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The Guns of August
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 19 hrs and 9 mins
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Front Seat on History
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Publisher's summary
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.
Critic reviews
"More dramatic than fiction...a magnificent narrative - beautifully organized, elegantly phrased, skillfully paced...The product of painstaking and sophisticated research." (Chicago Tribune)
Featured Article: The 20 Best Military Audiobooks from History to Fiction and Beyond
The titles that fall under the designation of military audiobooks are more varied and diverse than you might think. From firsthand combat accounts to imaginative works of fiction, these listens cover a lot of ground on both domestic and international disputes, scientific and sociological analyses, male and female perspectives, lessons from victory and loss, and more. What they have in common, though, are themes of courage, loss, and determination.
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History As It Should Be
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By: Bruce Catton
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After Hitler
- The Last Ten Days of World War II in Europe
- By: Michael Jones
- Narrated by: Robert Ian Mackenzie
- Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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With the world at war, 10 days can feel like a lifetime.... On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler committed suicide in a bunker in Berlin. But victory over the Nazi regime was not celebrated in Western Europe until May 8 and in Russia a day later, on the ninth. Why did a peace agreement take so much time? How did this brutal, protracted conflict coalesce into its unlikely endgame? After Hitler shines a light on 10 fascinating days after that infamous suicide that changed the course of the 20th century.
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The slow end to World War II in Europe
- By Mike From Mesa on 04-10-16
By: Michael Jones
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Almost a Miracle
- The American Victory in the War of Independence
- By: John Ferling
- Narrated by: David Baker
- Length: 26 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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In this gripping chronicle of America's struggle for independence, award-winning historian John Ferling transports listeners to the grim realities of that war, capturing an eight-year conflict filled with heroism, suffering, cowardice, betrayal, and fierce dedication. As Ferling demonstrates, it was a war that America came much closer to losing than is now usually remembered. General George Washington put it best when he said that the American victory was "little short of a standing miracle."
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Dramatic Backstory of The War for Independence
- By Amazon Customer on 11-22-15
By: John Ferling
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The Boer War
- By: Martin Bossenbroek
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 19 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Boer War, winner of the Netherland's 2013 Libris History Prize and shortlisted for the 2013 AKO Literature Prize, the author brings a completely new perspective to this chapter of South African history, critically examining the involvement of the Netherlands in the war. Furthermore, unlike other accounts, Martin Bossenbroek explores the war primarily through the experiences of three men uniquely active during the bloody conflict.
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Interesting and engaging view of the War
- By Douglas on 04-17-18
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American General
- The Life and Times of William Tecumseh Sherman
- By: John S.D. Eisenhower
- Narrated by: Jack Garrett
- Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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From respected historian John S. D. Eisenhower comes a surprising portrait of William Tecumseh Sherman, the Civil War general whose path of destruction cut the Confederacy in two, broke the will of the Southern population, and earned him a place in history as "the first modern general". Yet behind his reputation as a fierce warrior was a sympathetic man of complex character. A century and a half after the Civil War, Sherman remains one of its most controversial figures...
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War is Hell?
- By Sandra on 03-27-15
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General George Washington
- A Military Life
- By: Edward G. Lengel
- Narrated by: Jack Garrett
- Length: 20 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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This comprehensive military biography of George Washington entertainingly examines Washington's capacity as a military leader. Acclaimed historian Edward G. Lengel, an associate editor of the University of Virginia's Papers of George Washington project, bases this engrossing work on the most extensive collection of Washington's personal correspondence.
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an embarassment of richs about the Revolution
- By D. Littman on 07-03-05
By: Edward G. Lengel
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The White War
- Life and Death on the Italian Front, 1915-1919
- By: Mark Thompson
- Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
- Length: 19 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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The Western Front dominates our memories of the First World War. Yet a million and half men died in northeast Italy in a war that need never have happened, when Italy declared war on the Habsburg Empire in May 1915. Led by General Luigi Cadorna, the most ruthless of all the Great War commanders, waves of Italian conscripts were sent charging up the limestone hills north of Trieste to be massacred by troops fighting to save their homelands.
