Of course the writing is amazing but this edition is a wonderful possession. The book I bought (library binding) is great! Book is built like a tank, great binding, good paper, and an attractive cover and spine design. If you are gifting this book this is your edition, a really beautiful job by the book manufacturer to complement what is no doubt a truly remarkable book of the 21st century!

I had lost my copy of this book in an airport on a recent trip. I wanted another to finish reading and to keep for future reference. This book is a classic, along with The Proud Tower. I was glad to get it at a reduced price and via such prompt service.

In a song Bob Dylan wrote "The First World War it came and it went. The reason for fighting I never did get." I like Dylan, never understood how WWI grew out of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand; then I read The Guns of August. This book is the story of the incredible stupidity, miscalculations, ignorance, and arrogance, that lead to the death of twenty million people, by the rulers and politicians of Europe. In effect it tells how you get from the assassination of one man in Sarajevo to everyone in Europe killing each other, in little more than a month. War may be to important to leave to the generals, but peace seems to suffer at the hands of politicians. Barbra Tuchman,won a well deserved Pulitzer Prize for this book; which is easy to read, thoroughly researched, and well documented. She has been criticized for favoring various nations and individuals, You as the reader can judge this for yourself, but remember critics don't usually reference and footnote their comments. Another criticism of the book, it is more literature than history, why can't history be well written and interesting?
This book covers an extremely complex period very well, it deserves more than five stars.

First, I really enjoyed this book. I believe Tuchman did a masterful job of giving life to the people and events that led to WWI. This book is well worth reading, but only for what it is: half-history, half-literature.

This is not the place to start if you want to understand what led to WWI. The author does have a distinct anti-German bias that glosses over most of the complexities that influenced Germany's actions. Given when the book was written, this bias is understandable, but it does affect its historical value. Moreover, Serbia and the Hapsburgs are essentially footnotes in this book when in reality, they are essential for understanding the causes of the war. When you ignore Serbia and Austro-Hungary, well, all you're left with is Germany acting like a belligerent punk under the hand of the man-child Wilhelm II.

Also, Tuchman definitely prefers some individuals over others. For example, she gives Sir French pretty short-shrift in comparison to Lord Kitchener when in reality, there was more than enough incompetence to go around (not that I would have done any better than they).

I do whole-heartedly recommend this book, but only as a halfway step from history to fiction, perhaps sandwiched between A World Undone and All Quiet on the Western Front.

I didn't even bother to finish this book because, although i tried to read it and fell asleep on pretty much every other page, the writing was convoluted and stuffy, the "action" (was there any?) was slow, and I just couldn't bring myself to care about anything this author had to say. A unanimous vote by the AP Euro class I was forced to "read" this for took the book off the reading list for next year's class...although we would have loved to make the following classes suffer the same way we did, we simply could not bring ourselves to stuff this ridiculous book down any other poor students' throats.

Mr. M......You were a cool teacher, but I don't know if I can ever forgive you for letting this haunt my entire summer.

The Guns of August is an easy to read and flowing history of the early days of World War I. The author does a great job a bringing you up to speed with the state of mind for each of the major players in the early days of the war. The book then moves more or less chronologically through the eve of Marne in great detail. I also like that the author does not take sides. For example, she presents the horrific treatment of Belgium civilians in a matter of fact way but still drives home the terribleness of those actions. The only deficiency (unless this missed it in the notes and sources) is the lack of complete translations for the large number of French phrases used in the book; some of the more obscure are translated but not all. A good English-French dictionary comes in handy.

There is absolutely a reason for this book to be regarded as a classic. Actually, there are lots of reasons. Tuchman's writing is informative, yet intimate. She tells you what you need to know to understand the topic at hand then goes on to supply more information that you didn't need but adds to your appreciation. All this without the book ever bogging down, unlike the war. Possibly, a big part of this is the topic she chose to cover from WWI, the first month. That was when armies marched, counter-marched and fought instead of slogging through mud for years.
Tuchman covers the cuases for war in ways as good as any I've read. It's a hard topic, but she addresses it very well. Every topic in the book is covered well.
This book is a must read for anyone interested in the Great War. It's also a must read to get some understanding of how the folly of man makes war more horrofic, if that's possible. It's just a good read if you're looking for something for the beach.

