'Essential' academic reading

[CIGS]

I am a history student about to enter the final year of my degree. I am going to be doing a course on World War One, and need to compile an annotated bibliography. We have been provided with a reading list, but are also encouraged to read publications outside it, and so I come to you to ask your opinion on what books would be good choices. The only caveat is that they cannot be too mainstream, and need a certain level of academic credibility. I do not think you fine people would recommend me otherwise, but I could not cite 'The Frightful First World War', as much as I may love Horrible Histories! The course is called 'Global Perspectives' and will focus on what happened in each of the major belligerents as a consequence of the war, so if anybody knows of any titles skewed towards this aspect, it would be greatly appreciated, although I am willing to accept all suggestions (at the very least they will fuel my long standing interest in the conflict even if they are of no use to me in my course).

So, what publications would you recommend? Thank you for your help!

[paulgranger]

Not so much titles as authors, Gary Sheffield, Hew Strachan, John Bourne, Ian Beckett, and William Philpott are where I would start. Although their books are mainstream, they are based on rigorous academic research, and would lead you on to other sources of information.

[Gardenerbill]

For a modern balanced view of the western front Gary Sheffield's 'Forgotten Victory' is good book and I believe is a fully referenced academic work. My own area of interest is the Salonika Campaign the accepted authoritative book on the Balkans is 'The Gardeners of Salonika' by Alan Palmer, as well as describing the military campaing it gives details of the political machinations between the French, the British and the Greeks, and of course it all started in the Balkans!

[keithmroberts]

If you haven't tried it already, Peacemakers by Margaret Macmillan which is a substantial study of the making of the Versailles treaty.

It might also interest you to look at The Armistices of 1918 by Frederick Maurice. It's quite short and was written in the middle of WWII, it is not a heavyweight document, but I found it interesting.

Keith

EDIT Both the above are academic authors, although Maurice before becoming an academic historian was of course a Major General in the British Army until he broke ranks to have a go at Lloyd George.

[centurion]

A bit of an oldie but for the social impact of WW1 on Britain "The Deluge" Arthur Marwick - originally written for the Open University.

[centurion]

And for another part of the world

"The First World War in Africa" Hugh Strachan Oxford University Press.

[spof]

You might also find something useful from links in this thread http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=193659&hl=thesis#entry1895437

[CIGS]

Thank you all very much for the help - this has been really useful! Gary Sheffield and Hew Strachan are names I am familiar with, but not overly so; I will definitely seek out more of their work. Does anybody know if any of these titles are available as PDF documents anywhere? It may help if I cannot source the books in my library.

[keithmroberts]

I would doubt if any of these books are available electronically, but I would expect a university library to have most of them. (EDIT - one on Kindle)

Forgotten Victory by Gary Sheffield was first published in 2001 by Headline Books, ISBN 0747271577, the Gardeners of Salonica is still in print.

Peacemakers Six Months That Changed the World: The Paris Peace Conference of 1919 and Its Attempt to End War by Margaret Macmillan (1 Mar 2003 is available in Kindle format, but for a price that is dearer than many remainder bookshops charge for copies although it is also still available as a new book.

The Armistices of 1918 by Frederick Maurice OUP 1943, is long out of print, but good history libraries should have copies, you probably would not want to pay the current price for a used copy.

The Deluge: British Society and the First World War by Arthur Marwick is still in print, but used copies on Amazon start at 35p plus postage.

I have given full length titles here which might help you with the university catalogue.

Keith

[Dragon]

If you want a view on the impact of the Great War on a German city, I am reading The Great War and Urban Life in Germany: Freiburg, 1914-1918 (Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare) Roger Chickering, Cambridge University Pres, ISBN-10: 0521109779.

On the opposite site of the Rhine to the battles in the Vosges, Freiburg was within sight and hearing of the war zone and the book examines the ways in which the war affected aspects of life there, such as civilian life, city organisation and industrial work. The author is an American academic; he has written other books about the impact on Germany, but I haven't read them.

Are you able to read other languages? Possibly people will be able to suggest work in French and German.

Gwyn

[CIGS]

Hmm, I can just about get by with German, but I would not want to claim that I could read a text in the language - it would take me far too long and I just don't have the time unfortunately. Your recommendation may come in very handy though; halfway through the course we are assigned a warring country to focus on, and if I get Germany then this is certainly the kind of thing I will be looking at! Unfortunately I will not know which country I get until that point so I cannot tailor my reading now, which is very frustrating

I would doubt if any of these books are available electronically, but I would expect a university library to have most of them. (EDIT - one on Kindle)

Forgotten Victory by Gary Sheffield was first published in 2001 by Headline Books, ISBN 0747271577, the Gardeners of Salonica is still in print.

Peacemakers Six Months That Changed the World: The Paris Peace Conference of 1919 and Its Attempt to End War by Margaret Macmillan (1 Mar 2003 is available in Kindle format, but for a price that is dearer than many remainder bookshops charge for copies although it is also still available as a new book.

The Armistices of 1918 by Frederick Maurice OUP 1943, is long out of print, but good history libraries should have copies, you probably would not want to pay the current price for a used copy.

The Deluge: British Society and the First World War by Arthur Marwick is still in print, but used copies on Amazon start at 35p plus postage.

I have given full length titles here which might help you with the university catalogue.

Keith

That is very good of you, thanks. I will have a look through my library catalogue this lunchtime (thank heaven for on-line databases!)

[centurion]

Thank you all very much for the help - this has been really useful! Gary Sheffield and Hew Strachan are names I am familiar with, but not overly so; I will definitely seek out more of their work. Does anybody know if any of these titles are available as PDF documents anywhere? It may help if I cannot source the books in my library.

Some of Strachan's many works are available in electronic form but not for free.