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" There is so much in this book...there is always so much in any book about military history--names of officers, names of soldiers, names of battles, names of places, etc.--that a re-reading is almost necessary if one is to remember anything other than the basic facts presented in the book. Military histories are, to me, always a bittersweet experience: whatever fascinating facts, speculations or even gossip are included, there is always the underlying idea that people, in this case numbering in the millions, were dying as the story unfolded. They are as anonymous in death as they were in life. "Their position was overrun", "the battalion was routed", and "victory was complete" are basically code words for the basic idea that many people died, away from their home and their loved ones and to be buried, if at all, in an unmarked grave. Napoleon single-handedly managed to decimate the French male population during the first fifteen years of the nineteenth century through his continuous years of war, over 1.5 million young French men never returning home. What makes this book even more depressing than most of its type is that we know that what happens in August of 1914 is nothing more than a murderous prelude to an even more murderous four years of what has been called "competitive homicide". And yet, in the same way that we find it difficult to drive by an automobile accident without slowing down to see what happened, so, too, do we read about these terrible wars and the horrific tolls they exacted on both those who died and those who did not. Tuchman, as has been noted by hordes of readers and reviewers much more insightful than me, manages to bring to light enough human foibles among the leaders and humanity among the soldiers to make it not only readable but, dare I say, enjoyable. She even does the impossible...presenting in a cogent manner the actual reasons, other than the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand, why the First World War came about and, indeed, makes it seem unavoidable to the nations involved as they roused themselves from, as someone noted, "the boredom of peace". It has been said that "...armies always prepare to fight the last war", meaning that they know what worked before and use that as the guide in preparing for the next war. Tuchman shows us that some of the French and Russian generals seemed to be preparing to fight the war before the last war, still relying on cavalries to somehow survive machine-gun fire and bayonets to overcome artillery bombardment. The only heroes in this story seem to be the Belgians, and especially Albert, their king, and the Russian soldiers who were expected to die in great numbers and duly obliged. (And even the Belgians come out brave but very naive, refusing to compromise their neutrality by asking for assistance until it has become overrun by the Germans.) Tuchman does one other thing: she does away with the idea that the populations of the nations involved were unwillingly lead by the nose into war by their leaders. As she says about workers on the street, they may have considered themselves socialists, but when war was declared, their allegiance switched "from Marx to Mars", the god of war. "It is a joy to be alive!" screamed a headline in one Berlin newspaper as Germany declared war on France. Of course, this is because they all thought the war would be short--the Kaiser promised his troops in August that they would be back home "before the leaves fall"--and they all thought their side would win. This naivete was only matched by those who thought the nations of Europe had their economies so enmeshed with each other that a war was impossible. The only thing more depressing for the reader than the litany of mistakes, misinformation and treachery is the idea that when the book is ended, the war has only begun. As dreadful as the tale already told has been, what is to follow will be immeasurably worse.
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- Dennis, 2/17/2014
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" A huge cast of characters and a setting that extends across all of northern France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Russia/Prussia/Poland. Tuchman seems to be in the rooms where plans were made by the high commands of France, Germany, England, Russia, and Belgium, all at once. If you can keep all the names straight, it's possible to envision the entire horrible scene of World War I unfolding. Yet, it's still difficult to comprehend why. France's cause seems clear--territory had been taken from it by Germany, and it wanted it back; in addition, Germany was clearly plotting against France. Germany's grievance against France is much less comprehensible. Even though all of Germany, including well-known German philosophers and intellectuals, supported the war effort, yet it is impossible to see German aggression as anything other than a result of the vanity of generals. "
- Alan, 2/14/2014
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" I have a fondness for military history, and in particular, I find World War I an intensely interesting subject. When I found this in the bookstore, I was immediately taken in because I had studied the outbreak of the war in my history studies but never in so much detail. Tuchman does a marvelous job at cutting through all of the havoc of those opening months of conflict and illuminates the key players on both sides, their agendas and decisions, brilliance and incompetence, and what was at stake in this pivotal period of history. To any history lover, this is a well-written and extremely fascinating look into a short window of time that had an enormous effect on the war itself as well as the world. "
- Kyle, 2/13/2014
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" This book explains how World War I started. I learned a lot. I had no idea that so much of the royalty at the time was related. Essentially, cousins were fighting cousins. Pretty stupid, but then, most wars are. "
- Wachlin007, 2/13/2014
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" I majored in history, I've read a LOT of history, and no one writes it like Barbara Tuchman. I am a raving Barbara Tuchman fan. That is all. "
- Lorena, 2/9/2014