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An indispensable contribution
- By Adeliese Baumann on 12-27-17
By: Mark Thompson
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American Caesar
- Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964
- By: William Manchester
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 31 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Virtually all Americans above a certain age hold strong opinions about Douglas MacArthur. They either worship him or despise him. Now, in this superb book, one of our most outstanding writers, after a meticulous three-year examination of the record, presents his startling insights about the man. The narrative is gripping, because the general's life was fascinating. It is moving, because he was a man of vision. It ends, finally, in tragedy, because his character, though majestic, was tragically flawed.
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A Great American
- By Charlotte A. Hu on 05-19-13
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A Mad Catastrophe
- The Outbreak of World War I and the Collapse of the Habsburg Empire
- By: Geoffrey Wawro
- Narrated by: Geoffrey Wawro
- Length: 13 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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The Austro-Hungarian army that marched east and south to confront the Russians and Serbs in the opening campaigns of World War I had a glorious past but a pitiful present. Speaking a mystifying array of languages and lugging outdated weapons, the Austrian troops were hopelessly unprepared for the industrialized warfare that would shortly consume Europe.
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Wawro's Diatribe Against A-H Military Leadership
- By shalte on 08-30-14
By: Geoffrey Wawro
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In the dark winter of 1917, as World War I was deadlocked, Britain knew that Europe could be saved only if the United States joined the war. But President Wilson remained unshakable in his neutrality. Then, with a single stroke, the tool to propel America into the war came into a quiet British office. One of countless messages intercepted by the crack team of British decoders, the Zimmermann telegram was a top-secret message from Berlin inviting Mexico to join Japan in an invasion of the United States.
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US entry to World War I
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The March of Folly
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In the dark winter of 1917, as World War I was deadlocked, Britain knew that Europe could be saved only if the United States joined the war. But President Wilson remained unshakable in his neutrality. Then, with a single stroke, the tool to propel America into the war came into a quiet British office. One of countless messages intercepted by the crack team of British decoders, the Zimmermann telegram was a top-secret message from Berlin inviting Mexico to join Japan in an invasion of the United States.
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The Civil War: A Narrative, Volume 1 begins one of the most remarkable works of history ever fashioned. All the great battles are here, of course, from Bull Run through Shiloh, the Seven Days Battles, and Antietam, but so are the smaller ones: Ball's Bluff, Fort Donelson, Pea Ridge, Island Ten, New Orleans, and Monitor versus Merrimac.
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OUTSTANDING! I'M PROUD TO BE A BLACK AMERICAN!!
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The First Salute
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A brilliant classic
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A gripping day-by-day account of the 1978 Camp David conference, when President Jimmy Carter persuaded Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian president Anwar Sadat to sign the first peace treaty in the modern Middle East, one which endures to this day.
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Lessons in Negotiation
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World War I altered the landscape of the modern world in every conceivable arena. Millions died; empires collapsed; new ideologies and political movements arose; poison gas, warplanes, tanks, submarines, and other technologies appeared. "Total war" emerged as a grim, mature reality. In The Great War, Peter Hart provides a masterful combat history of this global conflict.
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Horrible Listen
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Practicing History
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Master historian Barbara W. Tuchman looks at history in a unique way and draws lessons from what she sees. This accessible introduction to the subject of history offers striking insights into America's past and present, trenchant observations on the international scene, and thoughtful pieces on the historian's role. Here is a splendid body of work, the story of a lifetime spent "practicing history".
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Barbara Tuchman fan faced with reality
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It was to be the war to end all wars, and it began at 11:15 on the morning of June 28, 1914, in an outpost of the Austro-Hungarian Empire called Sarajevo. It would officially end nearly five years later. Unofficially, however, it has never ended: Many of the horrors we live with today are rooted in the First World War. The Great War left millions of civilians and soldiers maimed or dead. It also saw the creation of new technologies of destruction: tanks, planes, and submarines; machine guns and field artillery; poison gas and chemical warfare.
