World War One: History in an Hour

By: Rupert Colley

Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble

Length: 1 hr and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

History for busy people. Listen to a concise history of World War One in just one hour. World War One brought with it the world’s first experience of Total War, involving all of the world’s great powers, polarized between the Triple Entente, led by Britain, France and Russia, and the Central Powers, dominated by Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary. Around nine million men lost their lives in a conflict that introduced the horrors of trench warfare, machine guns, and toxic gas attacks.

World War One: History In an Hour gives you a clear overview of the road to war, the major turning points and battles, and the key leaders involved, as well as the lasting impact the Great War had on almost every country in the world. World War One: History In an Hour is essential listening for all history lovers.

©2012 Rupert Colley (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"If the past is a foreign country, History in an Hour is like a high-class tour operator, offering delightfully enjoyable short breaks in the rich and diverse continent of our shared past" (Dominic Sandbrook)

"The practice of History is ever-evolving, and the History In An Hour idea brings it back up to date for the digital age." (Andrew Roberts, Bookseller)

"This is genius." (MacWorld.com)

Good summation

Short and concise summary. It is a good review of the main elements and events

Nice Concise Review

The salient points of interest discussed. The waste in human lives made clear. The expense would have gone a long way if employed in improving human lives.

Great Entry Into the Topic

Would you listen to World War One: History in an Hour again? Why?

I would. As a teacher of history, this is a great refresher AND I learned something new about the topic. It is logically put together and easy to listen to.

What other book might you compare World War One: History in an Hour to and why?

Both "Stalin" and "The Russian Revolution" by this author were really good.

A perfect WWI primer

It's Memorial Day weekend here in the USA and I wanted to refresh my understanding of the five years of war leading up to Armistice Day. Beautifully read and not at all controversial. Very well-produced and performed. And only an hour.

Excellent summary; short, well written & read

I have both Kindle and Audible versions, and this review is for both. This book is - obviously - a summary, not a detailed history. It is only 100 pages to cover the four years of the war, from the Archduke's assassination to the aftermath, so of course it does not go into great detail for WWI buffs. But if you, like me, have some knowledge but want a quick overview to tie it all together, this does that perfectly. I learned many things that I didn't know or was confused about. Author Rupert Colley - who has a long series of these History in One Hour books - does a very concise job. He is English and so, yes, he has an English/Allies point of view, though there are interesting tidbits from the German and Russian view sprinkled in. There's little time for more. The Kindle version has a photo every 2-4 pages, so maybe 2-3 dozen. Most are portraits, but there are also some of things like planes, ships or women in armament factories. (You can easily enlarge tiny Kindle photos with your fingers on most devices.) The Audible reader, English actor Jonathan Keeble, has done many of these and other audios. He has a very clear, easy to listen to and understand voice, with a mild English accent. He does just the right amount of voice drama (he's good with irony) and accents without being distracting or attention getting. The Audible book is 82 minutes, so more than an hour. I have since bought others in the series.

world war 1

This was an astounding expose of what actually took place in Europe. Short history, but right to the point.

Clear and Concise

I thought this a very clear and short version of the how and why of WW1. I am going on a pilgrimage this summer to various sites and this really helped me understand what went on and more importantly why.

history buff

I needed a brief yet thorough understanding of World war one and that's what I received. In the process of listening to it again and decide which details I'd like to research further. Great jumping off point.

Not bad

Of these I’ve listened to, this is the best. Doesn’t mean it’s particularly good, but listenable

The best overview of world war 1

In the time taken by this audio book, it couldn’t have covered the subject better. It gave the causes of the conflict, how the war went in different theatres, how the allies finally won and how the ground was prepared for the second world war.