The First World War

The first of three volumes in a magisterial study, has been heralded as the definitive work on the First World War. Hew Strachan's narrative, always readable and incisive, brings together an unparalleled range of material. Military and strategic perspectives are combined with those of cultural, diplomatic, economic, and social history. The viewpoints of Germany, Britain and France are represented with equal clarity. The result is an account that breaks the bounds of national preoccupations to become both global and comparative.

"A towering achievement. The sheer sustained quality is remarkable… there is always sparkle and freshness, and a delight in storytelling that is all too often absent from weighty academic history." - Guardian.

"A monumental achievement; his mastery of the output of specialised works on the war defies imagination." - Spectator

"Magnificent … sumptuous in the energy, clarity and breadth of its scholarship … A masterpiece." - Los Angeles Times