World War I: The Definitive Visual History, New Edition

by D.K. Publishing

Discover the misery of life in the trenches -- and how the Great War devastated Europe. Here is an original and exciting guide to the grim challenge of life or death on the Western Front. Devastating first-hand reports and contemporary photographs of the battles that slaughtered millions, together with a clear account of how nation upon nation sent their men to join the carnage, combine to present a dramatic "eyewitness" view of this most terrible war. See the bullet-riddled car of the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, everyday life in the dugout, sappers mining tunnels beneath the enemy, and Mata Hari learning the art of spying. Learn how people avoided gas attacks, when periscopes were used, what soldiers wrote home to their sweethearts and mothers, the best way to use a tank, how troops flattened a hillside, and the meaning of Armistice Day. Discover how it felt to go over the top, what happened to all the bodies, how people dealt with shell shock, why war led to revolution, and much, much more.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War I

372 pages, Hardcover

Published May 21, 2024

About the author

Dorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 62 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a consumer publishing company jointly owned by Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and Pearson PLC. Bertelsmann owns 53% of the company and Pearson owns 47%.

Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice coffee table book on the subject, lots of historic photos along with recent photos of artifacts along with a written history.

[BodhiBokai]

All I needed

I'm not a big WWI buff, but big enough when i saw this ebook on sale I had to get it. And I'm very happy I did. Any DK Smithsonian book is worth it if you are interested in the subject. Very well laid out from the years leading up to war, war, and a bit of the aftermath. The end even had a section listing war memorials and 100year anniversary events. I feel anyone with an interest in WWI will find it very interesting and informative, with lots of good pictures.

[Eric Mccann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ... kind of reminds me of the old Time Life books.

It's a decent overview, broken down by year (as well as a broad view pre- and post-war, which was actually nice to see.) It gives interesting insights not just into battles and generals - the usual expected things - but glimpses of attitude, politics, and the home front.

It's ... a little disordered, to me, not *exactly* following a timeline - there is one at the start of each year, granted - but not "While X was happening, Y was happening, it was like THIS at the home front, other nations were looking at things THIS way." It would have to be a much thicker series of volumes, though.

For a decent overview? This is good - even pointing out some things I wasn't as aware of as I thought, which will do just what I want it to do - get me to start digging in to those details in other books.

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best overview of World War One that I’ve ever seen. Lots of maps, calendars, illustrations and summaries. I borrowed from the library but the $40 price tag seems well worth it. A bargain for this hefty book.