The First World War

A Complete History

By: Martin Gilbert

Narrated by: Roger Clark

Length: 33 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

It was to be the war to end all wars, and it began at 11:15 on the morning of June 28, 1914, in an outpost of the Austro-Hungarian Empire called Sarajevo. It would officially end nearly five years later. Unofficially, however, it has never ended: Many of the horrors we live with today are rooted in the First World War.

The Great War left millions of civilians and soldiers maimed or dead. It also saw the creation of new technologies of destruction: tanks, planes, and submarines; machine guns and field artillery; poison gas and chemical warfare. It introduced U-boat packs and strategic bombing, unrestricted war on civilians and mistreatment of prisoners. But the war changed our world in far more fundamental ways than these.

In its wake, empires toppled, monarchies fell, and whole populations lost their national identities. As political systems and geographic boundaries were realigned, the social order shifted seismically. Manners and cultural norms; literature and the arts; education and class distinctions; all underwent a vast sea change.

©1994 Martin Gilbert (P)2020 Tantor

A must have audiobook!

I love it so much, I wish I could give 10 stars. Amazing narrator!

A detailed telling of tragedy of an unnecessary war

Perhaps the best single volume on the war I have found. The scope and detail is truly impressive. I must admit the sadness of that war is deeply profound.

Excellent but Second Best

the book is a very good story of the War and the narration is superb. comprehensive in in study of people and key events, it also tells plenty of anecdotes of regular soldiers, nurses and others.

would say it is the second best single volume behind A World Undone

Deep and immersive

This book gave me a much deeper understanding of World War I - everything so was looking for. Incredibly thorough and thoughtful. Heartbreaking too.

The poems in this book really bring alive the suffering and moods that persisted throughout the war

This book is a slow crawl in the best of ways, while trudging along before the war it helps paint a picture. Everything is connected, you can't help but get lost in the references made that at times take your breathe away in shock. A war so long ago that most have forgotten it, this book helps revive the respect owed to bloodshed and bravery

Very informative and well researched

I’ve never fully understood the events that lead to such a horrible war. And I can’t say this book gave me much clarity. This book does cover the events of the war in great detail and really captures the bureaucratic nature of the conflict. Senseless violence that only led to more.

Unbiased true facts of the first world war

I found this book truly enlightening. Being an American marine corps veteran and seeking to understand the causes of war i found this book very educational. The history of the tragedies of Europe have helped me identify why Americans aren’t able to fully understand the cost of war. And the causes of current strife

Amazing book

One of the best WW1 history books I've ever heard. highly recommend if looking to learn more about WW1 with stories of people who also involved in WW2.

Martin Gilbert is a Master

Great listen. Highly recommend to anyone interested in a detailed, chronological history of the First World War.

The view from 50 000 feet

Comprehensive, thoughtful, excellent use of contemporary sources. Loses an entire star because nobody took 5 minutes to verify the pronunciations of EXTREMELY well known proper nouns such as Haig, Be’er Sheva, Suvla, Rheims, and Göring.