The Mammoth Book of True War Stories: A New Selection of 60 Unforgettable Accounts of the Horror and Heroism of War Across the Ages

by Jon E. Lewis (Editor)

War, as the general said, is hell. But sometimes it also brings out the best in people, as illustrated by this gripping new collection of war writing. From the siege of Troy to the present day, historian Jon E. Lewis offers a new selection of sixty unforgettable accounts—many firsthand—of the horror and heroism of war. These include analyses by celebrated historians, letters home by ordinary GIs, high-adrenaline memoirs by frontline combatants, and memorable reportage by master Ernest Hemingway on bombings in Madrid, Tim O'Brien on Vietnam, John Reed on the Mexican Revolution, and Winston Churchill on the Battle of Omdurman.

Genres: War, Nonfiction, History, Military History

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Jon E. Lewis is a historian and writer, whose books on history and military history are sold worldwide. He is also editor of many The Mammoth Book of anthologies, including the bestselling On the Edge and Endurance and Adventure.

He holds graduate and postgraduate degrees in history. His work has appeared in New Statesman, the Independent, Time Out and the Guardian. He lives in Herefordshire with his partner and children.

From: Constable & Robinson

Reviews

[Sidsel Sander · Rating 4 out of 5]

En god bog, men også en hård bog, der skal tages i små bidder.

[Robert Hepple · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Mammoth Book of True War Stories, published in 2005, is a selection of 58 war stories covering a wide range of wars throughout history The cover illustration, bizarrely, comes from none of them. The stories themselves are a mixture of short extracts taken from various biographies and histories as well as some short articles. The style and quality, not surprisingly, varies a lot due to a number of factors - they may reflect the style of the period in which they were written, whether it be 19th century jingoism, WWII flagwaving, or 1970s cynicism. Only in one or two does this also include badly researched garbage, so not bad. I suppose any enjoyment of the stories comes from the same type of morbid fascination that makes some people like true-crime - it certainly worked for me. Very enjoyable, mainly for the tasters of the histories and biographies that it caused to be added to my wanted list.

[Nathan Arndt]

it was preety good but kind of depressing