The Great War
William Philpott considers a brace of titles on the First World War.
The Great War: An Imperial History
John H. Morrow Jr.
Routledge xvi + 352 pp £25
ISBN 0-415-20439-9
The First World War
Hew Strachan
Simon and Schuster xviii + 350pp £25
ISBN 0-7432-3959-8
If all the myths and clichés of the First World War were laid end to end, they would undoubtedly stretch the length of the Western Front. John Morrow has managed to fit them into 352 pages. In as many pages Hew Strachan presents a clear, well-informed and up-to-date narrative of the war which both broadens knowledge and corrects received wisdom.