Alan Tucker Posted 31 December , 2012 Share Posted 31 December , 2012 1. Jeremy Paxman - 'day to day experience of being British during the FWW' 2. Book on causes by Margaret MacMillan (only historian in her family) 3. Early months of the war. Max Hastings 4. Anthology of poems. Carol Ann Duffy 5. How doctors coped 6.Role of the RN 7.Creation of the IWGC 8.Role of Eton old boys in the War Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Baker Posted 31 December , 2012 Share Posted 31 December , 2012 Yawn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanCurragh Posted 31 December , 2012 Share Posted 31 December , 2012 The Eton one is by Alexandra Churchill, who I think is a member here. That should certainly be worth looking out for. Max Hastings is always good, in my opinion, but he does spread himself around a lot. Paxman's sounds very dubious. Hasn't the IWGC been covered in "The Unending Vigil"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bardess Posted 31 December , 2012 Share Posted 31 December , 2012 What is the point of your post Chris??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger H Posted 31 December , 2012 Share Posted 31 December , 2012 Yes, I am not sure about the yawn. Is it relating to the subject matter of the books, the post or what? Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonraker Posted 31 December , 2012 Share Posted 31 December , 2012 There do seem some familiar themes there, and I wonder how Jeremy Paxman has the time to do enough quality research to write a book. Causes, anthologies of poems and the first months are surely well-worn themes. Numbers 5, 7 and 8 do seem more original. Moonraker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 31 December , 2012 Share Posted 31 December , 2012 I'm afraid I don't know who the MacMillan lady is so can't comment on her product. 5, 6 and 7 depend on the author, I imagine, and I have given up buying anything by Max Hastings, whose writing style really grates. I'm sure the world is awaiting yet another anthology of GW poetry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Baker Posted 31 December , 2012 Share Posted 31 December , 2012 My yawn was an expression of emotion at the tedium of the list of books. There are huge areas of the Great War that have yet to receive much or even any decent coverage in terms of published work, but hey, why not go over ground that has been repeatedly covered before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest exuser1 Posted 31 December , 2012 Share Posted 31 December , 2012 Publishers and the buying public that's the issue , a mate of mine has had over 20 books published on the Napoleonic Wars , whilst discussing his new project with his publisher the comment was made that any book on the Zulu War has a good chance of making it in to print ? The reason being that when ever a census is taken as to what book would you buy almost always at the top is ,Zulu War ! Good news if your name is Ian Knight ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger H Posted 31 December , 2012 Share Posted 31 December , 2012 Thanks for the clarification Chris. I was genuinely unsure. And you are probably right. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted 31 December , 2012 Share Posted 31 December , 2012 I am inclined to agree. There are a number of areas I want:- Sue Light's definitive book on nursing in the Great War Reliable publications on the war in Italy and Salonika. THE book on the Eastern Front Etc Etc But then, I would also like a really good book on the little studied War or 1812 (I enjoyed the war at sea in the book by Teddy Roosevelt) I suppose I ought to stop making such a list, lest someone replies something along the lines of "Don't just sit there....write it!" Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger H Posted 31 December , 2012 Share Posted 31 December , 2012 Sue Light's definitive book on nursing in the Great War Bruce Yes please! Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonharley Posted 31 December , 2012 Share Posted 31 December , 2012 Given that the tag for this topic refers to the Sunday Times, where in it does this list of books appear? I've looked through my copy & can't find it. Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger H Posted 31 December , 2012 Share Posted 31 December , 2012 It doesn't. I think it is a list of books that Bruce would like to see written. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Tucker Posted 31 December , 2012 Author Share Posted 31 December , 2012 I'm afraid I don't know who the MacMillan lady is so can't comment on her product. 5, 6 and 7 depend on the author, I imagine, and I have given up buying anything by Max Hastings, whose writing style really grates. I'm sure the world is awaiting yet another anthology of GW poetry. MacMillan wrote a very good book on Versailles but is unfortunately related to Dan Snow!!! Given that the tag for this topic refers to the Sunday Times, where in it does this list of books appear? I've looked through my copy & can't find it. Simon Main paper with a page of cultural projections for 2013. Page 14 bottom right for those who cannot read! