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The First World War, by John Keegan
New York: Vintage/Random House, 2000. Pp. xvi, 475. . Illus, maps, notes, biblio., index. $16.00 paper. ISBN:0-375-70045-5.
The paperback edition of Keegan�s 1998 best seller, The First World War is a solid introduction to the events of 1914-1918, set within their diplomatic, political, and social framework, as well as with appropriate attention to military and technological matters, not to mention a number of excellent word-portraits of some of the notables of the day and a surprising amount of material from the common soldiers� perspective.
Granted, some specialists will undoubtedly quibble about various matters. For example, Keegan has certainly not done his homework about the scale of the Anglo-French contribution to the Italian victories in 1918, and he perhaps passes over the American role a mite too quickly. However it�s a big story, and one not easily confined within the covers a single volume.
There�s quite a lot here which should not be missed, including a very insightful exploration of the political and diplomatic events that ensued between the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and the actual outbreak of the war.
Reviewer: A. A. Nofi
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