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Unbiased true facts of the first world war
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Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
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The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in 25 years than the Romans did in 400. In nearly every country the Mongols conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and a blossoming of civilization.
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Golden Horde/Platinum Listen
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The Western Front evokes images of mud-spattered men in waterlogged trenches, shielded from artillery blasts and machine-gun fire by a few feet of dirt. This iconic setting was the most critical arena of the Great War. In this epic narrative history, the first volume in a groundbreaking trilogy on the Great War, Nick Lloyd captures the horrific fighting on the Western Front beginning with the surprise German invasion of Belgium in August 1914 and taking us to the Armistice of November 1918.
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Incisive Overview
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The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
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Here in a single volume is the entire, unabridged recording of Gibbon's masterpiece. Beginning in the second century A.D. at the apex of the Pax Romana, Gibbon traces the arc of decline and complete destruction through the centuries across Europe and the Mediterranean. It is a thrilling and cautionary tale of splendor and ruin, of faith and hubris, and of civilization and barbarism. Follow along as Christianity overcomes paganism... before itself coming under intense pressure from Islam.
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Masterpiece - Best Audiobook I’ve Listened To
- By Student on 09-18-18
By: Edward Gibbon
What listeners say about The Guns of August
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- Mike From Mesa
- 10-28-08
Wonderful
Occasionally I come across a book that is so good that I don't know if I should keep listening or turn it off for fear of finishing too quickly. This book is one of those.
I think that Nadia May, who narrates this and other Barbara Tuchman books, does a wonderful job. Descriptions and events are clear and largely riveting. I have only 2 complaints. One is that not all of the French is translated into English and the other is that there are no maps. I had to get my John Keegan book on the First World War and look at the maps to understand exactly what was happening. However the first complaint is problably a lack in the original printed form of the book and the second is a drawback of narrated books in general. One would hope that given the new visual capabilities of todays devices the producers would find some way to include maps.
I gave this book 5 stars and think it is worth every one. In my view it is better than either of the other of her books (The Proud Tower and The Distant Mirror) that I have listended to. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the events leading up to the First World War.
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Overall
- Nostromo
- 06-06-08
A Great Book-One Of My Alltime Favorite Books
I first read this book years ago when I was teenager and found it be so fascinating and well written that it stimulated my interest in history (especially World War One) which I have maintained to this day. Although she went on to write several other excellent books , I believe that this was Barbara Tuchman's best book. This audiobook has reinforced my opinion. By listening to the audiobook, one really acquires a great understanding of just how August 1914 transformed the world. Up until that point, the old order (monarchs and aristocracy) held strong in Europe and Europe controlled the world. After 1914, things would never be the same. Although the war lasted until 1918, by the time it ended, nothing was left of the old order and it was really the personalities of the new order (Lloyd George, Clemenceau and Wilson) who brought about the peace. What makes the book great is the manner in which the author takes the historical figures of that time period (such as the Kaiser, Foch, Joffre, Churchill, French, Kitchner, Von Moltke, Poincare) and paints a very human portrait of all of them through short biography of their pre 1914 lives and how these pre war events shaped the decisions that they made during the first month of the war. The narration is quite good as the narrator does her best to put foreign accents on all of the French and German personalities (I actually think it might have worked better if a man had narrated the book- namely because all of the main characters were men-but Ms. May does a very good job). I also believe that listeners will enjoy the chapter that chronicles the flight of the German cruiser Goeben during the first month of the war. I would strongly recommend this audiobook to anyone who is interested in history and to anyone who has never been interested in the subject, because they found history to be boring when they studied it in school. It is very well done- a good recording
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- Sara
- 10-23-14
A Microscopic View
I agree with other reviewers that this is a difficult book to follow in the audio version. There are so many players, so much "he said-she said" and a definite need for a map to refer to constantly. I too would have liked to have been able to flip back several pages to refresh my mind many times during the reading. The narration was good overall. The detail of the research was intense. The book was overwhelming in spots.
