# Good popular history of World War I? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 7, 2014, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611 "2014-12-07T23:13:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/1 "2014-12-07T23:13:09Z")
Not “WW I for Dummies,” but a book that covers it pretty well while being accessible to the average reader. Suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/2 "2014-12-07T23:18:31Z")
Not WWI itself, but _Dreadnaught_ by Robert K. Massie is an excellent book that describes the circumstances that lead up to it, the arms raise, and personalities that fueled it. Something everyone interested in WWI needs to read, if only because it’s crucial to understand the causes. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/3 "2014-12-08T00:01:30Z")
You can always see what is selling at Amazon: [http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=world+war+i](http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=world+war+i) ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/4 "2014-12-08T00:51:47Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Not WWI itself, but _Dreadnaught_ by Robert K. Massie is an excellent book that describes the circumstances that lead up to it, the arms raise, and personalities that fueled it. Something everyone interested in WWI needs to read, if only because it’s crucial to understand the causes. This is a great book, and well worth reading, but you’ll need to pick up Massie’s next book _[Castles of Steel](http://www.amazon.com/Castles-Steel-Britain-Germany-Winning/dp/0345408780/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417999609&sr=8-1&keywords=castles+of+steel)_ to actually find out what happened at sea in World War One. I’d go with Hew Strachan’s _[The First World War](http://www.amazon.com/The-First-World-War-Strachan/dp/0143035185/ref=pd_cp_b_0)_ as the best one volume history for general reading. John Keegan’s _[The First World War](http://www.amazon.com/First-World-War-John-Keegan/dp/0375700455/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417999824&sr=8-1&keywords=john+keegan)_ is also very good as well. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/5 "2014-12-08T01:05:26Z")
I enjoyed [A World Undone](http://www.amazon.com/World-Undone-G-J-Meyer-ebook/dp/B000PDZFKM) by G.J. Meyer, but keep in mind that WWI is deeply complex from any perspective. The number of battles, generals, and heads of state involved is mind-boggling. You might like the recent [Hardcore History](http://www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-series/) podcasts on WWI. The WWI podcasts are collectively called Blueprint for Armageddon, and Dan Carlin does his usual excellent job. ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/6 "2014-12-08T01:19:43Z")
The BBC documentary series _The Great War_. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/7 "2014-12-08T01:37:34Z")
I’m reading the Oxford University Press’s [The First World War: A Very Short Introduction](http://www.amazon.com/The-First-World-War-Introduction/dp/0199205590/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8). Well, reading it in between other projects… It’s quite short & gives an overview of the whole conflict. Which went beyond the trenches on the Western Front. There’s a brief reading list at the end. Good for a real beginner. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/8 "2014-12-08T01:55:22Z")
My recommendation is _[A Short History of World War I](http://www.amazon.com/Short-History-World-War/dp/0688001297/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418003576)_ by James Stokesbury. I found that Stokesbury covered all of the significant aspects of the war in a clear and accessible way. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/9 "2014-12-08T02:00:21Z")
> [@Sefton](#): > > . . . You might like the recent [Hardcore History](http://www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-series/) podcasts on WWI. The WWI podcasts are collectively called Blueprint for Armageddon, and Dan Carlin does his usual excellent job. Agreed. I’d also say check out “The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century”, which is usually on youtube. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/10 "2014-12-08T03:37:30Z")
_The Guns of August_ by Barbara Tuchman is an excellent book on the very first month of the war. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/11 "2014-12-08T04:50:06Z")
Another vote for The World Undone. I came to the book as a newbie on the subject and I couldn’t imagine a more well-rounded introduction to the subject. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/12 "2014-12-08T10:00:37Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > _The Guns of August_ by Barbara Tuchman is an excellent book on the very first month of the war. This! ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/13 "2014-12-08T10:09:04Z")
Thirded. Tuchman is immensely readable. ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/14 "2014-12-08T11:30:30Z")
The thing about Tuchman, and I admit that World War I scholarship isn’t an area I’m all that well read in, is that it’s over 50 years old at this point. Surely our understanding of the war has improved and changed since that book was published. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/15 "2014-12-08T12:25:04Z")
_The First World War, A Complete History_, by Martin Gilbert. Along with his WWII chronicle, it’s pretty much just a retelling of events with little commentary, like a textbook. It’s pretty simple and dry, but it sounds like what you’re looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/16 "2014-12-08T12:27:47Z")
> [@cckerberos](#): > > The thing about Tuchman, and I admit that World War I scholarship isn’t an area I’m all that well read in, is that it’s over 50 years old at this point. Surely our understanding of the war has improved and changed since that book was published. Mostly, _The Guns of August_ just covers that brief period. I love Paul Fussell’s _The Great War & Modern Memory_ because it shows the impact of the Western Front on (mostly) English speaking culture. But it assumes you know the general history. I could keep on listing favorites–but they only describe different bits of the elephant. Somehow, the reader needs to see the beast whole–if not in detail. Then, one can specialize… ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/17 "2014-12-08T12:43:07Z")
> [@cckerberos](#): > > The thing about Tuchman, and I admit that World War I scholarship isn’t an area I’m all that well read in, is that it’s over 50 years old at this point. Surely our understanding of the war has improved and changed since that book was published. **The Sleepwalkers** by Clark covers the same topic, is more recent, and is something of a counter-point to Tuchman. His scholarship is probably better and certainly more up to date, though it isn’t as readable as Tuchman. (the two things are probably somewhat related, Clark really digs into what a complicated clusterfuck the pre-war diplomatic situation was, which makes for a more accurate but harder to follow narrative.) ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/18 "2014-12-08T13:18:25Z")
In Kansas City there’s an excellent museum focused solely on WWI: [the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial](https://theworldwar.org/). ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Prize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/19 "2014-12-08T14:06:21Z")
This [YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUcyEsEjhPEDf69RRVhRh4A) is following the war week by week 100 years later. ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/20 "2014-12-08T14:25:09Z")
Thanks for all the ideas. My brother and I both enjoy Civil War and WW II books, but we are branching out to the less-popular wars :rolleyes:. I’ve been reading about Korea and staring a WWI thing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611.md?page=2)