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The Guns of August
The Guns of August
Oct 30, 2024 3:17 PM

Author:Barbara Tuchman

The Guns of August

Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August is a spellbinding history of the fateful first month when Britain went to war.

War pressed against every frontier. Suddenly dismayed, governments struggled and twisted to fend it off. It was no use . . .

Barbara Tuchman's universally acclaimed, Pulitzer prize-winning account of how the first thirty days of battle determined the course of the First World War is to this day revered as the classic account of the conflict's opening. From the precipitous plunge into war and the brutal and bloody battles of August 1914, Tuchman shows how events were propelled by a horrific logic which swept all sides up in its unstoppable momentum.

'Dazzling' Max Hastings

'Magnificent' Guardian

'Fascinating, splendid, glittering. One of the finest works of history' New York Times

'A brilliant achievement' Sunday Telegraph

Reviews

Dazzling

—— Max Hastings

Magnificent. A masterpiece of the historian's art

—— Guardian

A brilliant achievement

—— Sunday Telegraph

Excellent

—— Wall Street Journal

A brilliant piece of military history. A writer with an impeccable sense of telling detail, Tuchman is able to evoke both the enormous pattern of tragedy and the minutiae which make it human

—— Newsweek

An insightful and aptly acerbic account of the lead-up to the unnecessary loss of America … The book is especially good on the commercial imperatives that draw both sides to desperation: on the private greed and the arbitrary interferences that persuaded reasonable men to risk their lives

—— Geoffrey Robertson, QC

A nuanced global analysis of Britain’s failure to hold onto its American colonies… Riveting… With a sharp eye for economic realities, Bunker persuasively demonstrates why the American Revolution had to happen

—— Publishers Weekly

A scholarly yet page-turning, superbly written history.

—— Kirkus

Bunker’s narrative is human and even-handed; and from the Boston harbourside to the salons of London, a complex and epic tale is told with colour and enthusiasm. It should even go down well in Boston

—— Sinclair McKay, 4 stars , Sunday Telegraph

Bunker relates the complex story of the Boston Tea Party with zest and almost intimidating thoroughness

—— David Goodall , Tablet

This is a compelling read that explains British decision-making with skill and insight. Highly recommended

—— Andrew Lambert , BBC History Magazine

Shows how a lethal blend of politics and personalities led to the American Revolution

—— Choice Magazine

Bunker has done a wonderful job describing the tragedy of errors that led to a bitter and costly war

—— Good Book Guide

A distinguished and refreshing contribution to the secondary literature on the American Revolution

—— Andrew J O’Shaughnessy , Literary Review

[It is] brilliantly written and meticulously researched.

—— Simon Shaw , Mail on Sunday

A vigorous book, full of energy as well as insight

—— Jeremy Black
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