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted 31 December , 2012 Share Posted 31 December , 2012 Ouch! Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Bennitt Posted 31 December , 2012 Share Posted 31 December , 2012 But then, I would also like a really good book on the little studied War or 1812 (I enjoyed the war at sea in the book by Teddy Roosevelt) Bruce Off topic I know but if this subject interests you further Bruce I can recommend Ian Toll's 'Six Frigates' http://ianwtoll.com/six-frigates cheers Martin B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted 31 December , 2012 Share Posted 31 December , 2012 Thanks, Martin....just bought a copy for 1p. Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 31 December , 2012 Share Posted 31 December , 2012 MacMillan wrote a very good book on Versailles but is unfortunately related to Dan Snow!!! Shall we have a whip-round for a "Deepest Sympathy" card? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Hastings Posted 31 December , 2012 Share Posted 31 December , 2012 Sounds like Max Hastings has a string of WW1 books planned then if he's just focusing on the early months (for now), just like he has for WW2. Luckily I like his writing style so. I just hope Dan Snow hasn't the same idea in mind ... with accompanying DVDs, T-shirts, etc ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rose of picardy Posted 31 December , 2012 Share Posted 31 December , 2012 (edited) Since you mentioned the War of 1812...... I know-off topic-I will return to ranks... Still, you must admit that is pretty awesome.... Edited 31 December , 2012 by rose of picardy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted 31 December , 2012 Share Posted 31 December , 2012 I appreciated it......so please remain a second looie! (Is that how you ex-colonials say second leftenant?) Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonharley Posted 1 January , 2013 Share Posted 1 January , 2013 Main paper with a page of cultural projections for 2013. Page 14 bottom right for those who cannot read! I was looking in the Arts and Books section of the News Review, where one would expect such fluff to appear. Gee, a book about the role of the Royal Navy? That's never been done before. Not. It'll probably be cr*p judging by the majority of those writing Naval History at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petroc Posted 11 January , 2013 Share Posted 11 January , 2013 My yawn was an expression of emotion at the tedium of the list of books. There are huge areas of the Great War that have yet to receive much or even any decent coverage in terms of published work, but hey, why not go over ground that has been repeatedly covered before? Quite true, Chris....but with regards to 'ground covered before' (love the analogy, by the way!) why not? An awful lot of decent stuff and, let's be honest, drivel, has been published within the last twenty or so years about, say, the 1916 Somme offensive, but are you suggesting that discussion of such should cease in written form simply because the subject has been covered before? History, as a discipline itself, is not simply about recording and observing facts, but also about analysing and interpreting them; interpretations and viewpoints change with time and with the availability of sources and information, so it is quite right to accept (even grudgingly) a work that is flawed or inaccurate, even if it stands only to provoke one's own or group's correctives. I can personally think of at least one writer, still publishing, whom I would challenge on style, articulation and interpretation, and who's work I hold in pretty low regard as a consequence; but I would not deny him the right to publish his views and I even own some of his tomes, all of which focus on campaigns and aspects of the Western Front that have been covered in depth elsewhere. Regards, Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perth Digger Posted 12 January , 2013 Share Posted 12 January , 2013 If a continuing focus on the Western Front means just more of what Lord Flasheart called 'the blood, the noise, the endless poetry', then I'd agree that the subject has been done to death. But there are still plenty of topics on the Western Front still to be done and, as Andy says, interpretations change too. (IMO, any work that fails to mention the poets and the poetry should get an immediate star.) Nevertheless, it's incumbent on the government and its advisory committees to ensure that all regions where the war was fought should be given proper consideration, as should all allied combatants. Nor should the fact that two of your EU partners were the enemy be swept under the carpet. Look what happened with the bicentennial of Trafalgar. Quite a farce. How to test whether the programme has worked? Do a survey in 2019 and if 20% know that we won the war, and half the newspaper editors know that there weren't a million dead Britons on the Somme, that would be a start. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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