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)

Hasn't Aged in 40 Years

There's a reason this book was considered a living classic when it was published in the 60's and has remained a classic continuously to this day. It is impeccable and quite possibly one of the more perfect books I've ever read. Here we have an unbiased examination of all the people and events that planned for and lead to the start of WWI, the Great War. The first section of the book discusses each influence and who participated and how it affected the overall readiness. It's a wonderfully precise description of an intricate fuse.

Then, a third of the way through the book, Franz Ferdinand dies, and the world is thrust into war. Now we have as precise, as finely tuned a description of the fuse burning and the ultimate explosion. She looked at every aspect of who declared war, what the debate was like, and how they did it. Then she turns her attention again, this time to the fighting, and writes a perfectly paced and description war history, examining all the movements of the first 30 days of combat. At the end, she looks at the world is devastating and analyzes the outcomes in perfectly cogent and arresting prose. It's an amazing accomplishment. If I had a criticism, it is that she spends no time looking at the lighting of the fuse, the assassination of Ferdinand. But she did this because the world was going to go to war, it was just looking for a reason.

This is a great book. Buy it.

Last Stand of the Old World

If you're only going to read one book on Military history, this is a good choice. Guns of August covers the build up to WWI and the first several months of combat. Despite the complexity of it all, Tuchman does a fantastic job keeping everything straight. From the social and political attitudes across Europe to the German and French military plans, you couldn't ask for a clearer history that retains its depth.

That said, I'd really recommend reading this as opposed to listening to the audiobook. Like many Blackstone narrators, Nadia May does a fine job, but this is still a fairly complex book and unless you're really paying attention it can be easy to get lost in the details. In either event, this is still very recommended. Enjoy!

must read... I just wish there was more about the

war itself. but insofar as how the mother scratching thing got started in the first place....this is THE book

Great Narrative of the first month of WW1

Note this book only covers the first month of the war - albeit in great detail. The details are abundant and factual but still capture the passion and romance of those involved with the first bit of the great war. It's very captivating.

Narrator does a great job. She plays very minor accents (French Russian and German) which helps understand who is talking. I didn't find it off putting.

A great story!

Ingenious Writer; Phenomenal Narrator

Would you listen to The Guns of August again? Why?

Ms. Tuchman's insights, scholarship, and incisive turns of phrase are perfectly (PERFECTLY) matched and complemented with Ms. May's energetic and engaging narration. The text is alive with the writer's interpretive skills (and wit), and it is put on vivid display with the narrator's profound gifts (and enthusiasm).

Since listening to this book, I have either bought or plan to buy every one of their "team-ups" and most things they've done separately.

Excellent history book. Narration unfortunate

Would you consider the audio edition of The Guns of August to be better than the print version?

No

What other book might you compare The Guns of August to and why?

Tuchman's A Distant Mirror

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It required undivided attention but worth it. Relistening to parts required. Huge cast of characters with complex history.

Any additional comments?

The narration was bad. The narrator has a British accent. Trying to act out quotations, especially with a French accent (in English or Frsnch by a French speaker) were grating. Her narration style, starting in high registers and swooping down is distracting. Almost all characters are male and the common reverse falsetto - trying to sound male by forced lowering pitch - as usual a bad idea. I might have to get the print version. This is just taking too long. It's a great book and deserved a more serious less histrionic narration.

Great read

Great book. Listeners will benefit from a basic knowledge of WW1 and a map.

How it all began

Timeless account of the first weeks of the Great War. Well written with easy to follow story. Accents are a bit odd, yet also funny.

Excellent

A pleasure to listen to and very informative. There is a lot packed into that first month of the war.

An excellent introduction

If you could sum up The Guns of August in three words, what would they be?

A classic history

What did you like best about this story?

The myth busting about the BEF and the dreadful leadership of their commander Field Marshall French.

Would you be willing to try another one of Nadia May’s performances?

No!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The March of Folly

Any additional comments?

The narrator has a shrill almost migraine inducing voice that gets worse whenever she attempts to put on ludicrous accents for French, Russians, Germans etc. Her voice grates on the nerves making it difficult to listen for anything but short periods of time. I recommend Tylenol or Ibuprofen be take with this otherwise excellent book.