Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding
Review: This is the first volume of what will be the standard history of WWI. The depth and breadth of scholarship is tremendous. Strachan has mastered the extensive literature in English, German, and French supplemented by appropriate reading of work in other languages. Strachan's essential point is to demonstrate that WWI was indeed a world war involving virtually the whole globe. His perspective is the result of a determined effort to avoid the excessive concentration on the Western Front found in most of the English language and French literature. In this volume, for example, Strachan devotes considerable effort to describing and analyzing the war in sub-saharan Africa. The topic is treated usually as a minor sideshow. Strachan makes the essential point that the labor demands of these campaigns were enormous and affected a large percentage of the population of Africa, justifying easily his extensive treatment of this topic. The book is organized into a hybrid chronological/thematic scheme. Chronological presentation of the prologue to the war and the events of 1914 in Western and Eastern Europe is alternated with thematic presentation of topics like the war in the North Sea, financing of the war, and industrial mobilization for war. The method of organization works well. Strachan is a good writer and this thick book proceeds smoothly. I agree with other reviewers that the maps are inadequate. I wish also that the bibliography was annotated. Regardless, this book is and its successors will be remarkable works of scholarship.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: This is the first volume of what will be the standard history of WWI. The depth and breadth of scholarship is tremendous. Strachan has mastered the extensive literature in English, German, and French supplemented by appropriate reading of work in other languages. Strachan's essential point is to demonstrate that WWI was indeed a world war involving virtually the whole globe. His perspective is the result of a determined effort to avoid the excessive concentration on the Western Front found in most of the English language and French literature. In this volume, for example, Strachan devotes considerable effort to describing and analyzing the war in sub-saharan Africa. The topic is treated usually as a minor sideshow. Strachan makes the essential point that the labor demands of these campaigns were enormous and affected a large percentage of the population of Africa, justifying easily his extensive treatment of this topic. The book is organized into a hybrid chronological/thematic scheme. Chronological presentation of the prologue to the war and the events of 1914 in Western and Eastern Europe is alternated with thematic presentation of topics like the war in the North Sea, financing of the war, and industrial mobilization for war. The method of organization works well. Strachan is a good writer and this thick book proceeds smoothly. I agree with other reviewers that the maps are inadequate. I wish also that the bibliography was annotated. Regardless, this book is and its successors will be remarkable works of scholarship.
Rating: 
Summary: Great text, lousy graphics
Review: Yes, this is THE history of WW1. I have no complaints about the text.However, it is seriously flawed because of its third-rate maps. There ARE maps, but they only show cities, towns, borders, railroads, and rivers. There are no symbols for armies, no arrows showing movements, not even little crossed-sword symbols to show battle sites. And some of the locations mentioned in the text are not shown on the maps, so at times you are really left clueless. And, no photos. 1200 pages of text and no pictures!!!! There are solutions. For maps, Arthur Banks' Military Atlas of the First World War is an essential companion to this book. For photos, there are several illustrated histories of WW1 (including one by Strachan)....
Rating:
Summary: Great text, lousy graphics
Review: Yes, this is THE history of WW1. I have no complaints about the text. However, it is seriously flawed because of its third-rate maps. There ARE maps, but they only show cities, towns, borders, railroads, and rivers. There are no symbols for armies, no arrows showing movements, not even little crossed-sword symbols to show battle sites. And some of the locations mentioned in the text are not shown on the maps, so at times you are really left clueless. And, no photos. 1200 pages of text and no pictures!!!! There are solutions. For maps, Arthur Banks' Military Atlas of the First World War is an essential companion to this book. For photos, there are several illustrated histories of WW1 (including one by Strachan)....
| 