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" This book explains how World War I started. I learned a lot. I had no idea that so much of the royalty at the time was related. Essentially, cousins were fighting cousins. Pretty stupid, but then, most wars are. "
- Wachlin007, 2/9/2014
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" Only made it 60% through! After reading A World Undone (which I preferred) the middle got boring, but The Guns of August was a great second description of the background, causes, and beginning of the war, especially since it emphasizes different stories. "
- Matty2fatty, 2/3/2014
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" Yeah, it's that good. All the awesomeness you've heard about it is true. "
- Ian, 1/31/2014
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" I don't need to rehash the story, but I will say that this book is so excellently written as it covers the first 30 days of WWI, the events that led up to it, and the consequences from it. It is written with such fascinating detail, punctuated with great humor, about the follies and foibles of each country's leaders. I was reminded throughout of the wonderful line from Elaine on TV's Seinfeld, "War...what is it good for?". "
- carl, 1/30/2014
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" Tuchman is probably one of the best writers in the field of historic narrative. Her ability to tell the story of the first month of WW1 is prosaic. I've never encountered a history writer with the literary ability of a novelist; it was as if I was reading a work of fiction. She is able to capture the personality of these historic figures, and tell the story of a world changing event with ease. Her scholarship is also top-notch; she weaves her narrative through the use of wartime documents, newspaper articles, letters & correspondence, and personal diaries. If you're interested in history, but find reading history texts dull and a bit dry, I recommend Barbara Tuchman's work. "
- John, 1/23/2014
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" Thoroughly researched and even-handed account of the opening days of world war I. "
- Meredith, 1/19/2014
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" The fact that some people can possibly read through his book and enjoy it has got to be completely insane. "
- Nick, 1/19/2014
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" This is a compelling book about the first month of World War I. Tuchman describes the personalities and events in a style that is both very informative and interesting. The account is detailed but easy to understand; even her descriptions of troop movements and where the armies were are quite comprehensible. This is an excellent book for anyone interested in history, especially World War I. "
- Sarah, 1/18/2014
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" This heartbreaking account of the first month of The Great War was not for the faint of heart or light reader. Tuchman went into facinating (and sometimes incredibly complicated) details about the philosophies, plans, leadership and movement of the various troops. Although difficult to get into, once the war began, I was completely engrossed. I was amazed at the research and details surrounding all of the different armies and their leaders. Deffinately thought provoking and educational. "
- Amanda, 1/16/2014
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" The opening pages is one of the best ever written, certainly for a history. A classic. "
- Guy, 1/15/2014
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" a classic; well worth the read. "
- Christopher, 1/13/2014
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" I enjoyed this book very much. Even though I was mostly ignorant of this part of history, the author presented the material in a way that made it accessible and interesting. "
- Quincy, 1/8/2014
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" Beginning of book detailing the climate of Europe and the causes of the first world war was very interesting, but the last third of the book slowed down and bogged down with detail. "
- Paul, 1/6/2014
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" I didn't know much about WW1 before reading this book, but I feel I can now talk intelligently and condesendingly about it at dinner parties. It's a very dense book, it was a bit of a struggle to get through, but worth it in the end. "
- Kate, 1/5/2014
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" Fantastic book. The details of the onset of the great war woven by the author is just mind blowing. It reads like a novel and yet is historically accurate. "
- Sajal, 1/1/2014
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" One cannot forget the landscapes of war described in this masterpiece. "
- Arun, 12/26/2013
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" One of the best history books of all time. Narrative, fascinating telling of the start of World War I. Riveting! I loved it. "
- Melissa, 12/18/2013
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" I finally understand the beginnings of WW1 and why it resulted in trench warfare. "
- Dlchambers, 12/9/2013
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" Classic about the start of WWI. Covers mostly the war of movement at the beginning of the war before the stalemate resulted in trench warfare and the slaughter of attacks and counter attacks doomed to fail because of the antiquated tactics used. "
- Philippe, 12/6/2013
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" A must-read for anyone that wishes to understand the chain of events that lead up to the Great War. If I remember correctly, Tuchman also takes us through the first few months of the war to show the reader how Paris was nearly captured! "
- José, 11/16/2013
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" A great book. An interesting period of time in Europe and Tuchman writes about it and the pivotal characters (in a gossipy way) so well. I'd read it again. "
- Kendra, 11/15/2013
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" Had to read this for a high school class. Hard to get through but I did learn a lot about the planning for WWI. Information that has stayed with me many years. The concern about a two front war,the pincer movement to conquering France. How this warwasaprecursor to WWII. "
- Marilyn, 11/15/2013
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" A stunning & enthralling work of historical narrative. Tuchman is a master of letting events unfold, keeping the reader rapt with suspense even though the outcome may be known. "
