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The Guns of August

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The Guns of August

By: Barbara W. Tuchman
Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
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About this listen

 In this Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, historian Barbara Tuchman brings to life the people and events that led up to World War I. This was the last gasp of the Gilded Age, of Kings and Kaisers and Czars, of pointed or plumed hats, colored uniforms, and all the pomp and romance that went along with war. How quickly it all changed...and how horrible it became.

Tuchman masterfully portrays this transition from 19th to 20th Century, focusing on the turning point in the year 1914: the month leading up to the war and the first month of the war. With fine attention to detail, she reveals how and why the war started, and why it could have been stopped but wasn't, managing to make the story utterly suspenseful even when we already know the outcome.

©1990 Dr. Lester Tuchman (P)2005 Blackstone Audio, Inc. 20th Century Military Modern World War Imperialism Royalty King Interwar Period

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Critic reviews

"More dramatic than fiction...a magnificent narrative - beautifully organized, elegantly phrased, skillfully paced...The product of painstaking and sophisticated research." (Chicago Tribune)
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Well written and narrated of the prelude to and first stages of the First World War.

Excellent historical analysis

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I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get lost in the middle with all the names, but I found it an interesting book and enjoyed ze accents.

Very Interesting

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It was one of the best books I ever read, when I "discovered"it in my teenage years. I knew very little about the beginning of the WWI, that time and it was great lesson of history, provided in excellent way.
Forty years passed and - as I became the big fan of history - I have read dozens of books about the subject and visited many museums and battlefields during that time.

Nevertheless, when I found this book as audiobook, I was really excited and I was looking forward to my second meeting with it.
Unfortunately, it was disappointment and I haven't managed to finish it. This book was written more than 60 years ago (1962) and does not age well. It is still well written however it does not stand (my) test of time for a good and comprehensive source of information.

I still recommend Ms Tuchman's book, if your knowledge of history is quite superficial and you would like to read something good about the history of early 20th century, However if you are a fan of history and looking for facts, analyses and details, there are many better books, form a different authors.

Last but not least: the narrator doesn't make the things better, as some stronger voice would be better suited to the content of "The Guns of August"

Classic, but not so good as before

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A really important and interesting book that shows what a waste of life the First World War was . I would definitely recommend it for anyone interested in history

A very interesting and informative book

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Great book, but could benefit from a pdf appendix with maps and names of political/military figures

Great book, but could benefit from a pdf appendix with maps and names of political/military figures

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This is a classic. Beautifully read. I just wish it had been longer! Perhaps the whole of 2914.

Thorough analysis well delivered

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The narrative going into the First World War was told clearly and it helped understanding

The clarity of the outline

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This book considers the events of 1914 which led the various fractions within Europe to believe they had no alternative to war. In addition ‘The Guns of August’ continues past the causes of the war and continues to assess the various initial battles which had commenced in the West and the East and the various winners and losers.

I found this book to be very easy to read and comprehend, some history books can be very dry and analytical. However within ‘The Guns of August” I found myself becoming quickly caught up in all the action and events. The writer uses a lot of detail about the events and the various protagonists which paints a vivid picture of their various appearances and characteristics. I found this extra details enabled me to be able to picture the events taking place over a hundred years ago and to feel present within the moment.

A must read for anyone with an interest in history and World War One.

A comprehensive and compelling introduction to WW1

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Very enjoyable. If you can call industrial slaughter enjoyable, of course. A good work of history.

The narration.

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I enjoyed the author’s dry sense of humour and the way it was brought out in the reading.

Quality of the reading

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