In The Guns of August, Barbara Tuchman successfully brings to life the political climate of the early 20th century, how the great European powers of the time had been planning for war with their rivals for very nearly a century, since the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Each country had a different war plan, but all of them were more or less variations on a theme - our glorious soldiers will be mobilized, will take the field against our enemies, will crush our enemies in battle, then will march triumphantly into the enemy's capital city!

Perhaps never before had belligerent nations gone to war with such hubris and ignorance of the true horrors of war. Many of the powers assumed that the upcoming war would be waged much as the Crimean War and the Franco-Prussian wars had been fought, where gallant sweeping cavaly charges would be the order of the day. The power of the machine gun and the development of accurate, rapid-firing artillery would render all previous battle tactics obsolete overnight.

However, in the first month of this terrible new war, the warring generals couldn't adjust to these new facts. They kept sending thousands upon thousands of men to their deaths in the months before trench warfare became commonplace. The disastrous Battle of the Frontiers (which appears in very few history books in comparison to the Somme and Verdun) is told in heartbreaking detail on how the brightly-clad French soldiers (with their blue coats and bright red pants) marched into the muzzles of German machine guns and died, by the hundreds and thousands, because their commanding generals couldn't comprehend the new, much deadlier, face of war.

Every time I read a book by the late historian Barbara Tuchman, I marvel at her ability to combine scholarship with lively, compelling prose. This is a rare combination. In "The Guns of August," she recounts the events of the first month of World War I, which culminate in the first Battle of the Marne. I picked up the book after visiting the grave of my great uncle at the Oise-Aisne military cemetery in France; he was killed in the second Battle of the Marne, in 1918. "The Guns of August" is usually referred to as military history, and it is certainly that, with its vivid descriptions (and excellent maps) of the movement of armies. However, what Tuchman is really good at is conveying the personalities of the men who made the decisions that would shape the entire course of the war. There is Joffre, he of the punctual 10 p.m. bedtime and leisurely lunches, sitting alone under a tree contemplating the decisions which will surely determine the fate of France. There is Sir John French, the maddeningly reluctant British ally, yielding at long last to Joffre's plea for the British to take the offensive:
"Joffre's fist crashed down on the table. 'Monsieur le Marechal, the honor of England is at stake!' At these words, Sir John French, who had been listening with 'passionate attention,' suddenly reddened. Silence fell on the company.Slowly tears came into the eyes of the British Commander in Chief and rolled down his cheeks. He struggled to say something in French and gave up. 'Damn it, I can't explain. Tell him we will do all we possibly can.'" (434)
As a historian of what is now often referred to as "the fog of war," of decisions that must be made based on incomplete or mistaken or missing information, Tuchman has no peer.Also interesting is her assessment of the impact of the German violation of Belgian neutrality and the German Army's use of the techniques of terror on civilian populations. Almost a century has passed, but her descriptions of the deliberate targeting of civilians, of hostage-taking, and of the destruction of treasured monuments of civilization, like the library at Louvain, all have exact contemporary parallels.

This book describes one of the most incredible examples where rigidity of thinking and planning led to events spiraling totally out of control. It also demonstrates how it is a very rare occasion that the consequences of a war are anywhere close to the belief of the people that started it. Although the events of 1914 were almost a century ago, this has been demonstrated once again by the American invasion of Iraq.
When Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated at Sarajevo on June 28, 1914 no one considered it be a major crisis. When the blustering started among the leadership of the European nations, the common belief was that it would all be resolved. However, as Tuchman describes in such excellent detail the rigid nature of the plans and the fear of being preempted led everyone to the same conclusion, "all out war as soon as possible." Personal relationships no longer mattered, most of the members of the royal families were closely related, yet that only slowed the process slightly.
When the juggernaut of war started to sprout, it was also fed by the frenzy of the masses, nearly all of whom cheered lustily for war. Few stopped to question what was happening and those that did were easily brushed aside. Or in the case of the French Socialist leader Jaures, assassinated. For the moment, militaristic and nationalistic fervor swept the continent and only the blood of millions of men was able to wash it away.
This book should be read and reread by any person who aspires to national leadership of a nation. I have heard that American President Kennedy had read this book and that is one of the reasons why he stayed so controlled during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Once you read it, you will understand that what appear to be simple events can be escalated by a series of mistakes, all of which would in isolation be small. The rush for war can be a powerful one and as the American presence in Iraq demonstrates once again, a miscalculation regarding a war can be a very costly thing indeed.