- Mike, 11/15/2013
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" Very good. Great info delivered, not dry at all. "
- James, 11/3/2013
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" Truth is stranger than fiction! "
- Daniel, 10/31/2013
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" The writing style of this book is so exquisitely suspenseful and enveloping. This is another one of those I thoroughly enjoyed. WWI doesn't receive its just attention by many but Barbara brings out the best telling of a single month in history that changed the world. "
- Wesley, 10/24/2013
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" Gripping history of the first few months of World War I. The book ends as the lines are established for the trench warfare that will come to define the war. Since I didn't know much about World War I, I found the book to be incredibly interesting. "
- Nancy, 8/28/2013
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" Barbara Tuchman makes history read like a novel. "
- Dale, 6/4/2013
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" This book describes the lead up to and the beginning of WWI. "
- Eric, 3/26/2013
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" Best history book about WWI...indepth and detailed...puts a human touch to the war. "
- Harold, 1/30/2013
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" This is a brilliant book, telling the history of the first month of World War I. For any fan of history, this is a must-read. The numerous names do get confusing at times (thank goodness for the index), but this is no dry history text, it is a riveting story. "
- David, 1/16/2013
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" This is an excellent depiction of the beginning of World War I. It efficiently describes the build-up to the war, the first month of the conflict, and the eventual plunge into the great brutality of stationary trench warfare. "
- Jabbott, 1/3/2013
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" Fascinating read. Required if you're a history buff. "
- Steph, 9/23/2012
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" Quick read. Paints a picture of a war started from vanity and ego and prosecuted through vanity and incompetence. A lot of wars are like that, I suppose. "
- Scott, 8/30/2012
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" I enjoyed this book very much. Even though I was mostly ignorant of this part of history, the author presented the material in a way that made it accessible and interesting. "
- Quincy, 8/19/2012
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" Just terrific. Will plan to read it again soon. Currently reading several other of Tuchman's works. "
- Ross, 8/16/2012
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" First read in high school; listened in 2013. Barbara Tuchman was some kinda writer. "
- Michael, 6/10/2012
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" Three and a half really. Good, but melodramatic at times and still full of speculation. "
- Jeff, 4/26/2012
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" Highest compliments on the research and the writing. A big high five to Pulitzer prize winning Barbara Tuchman, who wrote a very readable, informative book about World War I that was never boring. A classic that will hopefully be around for future generations. "
- Stephanie, 2/4/2012
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" Not an easy read but keeps WW1 alive in memory "
- Eugene, 8/6/2011
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" Story of the start of WW1.
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- Mick, 6/24/2011
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" A good read, but a little too involved in troop movements. A little more detail about the actors would've been nice. But if you enjoy terms like "flank' and "cavalry", go for it.
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- Bill, 6/13/2011
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" i can't quite give this 5 stars because it was dense and made some assumptions of the ready at times. but it was still a great read.
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- Pippin, 6/7/2011
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" I'd read sections of this in high school, but not the entire thing. As I don't read military histories that much, I appreciated keeping the troop movements down to a minimum to focus on the people involved and their decision making processes.
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- Rachel, 6/3/2011
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" Gripping history of the first few months of World War I. The book ends as the lines are established for the trench warfare that will come to define the war. Since I didn't know much about World War I, I found the book to be incredibly interesting.
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- Nancy, 5/17/2011
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" The Guns of August was the first book about WWI that I have read and it probably will not be the last. It gave a lot of information about August of 1914 or the first month of WWI. It taught me plenty and though it wasn't the most enjoyable book I have ever read I would still recomend it.
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- Tstrubi, 5/13/2011
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" Barbara Tuchman reveals the stupidity of politicians and generals and how they can stumble a world in a devastating war. It sickens and saddens one to realize that, as Barbara Tuchman makes clear, World War I could have been avoided.
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- Kent, 5/4/2011
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" An awesome book that gives the lead up to and the first month of WWI. Dispells the common theory that the Germans were sole to blame
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- Paragoalie, 4/20/2011
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" One of the best history books of all time. Narrative, fascinating telling of the start of World War I. Riveting! I loved it.
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- Melissa, 3/24/2011
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