C.S. Forester’s *African Queen *has already been mentioned. Another WW1 story of his is Brown on Resolution, dealing with a British seaman on a desolate island delaying a German cruiser’s repairs armed only with a rifle until British reinforcements reach the area.
Wilbur Smith’s Shout at the Devil has a similar background to *The African Queen *: amateurs fighting German naval forces in Africa.
The Ghosts of Africa by William Stevenson tells the story of German general von Lettow-Vorbeck who eluded a larger British force during the African campaign.
The Ravi Lancers by John Masters is a novel dealing with an Indian Princely State regiment volunteering for France in 1914 and serving in the trenches, with a British CO and the prince as 2 i/c.
The historical part of the Gallipolli campaign is well covered in Gallipolli by Robert Rhodes James.
The movie My Boy Jack starring Daniel Radcliffe tells the story of Rudyard Kipling’s son Jack, who served in the Irish Guards and was lost at Loos.
I’m not being facetious, but some of the early Biggles books by Capt. W E Johns capture the flavour of WW1 air combat rather well. Try “The Camels are coming” or “Biggles of 266 Squadron”
I’ll strongly second or third A Very Long Engagement and Regeneration if it’s fiction yer wantin’. If it’s non-fiction, The Guns of August does a good job of covering the first months of the war.
I’ll second the upthread recommendation of Derek Robinson’s Goshawk Squadron. Amazing book.
I recently read a translation of The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek. Darkly comic satire about a Czech man (Svejk) swept up by the war and the madness of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A very different-to-the-usual look at the war.
To End All Wars by Adam Hochschild (of King Leopold’s Ghost fame). A magnificent book focusing on those who opposed the war (and usually suffered greatly for doing so).
Paul Fussell’s The Great War and Modern Memory is a classic on the effect of the war on literature & language.
I just finished Hero, The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia by Michael Korda. I’d studied the man & the campaign before (reading *The Seven Pillars of Wisdom *at 12!) but learned a lot about him & his amazing life.
Ford Madox Ford’s Parade’s End tetralogy is about one man & his society, before, during & after WWI. It’s more than a war book but has been called one of the great ones. Although a four-volume critical edition has just come out, I’d recommend any of the one-volume editions for the first reading. (Coming to BBC/HBO later this year in 5 episodes, with a script by Tom Stoppard.)
Mystery writer Anne Perry wrote a 5-book series set in WW1. A total departure from her regular mystery books. The main characters are three adult children whose parents are killed just before the war begins. Their points of view of the war are that of working in the home office (brother), chaplain (brother) on front lines/trenches, and volunteer ambulance driver (sister).
The first one is titled, No Graves as Yet and is set in June 1914.
Awesome- thanks so far, folks. There’s a lot to check out here for sure!
I’ve not seen “Paths of Glory”, but I intend to now.
I’ve read the last book of the Regeneration trilogy years ago (my high school had it in their library and none of the others) and both read and seen All Quiet on the Western Front. I’ve been trying to get my hands on the whole trilogy without having to resort to Amazon for a while.
I had heard ofA Very Long Engagement but had no idea what it was about. Thanks a tonne for the recommendation- there’s one I definitely would have missed.
I know Paths of Glory is available in DVD because I have a copy. I suggest getting drunk afterward. Though it’s brilliant, it’s a real downer.
Come to think of it, the same advice and comments could be applied to almost any of these books or movies. WWI always seemed to me to have this kind of sick inevitability to it, that for some reason I don’t associate with WWII.
Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea by Robert Massie is a classic history of the naval war. I’d also recommend Dreadnought by the same author, which is a history of the pre-war naval race.
I finished reading, and listening to, To End All Wars a few weeks ago. Highly recommended; and the CD set is an excellent listen–well narrated, smooth and engaging prose.
I had known nothing about the brave folks in the WW1 anti-war movement who opposed the insane mass slaughter.
Michael Korda wrote the book about T E Lawrence that I recommended above. He’s the nephew of Alexander Korda, the British filmmaker. The elder Korda bought the rights to Revolt in the Desert, the abridged & expurgated version of Seven Pillars. He met with Lawrence, who urged him to not make the film while he lived. Korda agreed–he apparently liked to buy film rights as an investment, not always intending to make a film immediately. But he did convince Lawrence that he wanted to make an honest film, with no foolishness like an inserted romance. Leslie Howard was mentioned as the star–which sounds rather good. Lawrence died in 1935 but Korda never made the film, eventually selling the rights to Sam Spiegel. The epic that Spiegel produced was great in its own right, even if it took a few liberties…
Alexander Korda also bought rights to I, Claudius from Robert Graves. Filming began but the project stalled. Eventually, the rights went to the BBC for the great TV series. Although Robert Graves did not benefit directly, the show’s success increased interest in his books; money came to the Graves household. By that time, Graves was in decline from dementia; the money meant he always had good care. As his memory unraveled, he apparently went through a nightmarish period when he was reliving the Battle of the Somme, where he had nearly died so long ago.
The Book mentioned in #3 Verdun- The Price of Glory is also something you should not miss.
Also mentioned above, The Big Parade is a good movie. All Quiet On The Western Front is a classic.
I am a bit perplexed though in that you mention Wiki is a bit light on.There are literally thousands of books and movies about The Great war. I have a room full of them (as my wife constantly reminds me).
Also, there are so many aspects of the war and so many theatres. And that is without mentioning the combatants. Flying Fury gives a great insight into the early days of aerial combat. The First Blitz gives a lot more broader detail of the bombing war.
Castles of Steel has already been mentioned. There is also Jutland- the German perspective if you want to focus primarily on that angle.
If you want to read about a single soldiers adventures you could try Hells Bells and Madamoselles (out of print) by Maxwell (winner of the VC).
And a film I would recommend ahead of The Blue max would be The Dawn Patrol. Be careful- there are two versions about six years apart. Go for the one with David Niven and Errol Flynn.
May be able to help a bit more if you indicate some leaning- such as if you would prefer to read about the British Forces, the Navy, or whatever. There is a lot of stuff out there. Some is very good.