A World Undone

The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918

By: G. J. Meyer

Narrated by: Robin Sachs

Length: 27 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Drawing on exhaustive research, this intimate account details how World War I reduced Europe’s mightiest empires to rubble, killed twenty million people, and cracked the foundations of our modern world

“Thundering, magnificent . . . [A World Undone] is a book of true greatness that prompts moments of sheer joy and pleasure. . . . It will earn generations of admirers.”—The Washington Times

On a summer day in 1914, a nineteen-year-old Serbian nationalist gunned down Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. While the world slumbered, monumental forces were shaken. In less than a month, a combination of ambition, deceit, fear, jealousy, missed opportunities, and miscalculation sent Austro-Hungarian troops marching into Serbia, German troops streaming toward Paris, and a vast Russian army into war, with England as its ally. As crowds cheered their armies on, no one could guess what lay ahead in the First World War: four long years of slaughter, physical and moral exhaustion, and the near collapse of a civilization that until 1914 had dominated the globe.

©2006 G. J. Meyer (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Meyer’s sketches of the British Cabinet, the Russian Empire, the aging Austro-Hungarian Empire . . . are lifelike and plausible. His account of the tragic folly of Gallipoli is masterful. . . . [A World Undone] has an instructive value that can scarcely be measured”—Los Angeles Times

“An original and very readable account of one of the most significant and often misunderstood events of the last century.”—Steve Gillon, resident historian, The History Channel

“Thundering, magnificent...this is a book of true greatness that prompts moments of sheer joy and pleasure. Researched to last possible dot...It will earn generations of admirers.”—Washington Times

Best book on WWI!

Best comprehensive history of the Great War that I have read. I highly recommend this book.

The best Historical account of WWI.

I have never read a more in-depth account of WWI than what was in this book. Love it highly recommend too any history buffs.

best world war 1 book ever

truly insightful a great narrator and a really good job of covering the first world war un biasfully from all angles

A great book!

Well worth the time to listen. I found myself rewinding and listening to certain parts over because they were so good! I will have to add this to my ever growing library at home and read it again!

Excellent Single Volume History of WWI

This is one of the finest historical books that I’ve ever listened to. I cannot say enough how excellent it is!

Best single volume history of WW I

Meyer’s writing is clear, crisp, and accessible to the lay— but informed— reader. Alternating action with background chapters on significant persons and places, the narrative never gets bogged down (no pun intended) in endless, seemingly repetitious battle scenes. His background chapter on Verdun is the best 15 minutes of Audible history listening ever.

Incredible breadth and depth on a war that changed the world

Trenchant details, none superfluous, neatly fit like puzzle pieces to produce a masterpiece. Best history of WW1 I’ve ever read.

Excellent

Excellent read. I especially appreciated how the author would step away from the chronology to provide helpful historical context. This really allowed the reader to appreciate events.

Amazing world war 1 history book

This was exactly what I was looking for. A well researched history book giving both detailed history of battles as well as human interest stories of the main participants. Includes first hand accounts to describe what it was like to live at the time as well as “background” sections that break up the linear narrative. The narrator has an appropriate tone and pace and kept me interested. I realized I didn’t know much about ww1 and this filled in my gaps in understanding this insane time in history. Highly recommend

very detailed account of www

I love how in depth and very thought out this book was. I remember reading the physical copy in basic training as we were only allowed military history books and this was by far the one thing I looked forward to reading every Sunday. it narrates really well and doesn't drown you out with names and places but tells things in such a way you can picture the entire war inside your head as the book progresses.