This book is dull & drags. The author creates no dramatic tension or excitement. Its a few hundred pages of mainly dreary inconsequential facts with an occasional page or two of something you actually want to know.

This book gives a thorough explanation of how and why WWI begin, and goes through all the action of the first month. Not just a taste, but a detailed description of the war plans, guns, and morale. It is like having a virtual tour of action.

Book arrived in very timely manner, price was right and in good condition. It is in the queue for reading.

Tuchman is "a writer of wit and grace" according to the New York Times. "She has a sardonic sense of humor and an original mind." I found her book about how WWI evolved, both compelling and repulsive. I gulped it in, as though inhaling halting breaths, engrossed in the horrific sadness of it all, putting the book down with a heavy and ponderous sigh, then picking it up again, needing to learn more. Tuchman's writing flows gracefully and she knows just how much detail to bring into this sweeping tale of a "tragedy of errors". Newsweek said it best, I think: "Tuchman is able to evoke both the enormous pattern of the tragedy and the minutiae which make it human" in what must surely be one of history's saddest moments.

Tuchman is "a writer of wit and grace" according to the New York Times. "She has a sardonic sense of humor and an original mind." I found her book about how WWI evolved, both compelling and repulsive. I gulped it in, as though inihaling halting breaths, engrossed in the horrific sadness of it all, putting the book down with a heavy and ponderous sigh, then picking it up again, needing to learn more. Newsweek said it best, I think: "Tuchman is able to evoke both the enormous pattern of the tragedy and the minutiae which make it human" in what must surely be one of history's saddest moments.

Barbara Tuchman's novel The Guns of August is a vivid account of the events leading to, and the first month of combat in, World War 1.

From the first page Tuchman's command of the subject is apparent. The story is a thoroughly researched account of history that reads like a novel, and it sucks the reader into the War just as the nations of Europe ultimately were forced to fight it.

The Guns of August gives full detailed accounts of the nations involved at the beginning, France, Germany, England, Belgium, and Russia, in a comprehensive way illustrating each countries foreign policy, and there military planning as the war approached, and how they executed their strategies as the war progressed.

There is not much mentioned about the involvement of Austria-Hungary, and the war on the Eastern Front is limited to a couple of chapters, as Tuchman explains in her Author's Note this information is left out because "The inexhaustible problem of the Balkans divides itself naturally from the rest of the war, and it seemed to me there was unity without it and the prospect of tiresome length if it were included."

One can find no fault with her sentiment, the prose that expresses the minds of the generals that waged war on the Western Front are not whimsical, but are instead the product of an enormous effort to research available material for the time period.

The sweeping account of the German advance on French territory ends at the Marne. And Tuchman concludes by telling the reader what they already knew, that the next four years of WWI would be conducted in trench warfare, and a generation of Europeans destroyed and disillusioned.
Guns of August

If you have any interest in World War I the Guns of August is a must read. This book has been sitting on my bookshelf for years--I know this because the price on the jacket is under $20.00. I was always concerned that the book would be a slow and plodding work with too much time invested in describing the strategies of the various battles.. Yes, there are varied descriptions of the various August 1914 battles, but they read like a novel, are essential in understanding the futility of the War and the superficial understanding of the world that England, France, Russia, and even the United States had in 1914.

Barbara Tuchman is an excellent writer--it is know accident that she won the Pulitzer Price for this book. Surprisingly, this is a quick read and the 400 pages (hard cover) go very quickly. One develops a keen understanding of the mindset of the French, English, and Germans before and during the war. Tuchman gives fair treatment to the French, English, and Germans. It is not surprising that the war aims of the Germans do not seem to differ much between WWI and WWII. . Tuchman paints a portrait of pre war Europe with its artificial entangling alliances as a powder keg ready to explode. As you read the story of the first month of the War you are struck with the overarching theme, which I think is true of most wars, that while the powers sough an early overwhelmingly decisive battle you feel the foreboding by those in the know that if timetables are not met this will be a long and stalemated conflict. August of 1914 certainly sets the stage for the remainder of 20th century history. This is a great book. I do not know why I waited so long to take it off my shelf

Super account of the first days and campaigns of WWI.

"Guns of August" is particularly good in its ability to capture the mindsets of generals on both sides. The account of the violation of Belgian neutrality and the civilians' taking up arms to defend their nation at all costs was especially effective (and well-researched).

