The Guns of August

By: Barbara W. Tuchman

Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon

In this Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, historian Barbara Tuchman brings to life the people and events that led up to World War I. This was the last gasp of the Gilded Age, of Kings and Kaisers and Czars, of pointed or plumed hats, colored uniforms, and all the pomp and romance that went along with war. How quickly it all changed...and how horrible it became.

Tuchman masterfully portrays this transition from 19th to 20th Century, focusing on the turning point in the year 1914: the month leading up to the war and the first month of the war. With fine attention to detail, she reveals how and why the war started, and why it could have been stopped but wasn't, managing to make the story utterly suspenseful even when we already know the outcome.

©1990 Dr. Lester Tuchman (P)2005 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"More dramatic than fiction...a magnificent narrative - beautifully organized, elegantly phrased, skillfully paced...The product of painstaking and sophisticated research." (Chicago Tribune)

The definitive work

If you're a student of WWI you already know that this is the definitive work. There is no University History or Political Science Course that does not start with the opening paragraphs of Guns of August.

If you are NOT a student of the era and wish an introduction there is no better.

An enduring work that is of interest to both the scholar and novice.

Great book but missing something in audiob format

I have always wanted to read to Guns of August, based on how often Dan Carlin talked about it on his podcast, and also reading that JFK was a big fan and it contributed to his thinking and actions during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

As a book describing WW1 outbreak and the causes for it, I find it slightly not as thorough and engrossing. It is fantastically written (and read on audible) but I just didn't feel the details were there. As the main title describes though, the book is concentrated solely on the first month of the war, and for that it goes into great depth of detail and analysis on the actions of the commanders and different figures involved. It was more like a "play-by-play" of each commanders action (or inaction in John French's case) in the war, which I felt missed big part of its appeal on an audiobook form.

I still enjoyed the book and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone interested in WW1 but not in audiobook format (hence 3 stars). I found "The World Undone" to be a much much better and encompassing book, covering the outbreak and all phases of the war in a way that always highlighted the big picture (but then again, I read the physical in that case rather than listened to it on audible!)

Meticulously researched history of WWI

If you like your histories factual and documented, then Barbara Tuchman's "The Guns of August" is the book for you. Tuchman details the politics and the miltary planning that brought the world to the war to end all wars, and hundreds of thousands of young men to their deaths.

All the main players are covered: Germany, France, England, and Russia. The main catalyst of the war, the assassination of Austrian archduke Ferdinand by a Serbian nationalist, is only briefly mentioned, however a thorough explanation of how that event led all of Europe to take up arms follows. As the title states, this book covers only the first month of World War I, August of 1914 (although a few days in September are mentioned for continuity sake.) I was astonished to find out just how close Germany came to winning the war in that first month, if not for a few missteps and some luck on the Allies part.

All in all, a top notch history of the start to WWI. Barbara Tuchman won a Pulitzer Prize in 1962 for her extraordinary effort writing this novel. I chose this book because I didn't know very much about World War I, especially how it started, but this book surely changed that. I would bet that even the most avid history buff would acquire some additional knowledge from reading this novel. If you are interested in history, especially WWI, then I whole-heartedly recommend "The Guns of August" by Barbara W. Tuchman.

One of my 2 favorite authors

Great book. Highly recommend another of her books “A Distant Mirror” about the 14th century.

WW1 What folly

The Guns of August is a gripping recreation of the first month of WW1. How the world could spin out of control wasting a generation of young lives is a chilling tale. My only reservation is with the reader who chose to imitate French and German accents. As a native French speaker, I found this irritating. I am sure that a German speaker would feel likewise. Other than that the reader is excellent. I highly recommend this book.