A review by tomstbr
The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman

5.0

I was meant to finish this for the SA book of the month (in August) but only got halway before getting distracted. Not because it is boring, but because it's quite long and there's always a lot to read. This is a stupendous book, and lays out the causes of the Great War in extreme detail. All the major player are turned into characters of their own stories, and the research is meticulous. If you think the whole thing started because a prince got shot, think again. The beginning is of course the most interesting, because while we know of trench warfare and Gallipoli, the whys and hows of the commencement of war are far more fascinating, particularly because in this case the decisions and outcome had a far-reaching effect on Europe for decades. If you read one book on WW1, make it this one.