For those of you just beginning to explore the Great War and it's causes this book is the place to start. Tuchman's ability to weave together the all to human story of the mistakes and blunders committed by egotistical, naive, and often downright stupid leaders, still resonates clearly today. This book should be required reading for all politicians and State Department officials.

This book has excellent military analysis and I can see why it has many admirers. However, I purchased it in order to learn more about the origins of World War I and was profoundly disappointed. The analysis is quite limited and dominated by a heavy anti-German bias. Of course all works of history will show the author's bias to some degree, but parts of this book read like a melodrama, with Germany as the villain and Belgium as the hero.

Studying the start of World War I gives us an opportunity to learn better ways of preventing future catastrophic wars. When the analysis of German war aims relies on "the hatred of a barbaric culture against anything civilized," that opportunity is lost.

While it's been a while since I read this, I clearly remember that it was superb. Tuchman's ability to bring history to life is unsurpassed.

I'd strongly recommend this book to anyone with the least interest in the subject of WWI. While just using the war's first full month, BT gives us a clear view of that world and its people who became involved in the incredible machine of death that was The Great War.

I would also suggest Keegan's "The First World War" for a fuller description of the war in its entirety.

Before purchasing this book, I was honestly worried that it would be boring and slow. I couldn't have been more wrong. It reads in the beginning like a political thriller and throughout the end like a Clancy novel. On top of this, the author's style is beautiful and the information contained within the book's pages is incredible. The background on the characters is insightful and Tuchman does a great job of briefly describing the battles, contrasting the grim opening days of World War I with past European history, while at the same time using the events of August 1914 to foreshadow the realities of the years to come, during and well after World War I. Since this isn't a narrative written from the point of view of the average soldier (like a Stephen Ambrose novel), Tuchman focuses on the big picture, but nevertheless does a great job of describing the battles from the point of view of the generals and soldiers alike. That being said, by the end of the book you will feel like you know the main characters involved in the chain of events. By far one of the most informative, fast moving, and simply one of the best books that I've ever had the pleasure of reading. It's no wonder Kennedy urged his staff to read this book during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. A must for any student of history or political science.

The Guns of August is an amazing read. I won't get into the overview of the book as others have done a great job of this. I just want to add that this is the book for those who might be curious about history--about how history is created by those who make the decisions of war and peace-- but have shied away from historic tomes from a dread of boredom or intimidation.

This book is the cure. It reads as quickly as the best thriller only it's richer and, it's real. Ms Tuchman's prose is witty, amazingly detailed yet the words simply fly to create the tension, the events and characters of August 1914 and the events that lead up to the war. Her characterizations are genius. In fact, I have other WWI books I'm trying to get into because GOA whets your appetite to learn more about post-August of this unique war. But the writing is somewhat dreary after the brilliance of GOA.

There are countless memorable actors but the most poignant for me, was the Russian General Samsonov, a kindly, decent general who tried his utmost yet was done in by the inadequacies of the Russian war machinery; unlike many leaders who would try to lay blame elsewhere he joined his soldiers in the hopeless fighting, ultimately killing himself when all was lost. And his story is just a small chapter.

Read it, you will not regret.

I first encountered the book when I was in the sixth grade. Most of it was beyond me at the time, but the opening chapter and the its opening paragraphs were a hook that I have never forgotten. The chapter on the Royal Navy's pursuit of the German ships "Goeben" and "Breslau" through the Mediterranean is pretty darn good as well. I write history as part of my job working for the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and I read and reread this book often in the hope that I can absorb some of Barbara Tuchman's style.

There is more to this book, than it simply being an impressively-written book. Tuchman offers her readers a broad and well-developed survey of the opening days of World War I. It is part political, part diplomatic, part military and part naval history. Her argument that pre-existing military plans drove events and prevented diplomacy from defusing the crisis was not as original in 1962 as one might think, but she does what few other historians of this conflict does, she integrates diplomacy with strategic issues and those with operational concerns. There is even a little tactical level stuff that is quite compelling.

Another rare characteristic of this book is that balance she gives to all the major players: British, French, German, and Russian. The Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Turk Empires get less attention, but no one is perfect. To this end, she uses French and German-language source material and used Russian and Turkish sources in translation. Most historians of this war writing in English--be they American, Canadian, Australian, New Zealander or British--tend to focus on the experiences of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) the military detachment sent over to France in the early days of the war. Tuchman is an exception. Tuchman sees that the French Army was a major player and devotes considerable attention to the French perspective and does see the rationale for Plan XVII, which the French Army attempted to use to retake lost provinces. Her study is balanced and thorough. If you buy this book, you won't be disappointed.

