1914: History in an Hour

By: Rupert Colley

Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble

Love history? Know your stuff with History in an Hour.

In 1914 the world changed. Europe’s great powers were dragged, one by one, into a war by Serbian conflict which affected very few of them directly. At least it would resemble the short sharp battles of the previous century, many thought – fought with military bands, horsemen, and swift victories. But 1914 proved to be different, a watershed, as old notions of war were trampled in the mud.

‘1914: History in an Hour’ is the indispensable overview of the year that marked the end of the Belle Époque and the shocking birth of modern mechanised warfare. It became a war of unimaginable horror, fought with terrifying new weapons that produced death on an industrial scale, a war that involved so many nations and reached into the fabric of their societies. 1914 shaped the First World War, and the years beyond.

©2013 Rupert Colley (P)2013 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. Colley writes in an attractively readable style, and manages to convey the huge story that is WWII in a logical and accessible manner’ Andrew Roberts, Bookseller

‘This is genius’ MacWorld.com

Great narrator!

After listening to this , I'm going to read and listen to more history. Easy to follow, though some names I found difficult to understand as I'd never heard them before, only read them and this resulted in some confusion. Scanning books about WW1 cleared that up.
It's difficult to listen and grasp the numbers of people who were killed or wounded; I cried at some parts.
The narrator is excellent! Well paced timing and with good intonation and rhythm.

A quick Introduction to WWI Origins

This series, (In an Hour) can only touch on certain key points and a few events of course... It's "limits" could inspire students. We hope that these will lead the listeners to deeper, more thorough works on the various subjects.? If unfamiliar, a good, easy starting point to consider.

Another hit!

Listened to this one twice as there was a lot to take in, in one hour. There are so many names to remember and small important details to take note of, hence I thought it was a bit hard to follow the first time around. After listening to it for the second time, it clicked and I was totally engrossed. Again, Jonathan Keeble did a wonderful job with the narration. His voice is perfectly suited for a book like this as he is eloquent & engaging. He is definitely one of my favorite narrators.

these books bounce around

there is some good information, but these series of books bounce around through the years a little to much.

Misleading

What disappointed you about 1914: History in an Hour?

I am not a historian by any stretch, but WW1 is a particularly interesting subject to me that I enjoy knowing more about. You can't fault a "History in an Hour" book for missing large chunks of info you might expect on a given subject, even when it is covering only a single year of history. The tone of this book, though, does not jive with other histories I have read in its (I would argue) rosy depiction of Serbia and the Serbian cause. Also, the book is on the outbreak and first season of WW1 but ends with a historically rough transition to the end of WW1 as if to illustrate to the listener that the rest of the war was uneventful.