[books i've been reading]

World War One: A Short History, by Norman Stone. "For readers trepidatious about plowing through a weighty standard World War I history, there is the brief alternative Michael Howard offered in The First World War (2002) and now Stone’s précis. Setting the table for 1914, Stone defines the lineups of the Entente and Central Powers, their underlying conflicts of interest, and their military preparations for a general European war. That done, he paraphrases the strategic thinking of German leaders—better war now than wait for France and Russia to complete their armament programs—that induced them to risk an international explosion in 1914. From the illusions of rapid victory in one campaign, Stone elides to the hopeful successor strategies shattered by trench warfare, rendering his synopses of failed offensives East and West in vernacular language that conveys history’s summary judgments of generals’ performances. A concise anticipator of his audience’s implicit questions, such as what protracted a seemingly futile war, Stone, with distinctive wryness, introduces WWI’s origin, conduct, and consequences with emphasis on essentials." (from Booklist)

World War I Companion, edited by Matthias Strohn. "2014 sees the centenary of the start of World War I, the Great War - the war to end all wars. This four-year conflict saw the major powers of the world commit their forces on an unparalleled scale, principally in the trenches of the Western Front, but also throughout the world from the colonies of Africa to the Chinese city of Tsingtao. This was a period of intense development in military technology, technique, and innovation as the belligerent powers sought to break the deadlock. The rise of airpower, coronation of artillery, and development of the tank as a means of restoring mobility to the battlefield all came about in this period and have had a lasting influence through to the present day. This study consists of separate articles by 13 respected academics focussing on different aspects of the Great War, ranging from the war at sea, through the Gallipoli campaign to the final offensives of 1918 to give a wide-ranging companion to this truly global conflict." (from Amazon)