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The Guns of August

By: Barbara W. Tuchman
Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
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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.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

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

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What listeners say about The Guns of August

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An excellent, moving summary

Any additional comments?

The Guns of August does an excellent job of digging into not only the events of the First World War, but the train of events that led up to them. Commanders' decisions and perceptions, odd turns of fate, miscommunications, and chance encounters all spiral together into familiar battles.The author manages to create tension and anticipation of events whose outcomes are already known.

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Very good historical account. Very vivid

Masterful work that really makes it come alive and gives you the worts and all

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A must

Loved it! I will listen it again. Detail rich gives a profound analysis of the period preceding the declaration of war and shows how a war meant to be short ended up being fought for 4 years. I warmly recommend it to everyone interested in the period. I'm not sure that the lessons of the Great War were learnt, but we always must hope for the better.

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Excellent rendition but....

I really enjoyed this audio rendition of "Guns of August" my only complaint is that the narrator is very monotonous, and there were times throughout the reading, that I was finding it tough to pay attention due to slight boredom. Good book though overall.

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Fantastically told

A well narrated, detailed and extravagant tale of the opening of WWII, the Guns of August reminds us all of the pettiness of war and how diplomacy is always better than the battlefield.

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Exceptional guide to the origins of WW1

A thorough in-depth explanation of the beginning of World War I
Enjoy the narration and the pace of the book

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flawless

This is some of the best narration I've ever heard, I felt as if I was there at the time over a hundred years ago. Simply stunning

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Couldn’t be better

This is best and most descriptive account of the First World War I’ve ever come across and I have across many. Absent are excuses and white washing that many books fall victim to. In fact, there are no victims in this book. Only the players, their motivations and their decisions. It is incredible to discover that much of that we now live with today are the result of 30 days in August.

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Best audio book I’ve ever heard

Favorite audio book of all time. Have listened to it three times. Highly recommend it.

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An informative review of WWI

Listening to this book sharpened my knowledge of WWI. After watching the recent All Quiet on the Western Front on Netflix, I was inspired to listen to the classic by Barbara Tuchman. Highly recommend.

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