A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918 | 
 enlarge | Author: G.j. Meyer
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Category: Book
List Price: $21.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  45 reviews
Sales Rank: 24969
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 816
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5 x 1.1
ISBN: 0553382403
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.3
EAN: 9780553382402
ASIN: 0553382403
Publication Date: May 29, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The First World War is one of history’s greatest tragedies. In this remarkable and intimate account, author G. J. Meyer draws on exhaustive research to bring to life the story of how the Great War reduced Europe’s mightiest empires to rubble, killed twenty million people, and cracked the foundations of the world we live in today.
The First World War is one of history’s greatest tragedies. In this remarkable and intimate account, author G. J. Meyer draws on exhaustive research to bring to life the story of how the Great War reduced Europe’s mightiest empires to rubble, killed twenty million people, and cracked the foundations of the world we live in today.
From the Hardcover edition.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 40 more reviews...
A fresh and intriguing WWI history August 10, 2008
I have looked for a good and intriguing and accurate portrayal of World War One to read and everything I have come across is dry. This is not dry and is very easy to read and is very thought provoking. I really like it; it makes you really question the ideas you have about World War One, and the best part about it - its fun and interesting to read!
Great Book! Buy it! July 16, 2008
I read the other reviews and thought of getting it from the library or buying a used one (cheap) but once I looked at it in the bookstore I was totally sold. It really is a fabulous collection of info with an irresistable story line leading through it. Tough to put down.
Go into the "Look Inside" feature if you can, to see the first page opening quote of Arch Duke Ferdinand. That's what sold me.
Great Book on WW1 June 18, 2008
I generally read historical fiction or historical books. I have read a number of books on World War one and "The World Undone" is a very good one especially if you are looking for a book that has enough detail to satisfy an urge to learn about the topic without getting bogged down. The book is well written, easy to read and with very useful backgroud chapters on such things as the Hapsburgs, the Ottoman empire and so forth. These background chapters were well placed, provided context that was relevant and made the book that much more enjoyable. I would recommend the book to anyone interested in this topic or in history in general.
The Teacher You Wish You had Had May 4, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Having just finished Doris Kearns Goodwin's wonderful Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, I wouldn't have expected to be blown away by a history, but this one is really impressive! Meyer's sympathy for the characters, his humor, his concern for the needs of his reader and his uncanny ability to make a huge and complex story understandable makes this one of the best non-fiction books I've ever read.
His background sections and photos are interesting and informative, provide greater context or human detail, and a break from the descriptions of the horrendous battles. The brief final section, where he follows up on the lives of the main characters is outstanding. His use of first-hand accounts, anecdotes and memorable quotes kept me involved as in a novel. I read it on my Kindle, where his the maps are pretty much illegible, but his descriptions of are so clear that I didn't feel the loss, as I have in other Kindled texts (Two Years Before the Mast, for example). BTW: The quality of WWI photos is on a par with the ability of the Kindle to display them.
Meyer is that rare writer who appreciates the tactical and strategic issues in creating a narrative of this size and applies that knowledge admirably. After avoiding this subject for years, because of the confusing and piecemeal introduction that I had to this war, I feel that I have a general understanding of it and enough detailed information to pursue a deeper study of those characters, places and events that changed our world so profoundly.
 Some Variations On Common WWI Themes May 3, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Meyer's work is a good, eminently readable account of the Great War that is a relatively quick read. It avoids getting bogged down in the minutiae of military maneuvers. Unlike Barbara Tuchman's works, he focuses on a limited number of characters. You won't be searching Wikipedia for arcane names every-other-page.
Otherwise, Meyer's work doesn't offer much new to students of WWI. The villains are oft recognized from their appearances in previous accounts of the Great War. The Kaiser, Czar Nicholas II, Haig, Ludendorff, and Joffre make their obligatory appearances as either incompetents, or in the case of Ludendorff, a military genius but political failure. To Meyer, many of these personalities were well meaning, but overwhelmed by events and the enormity of modern warfare.
Where Meyer varies from common themes is seeming to place much of the blame for the immediate start of the war on the Austrians Conrad and Berchtold. Conrad broods for an opportunity to attack Serbia without appreciating enough the Russian threat. Berchtold supports Conrad for selfish, political reasons.
Meyer also apparently feels that peace "feelers" in the later years of the war were sincere and might have saved Germany from a Versailles style capitulation if Ludendorff hadn't so stubbornly clung to his no compromise position vis-a-vis Belgium and parts of occupied France.
For readers new to WWI, Meyer's work offers a well organized overview of events with logical explanations. "A World Undone" makes the complex history of 1914-1918 approachable.
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