A detailed account of WWI. The analysis of the origins and opening days of the Great War are interesting and well written. Deserving of its status as a classic.

'The Guns of August" is a perfect example that history is about people . It recounts how the motives,policies,and personal beliefs and animosities of people precipitated the war. It is elegantly written and makes compelling reading.

Ninety seven percent of the world's population went to defcon 5!
8 million Russian troops died.
20 million troops killed world-wide.
40 million deaths by disease.
100+ million wounded.
The best book about World War One ever written.
An up-close viewpoint of the first month of Europe's worst knot-mare.
The frustration of the high command as they realized that one wrong turn put a million troops on the WRONG side of Paris. Curses, foiled again!
Taxi drivers save France! Who woulda thunk it?
Combat IS being short of everything but enemy.
"I really liked being in the royal army, until eight million technologicly advanced, well-equipted, highly-trained, deeply-motivated, most-experienced Huns came over the horizon."
"1) They sent me on recon patrol.
2) I came back from recon patrol.
3) They asked me what is saw on recon patrol.
4) I said 'More enemy than you can shake a stick at'.
5) They gave me two sticks and sent me on combat patrol."
Must reading for all military and politicians.
If you like this book try "Six Crisis".
If you like this book try "Profiles in Courage".
If you like this book try "The Prince".

Ninety seven percent of the world's population went to defcon 5!
8 million Russian troops died.
20 million troops killed world-wide.
40 million deaths by disease.
100+ million wounded.
The best book about World War One ever written.
An up-close viewpoint of the first month of Europe's worst knot-mare.
The frustration of the high command as they realized that one wrong turn put a million troops on the WRONG side of Paris. Curses, foiled again!
Taxi drivers save France! Who woulda thunk it?
Combat IS being short of everything but enemy.
"I really liked being in the royal army, until eight million technologicly advanced, well-equipted, highly-trained, deeply-motivated, most-experienced Huns came over the horizon."
"1) They sent me on recon patrol.
2) I came back from recon patrol.
3) They asked me what is saw on recon patrol.
4) I said 'More enemy than you can shake a stick at'.
5) They gave me two sticks and sent me on combat patrol."
Must reading for all military and politicians.
If you like this book try "Six Crisis".
If you like this book try "Profiles in Courage".
If you like this book try "The Prince".

The premise behind The Guns of August is that ultimately, the war became extremely dependent upon what happened within the first month of its initiation. As you can tell from the title of the novel, most of it takes place within August. The book takes the reader on a rather unfamiliar stroll through events such as the siege of Liege and the destruction of Louvain; the residual presence of Herr von Schiefflin's ultimate doctrine's on war and how to win are discussed throughout; the exalted if somewhat ephemeral presence of those such as French General Joffre, the cowardly and complacent Sir John French of the BEF, and such supporting characters of the likes of von Moltke, von Kluck and von Francois with many more deserving of such mention are all introduced.

It's only upon reading a book of this nature that can one truly grasp how involved and confusing wartime really does become (outside of actually being in one that is) and it is a trait that I think can never truly be grasped in the movies and games which more than anything else seem to be just looking for a setting with which to animate violence anyway. The book is enormous in volume and does not flow like some other books, despite only being of some 400+ pages. It is incredibly well sourced as well for Tuchman lists a good portion of the works which she referenced and also has notes stating which she would recommend to those interested in further study. There are also photographs of some of the key individuals who would have an impact upon the initial war which I found gave each of the persons a personality as you would continue to read.

Mrs. Tuchman writes with a specific theme of 'non-existent self-opinion' which means that while she writes with all the facts and occurrences that were present in the historical situation, she does not promote her own ideologies within the novel in hopes of trying to sway the reader's opinion. Basically, the reader is allowed to think about what happened and why it happened based on just the facts. You may think that this would lead to a rather boresome novel what with no subjective thought-base being supported throughout, but this just isn't the case.

As a final word, I would say that anyone who wishes to introduce themselves (for that is all this book will do) to the first of the World Wars this is by far the best book with which do to so. For a more unornamented look at the war in its entirety I would say that this is not the book you're interested in and it would be best to look at a good university source. Anyone else looking for just a good nonfiction read, well....