That said, I love blow by blow accounts of history and that was exactly what this hairsplitter of a book was all about. What's more--my beloved British grandfather fought in the trenches and survived mustard gassing and the war. I listened because I wanted to understand his experience better. Heart pounding and terrifying. A must for history lovers--but maybe the print version or a kindle/audible link would be best so you can flip back and forth. Plus find a good map--you are going to need it!
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78 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Andrew
- 06-24-08
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.
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49 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Bryan
- 11-04-08
If Only All History Could Be Done Like This
You already know the outcome of the war, or you should unless you went to a public school in the US. The personalities and decisions made in the course of one month still affect us today. Having this come alive in this wonderful story gives everyone the opportunity to understand what kind of impact one person can have on the whole of world history.
We are treated to some of the most compelling history, not written for idiots but for thinking adults. Barbara Tuchman is certainly on her game, and this is a must hear for everyone.
The production is wonderful, the energy of the narration and the presentation in total make this a wonderful addition to your audiobook library.
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45 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Ali C
- 09-23-08
One of the Greatest history Books ever
If you want an exellent book about the political and military situation at the start the first world war, then there is no better opition. Even if you don't think you are interested in the first world war i guarantee you will enjoy this book and it will make you interested in the war. After reading it you will want to know more and more about the conflict. I personally had focused on WWII as my main focus, but this book was recommended to me and after reading it (i read it before i bought the audio book). I will probably read this book a half dozen time before in my life because there are unexplainable thing about the time period and and the way it is described in this book that makes me never want to forget it. The author maybe a little "baised" as other have said but this "baise" was devolped from a close studying of the facts. She doesn't just tell you what happened and what the generals decided, but rather throws her own well informed opinion into the matter as well. Not only does this help to give the reader/listener perspective on the matter, but it makes the story interesting and allows the reader figure out easily who is a genious and who is a fool.
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38 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Jack
- 10-24-08
Narrator very good
I enjoy Barbara Tuckman books and, for some reason put off reading this one. I decided to try the audiobook. Unlike one of the other reviewers, I thought the narrator was very good. She did the best possible job in my opinion. I do have to say however that I think this type of book with so many historical characters and events is better read than listened to.
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37 people found this helpful
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Overall
- P.M.J.
- 06-04-08
Everybody knew, and everybody was wrong.
As the world threw themselves into World War I, everybody was convinced that they could win the war in six weeks, or perhaps as much as six months. Everybody was certain that their own plans would be the one that won the day, and everybody was wrong.
Listen along as you see the end of the old world, the Victorian age of mankind, and are brought lurching into the modern twentieth century. Exceptional detail and insight into the events that literally reshaped the world for the rest of the century.
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33 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Steffen
- 06-20-08
Slightly outdated, single sided perspective
If you want a lengthy account of the month of August 1914 from an Anglo-Saxon point of view, this book is for you.
While a lot of sources are cited, this is more of a narrative than a scientific account. It tells a good, if somewhat one-sided story. In this sense, the book feels a bit outdated as the last years of thinking about WWI are not reflected. In language and content, it is still in the tradition of the WWII generation, meaning more anti-German in spirit, language and interpretation of events than recent historians. If you don't mind this and you want to be entertained by history in a detailed account, this is a good (audio-)book.
About the audio: The narrative is likeably and I feel the speaker matches the writers style. Unfortunately the pronunciation of French and German is poor and where foreign accents in English are emulated from supposedly native Russian, German and French speakers it becomes simply annoying. Somebody who obviously does not speak these languages simply cannot bring across the accents properly (especially to someone like myself who is not a native speaker of English). It would have been a much better – if more costly – choice to have these parts spoken by foreign (and male) speakers to contrast narrative and citation.
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32 people found this helpful
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- Andrew
- 10-17-14
Just Amazing
Any additional comments?
I went into this expecting a story about WWI what a got was a history of WWI, at least the beginning. What is amazing is that 99% of this info is not in the school history text books I studied. They seem to gloss over everything, make make is sound like nothing is caused by anything and it's a mysterious.
Tuchman really knows how to bring history to life and make it interesting.
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