed twenty million people, and cracked the foundations of the world we live in today.
The First World War is one of history’s greatest tragedies. In this remarkable and intimate account, author G. J. Meyer draws on exhaustive research to bring to life the story of how the Great War reduced Europe’s mightiest empires to rubble, killed twenty million people, and cracked the foundations of the world we live in today.
From the Hardcover edition.
Excellent History of the First World War
| Customer Rating: | I read a lot of history books and this is one of the best. It reads like a novel. Ever other chapter has background into people, events and the culture of the times.
If you want to understand World War I, how it started, how it ended, and everything in between, this is the book. All of the major players, mostly military leaders, but also political leaders, are presented in detail. They all had good and bad character traits that affected their decisions. They were all human and were faced with challenges that no one had ever faced before. Some fell back on the conventional wisdom they were taught, that was completely wrong for the situation. Some leaders understood that warfare had changed and tried to change strategies and tactics, but were often overridden by leaders who could not adapt to the changing reality of war.
The technological changes in this war overwhelmed the combatants who were unprepared for it. Even as the massive carnage continued, it was difficult for many to give up their beliefs about how to wage war.
The American Civil War contained lessons about modern warfare. Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg was a precursor to the Battle of the Somme. But the leaders of the great powers failed to learn the lessons.
The book also details the financial, social and cultural impact of the war. When I finished the book, I realized that no one won the war. All the powers where left with huge debt. Their prosperity was lost. At the start of the war, all the countries were monarchies except France. After the war, only Britain still had a king. Britain was the only major power whose infrastructure was left intact. No battles occurred on its shores. But all the nations had suffered a trauma that would stay with them. That another, greater war came along only twenty years later is not a surprise. The war ended with nothing resolved. But then, what was it supposed to have resolved? The war was not fought for any grand cause. Every one just fell into a situation that was too complicated to understand.
This is the best book on the Great War I have read. |
A fresh and intriguing WWI history
| Customer Rating: | | I have looked for a good and intriguing and accurate portrayal of World War One to read and everything I have come across is dry. This is not dry and is very easy to read and is very thought provoking. I really like it; it makes you really question the ideas you have about World War One, and the best part about it - its fun and interesting to read! |
Great Book! Buy it!
| Customer Rating: | I read the other reviews and thought of getting it from the library or buying a used one (cheap) but once I looked at it in the bookstore I was totally sold. It really is a fabulous collection of info with an irresistable story line leading through it. Tough to put down.
Go into the "Look Inside" feature if you can, to see the first page opening quote of Arch Duke Ferdinand. That's what sold me. |
Great Book on WW1
| Customer Rating: | | I generally read historical fiction or historical books. I have read a number of books on World War one and "The World Undone" is a very good one especially if you are looking for a book that has enough detail to satisfy an urge to learn about the topic without getting bogged down. The book is well written, easy to read and with very useful backgroud chapters on such things as the Hapsburgs, the Ottoman empire and so forth. These background chapters were well placed, provided context that was relevant and made the book that much more enjoyable. I would recommend the book to anyone interested in this topic or in history in general. |
The Teacher You Wish You had Had
| Customer Rating: | Having just finished Doris Kearns Goodwin's wonderful Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, I wouldn't have expected to be blown away by a history, but this one is really impressive! Meyer's sympathy for the characters, his humor, his concern for the needs of his reader and his uncanny ability to make a huge and complex story understandable makes this one of the best non-fiction books I've ever read.
His background sections and photos are interesting and informative, provide greater context or human detail, and a break from the descriptions of the horrendous battles. The brief final section, where he follows up on the lives of the main characters is outstanding. His use of first-hand accounts, anecdotes and memorable quotes kept me involved as in a novel. I read it on my Kindle, where his the maps are pretty much illegible, but his descriptions of are so clear that I didn't feel the loss, as I have in other Kindled texts (Two Years Before the Mast, for example). BTW: The quality of WWI photos is on a par with the ability of the Kindle to display them.
Meyer is that rare writer who appreciates the tactical and strategic issues in creating a narrative of this size and applies that knowledge admirably. After avoiding this subject for years, because of the confusing and piecemeal introduction that I had to this war, I feel that I have a general understanding of it and enough detailed information to pursue a deeper study of those characters, places and events that changed our world so profoundly. |
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