# 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:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/21 "2014-12-08T15:01:07Z")
> [@Sefton](#): > > 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. That’s the one that I came in here to suggest. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/22 "2014-12-08T15:02:39Z")
Another vote for Tuchman and Massie. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/23 "2014-12-08T15:03:39Z")
I came in to suggest Hardcore History. The only caveat on this is after combining all of the podcasts its a 16 hour long audio book…and counting ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/24 "2014-12-08T15:31:17Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > **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.) I was amused by Niall Ferguson’s bitchy comparison of the two of them - “The most readable account of the origins of the First World War since Barbara Tuchman’s _The Guns of August_. The difference is that _The Sleepwalkers_ is a lovingly researched work of the highest scholarship.” ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/25 "2014-12-08T16:22:56Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > _The Guns of August_ by Barbara Tuchman is an excellent book on the very first month of the war. The only trouble w/ the Guns of August is that, from a narrative perspective, it’s a bit of a teaser–it stops just when things are getting really interesting! Which is what led me to… > [@Nonsuch](#): > > 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. …this one, which I also heartily recommend. It focuses on the two major theatres (Western and Eastern fronts), with a little bit about Gallipoli and Italy here and there; this is basically a decision required to keep the thing manageable, and makes sense–the various other theatres in Africa, the Middle East, Asia were side-shows and had little, if any impact on the war. There are plenty of books on those if you want them. You may, after finishing this, want to go on to read a book about the sequel (WWII), or get into the treaty negotiations, for which I recommend _ **Paris 1919** _. ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/26 "2014-12-08T17:45:00Z")
> **[The First World War (Twentieth Century Wars, 11): Groot, Gerard De:...](https://www.amazon.com/First-World-Twentieth-Century-Wars/dp/0333745353)** > > The First World War (Twentieth Century Wars, 11) \[Groot, Gerard De\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. The First World War (Twentieth Century Wars, 11) This one is excellent. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/27 "2014-12-09T00:34:56Z")
_First World War_ by John Keegan ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611/28 "2014-12-09T03:36:43Z")
I would say the _second_ book you ought to read on the topic is [Cataclysm: The First World War as Political Tragedy](http://www.amazon.com/Cataclysm-First-World-Political-Tragedy/dp/0465081851) by **David Stevenson**. Not only does it go through the lead up to war, but answers the question “why did both sides continue it for so long, so pointlessly?”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-popular-history-of-world-war-i/706611.md?page=1)