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ejfree t1_iy8t4tz wrote

"The Guns of August" bu Barbara Tuchman is the seminal work on the start of the First World War. It covers such a short amount of calendar time, basically 1 month, but it goes into exhaustive detail on the communications & secret alliances that caused the event.

Any history course would always start with that work.

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ejfree t1_iy8uu90 wrote

Now after that, while it isnt a book, if you want a well told narrative on WW1 then look for Dan Carlin's Hardcore History series "Blueprint for Armageddon". It does a masterful job of telling the WW1 story.

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addy-Bee t1_iy8yhp8 wrote

I don't think tha'ts really true any more. The Guns of August is nearly 60 years old at this point. WW1 Scholarship has come a long way since then.

The thing about the Guns of August, though, is that it's just a * pleasure* to read. It's such a rare feat to find good history books that are actually enjoyable page-turners, and The Guns of August is definitely that.

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