The Guns of August

By: Barbara W. Tuchman

Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon

Length: 19 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

Fascinating telling of first month of WW 1

Clear and immensely interesting. Historians and laymen will find something of interest without any doubt

Reasons for the start of The Great War--and why it lasted so long

Seemingly painstaking research and careful examination of historical documents imparts to the listener the reasons for the start of this yet-another move by Germany to expand its territory. Mistakes made by the Germans during this month of August laid the ground for the prolonged battles that became known as World War I and paved the path to World War II.

To me the narration by Nadia May would be ever so much more acceptable had she not intoned accented English for quotations of German, French, Russian, and Belgian speakers. And any other non-English speaker from any country I may have omitted. I cringed with embarrassment and great discomfort during passages of so-called translated speech. There are numerous sections which sound as though Marlene Dietrich is speaking them while portraying some of her movie characters. With this in mind, the affectations in reading the quotations might conjure the pleasure of Dietrich and the old movie palaces were the words not such brutal, dismal, and forboding material.

Details made enjoyable!

What made the experience of listening to The Guns of August the most enjoyable?

Guns of August is extraordinarily researched and detailed. It amazed me how so much information could be written in such a way that it is more like a complex and well told story. Despite the minute details, this is probably the most impressive compendium explaining why the war that nobody wanted became the war that everyone fought.

Which character – as performed by Nadia May – was your favorite?

Nadia May did a wonderful job of presenting this work audibly.

So many names, so much geography

Audiobook may not be the best way to read this book because there are so many names, and so many places, that you really want to have easy access to a map. Other than that, it's a fascinating exploration of the utter ineptitude of all the leadership of the armies in the first weeks of WWI. One comes away with the feeling that so much life was lost largely because of utterly blinkered Generals and Field Marshals sticking to plans that were irrelevant and untenable. And, when things didn't go their way, they blamed the underlings who they had sent out as cannon fodder. Proof that war and the men who wage it are ridiculous.

Essential to understanding the start of WWI

This book has been on my "to read" list for many years and I wish I would have read it earlier. It is an essential work to understanding WWI, and in particular the opening moves by all belligerents that led to the following 4 years of bloodshed.

Even more important, however, is how the book illustrates the massive egos and ambitions of the elites in society that ultimately led millions to their ultimate demise. For this alone, the book is a "must read", so that we may go into the future better armed with the knowledge of the potential weaknesses of the ruling classes.

The author did a fantastic job of piecing together the myriad facets of the start of WWI. She did so in a well paced and interesting manner. This is something that not many could have done with such apparent ease. The narrator, did a superb job in reading the story, but i felt she could have picked up the pace slightly so as to work through the massive story more quickly. This, however, is minor criticism.

I can highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in WWI or an interest in how the nature of the ruling elites can lead to disaster.