A History of the First World War in 100 Objects. John Hughes-Wilson

[John_Hartley]

This book came as a Christmas present. It is not one I would have considered buying myself. And, having read it, I'm not really sure what I think of it. Or to whom it's intended to appeal.

 

It's an interesting concept. One hundred short chapters, two to four pages long. Each covering a different subject - some very specific, some much wider. Each illustrated with an object in the IWM's collection. For example, 1 July 1916, has one of Billie Nevill's footballs. The naval war in the Pacific and South Atlantic until March 1915, by a stuffed pig's head. Each chapter has a paragraph explaining the object. The pig, then alive of course, had escaped into the ocean from the sinking German ship, Dresden, but was rescued by a British sailor. The pig survived until 1919.

 

I suppose much depends on how much detail the reader wants from a subject. For example, the two pages on the postwar election was fine for me, topically illustrated by an election poster for Captain Albert Martin, the Liberal candidate for Romford. He won. On the other hand, the four pages on Haig's generalship (illustrated by a Toby jug) seemed to almost trivialise the subject.

 

 

[paulgranger]

There are two other books, by Gary Sheffield, and Peter Doyle, with the same concept. Interestingly, there is very little overlap between the three. Hughes-Wilson's is the best of them, I think.

[The Scorer]

Another similar book is "Antiques Roadshow: World War I in 100 Family Treasures" by Paul Atterbury of the Antiques Roadshow. .
Read more at https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1097209/antiques-roadshow-world-war-i-in-100-family-treasures/#8SlTfh0FUOzyAGvU.99 

 

I've got this one, and I thought that it is quite good. It includes a description of items owned by one of our Forum Pals, of course.