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Summary: THE BEST HISTORY BOOK EVER WRITTEN
Review: The perfect book. It reads like a novel, but as they say "truth is stranger than fiction." Ms. Tuchman has written THE historical masterpiece on the beginnings of what has to be the most confusing conflict in history. World War I will shake the ruling classes foundations to the ground. Monarchies will no longer reign supreme in its aftermath, communism gains a foothold it will not relinquish for 80 years, England bleeds herself white, France never is a world power of magnitude again, but why?.... This book explains how the worlds most powerful industrial societies allowed everthing they held dear to be destroyed. This book doesn't take sides, it explains why the sides began the war juggernaut a rolling. In detail, with passion, and in a moving manner. This war more than any other can be directly attributed to arms proliferation and a diplomatic status quo. The diplomats from all sides fumble and it kills millions. The generals use 19th century assault tactics in the face of 20th century firepower. In five weeks time, which the author has descibed perfectly, step-by-step, the western world begins and cannot stop the "War to End All Wars" Ms. Tuchman may no longer be with us but this book will make her immortal.
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Summary: History at its Best
Review: When asked how many troops the French would need from the English in the event of a general war Foch, a French General, stated only one. One? Well, He also said that "we will make sure he is killed too." Shocking? Perhaps, but understandable from a general who was to lead France in its bloodest war up to that point in history.Foch's attitude also reflected a realistic appraisal of his English allies. Upto the point of dead soliders, English's attitude had reflected an extreme reluctance to enter on any side during a European War. It is the sad fact of history that, more then any other war, WWI could have been avoided if a few more leaders were willing to be a little bit more clear about their priorities, goals and intentions. Even so, the length and time of this war, could have been limited greatly, except for some of the most unsually and costly mistakes in history. For example, Turkey, later a German ally, was initially on the fence. They had, in fact, ordered two boats from England before the war started. Churchill, when war was close, held up these boats, which had already been paid for Turkey. Germany then was able to convice the Turks to join their side, after Germany delivered two boats. Boats that the English could have sunk. The Germans, on the other hand, had a strong strategy which almost won the war. Last minute nerves from a worried Kaiser, overconfidence in one smug general, and the redeployment of troops to a "royal" one; may have cost them the war. But for all of these things happening, Europe today could have been a German Empire. Tuchman's genius is showing how history really works. Most history books are written with an air of predestination or fatalism. I have seen histories that say WWII was lost the same day it began or that WWI was inevitable and it was also inevitable that German would lose. Phooey! Must of the time history is not like that. A little thing can make a great difference. The Guns of August shows us alot of these "little things." As such, after reading it, you can appreciate how close that war was, and how different it could have worked out. In addition, Tuchman's eye towards drama, her skill at writing, and placement of interesting quotes from world leaders make the Guns of August the most compelling historical story I have ever read. I literally put all else on hold until I could finish this book. Indeed, I routinely looked at her sources and have since examined other records to see if Ms. Tuchman's book was accurate. It is. It is just that she is a skilled writer and this is her best work. Read it.
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Summary: Great Book!
Review: Probably the best history book I have read.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful, Dramatic Prose
Review: It's hard, upon reading this book, not to get swept up in Barbara Tuchman's stunning prose. It begins with the words "so gorgeous was the spectacle on the May morning of 1910 when nine kings rode in the funeral of Edward VII of England that the crowd, waiting in hushed and black-clad awe, could not keep back gasps of admiration." The rest of the book continues to read like an adventure novel. It's a shame, really, because it should be remembered that these events really happened, and deserve careful consideration.
The classic image of WWI is that of trench warfare, with the machine guns pinning down entire armies. As Tuchman reminds us, however, the first month of the war was a war of maneuver, undertaken at a breathtaking pace that presages the blitzkreig of WWII. Field artillery ruled as the omnipotent weapon of the battlefield, and the war came close to being a one-month struggle between France and Germany.
Watching this epic battle unfold, it's hard to remember that we already know how the story ends. I sat in suspense wondering if the British would rejoin the line, and bit my fingernails over whether Paris would fall. My only complaint is that I was expecting more of an analysis of the causes of WWI. There are endless volumes on the causes of the Great War, however, and the adventure novel that Tuchman gives us is a precious gem.
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Summary: Ultimate History of WWI
Review: Tuchman is absolutely the best historian/writer ever, and "Guns of August" shows from its first chapter why it won the Pulitzer. I was mesmerized from the beginning with the way that Tuchman spins her all too true tale of the folly of "The Great War". She illustrates how the "war to end all wars" was nothing of the kind, but rather the terrible omen of the destruction of humanity which threatens us well into the 21st century. Particularly useful is the way in which Tuchman illustrates the fateful decisions which occurred on a day by day basis between all the combatants, criss-crossing between cabinets, rulers and battles until you will feel that you riding on some great, horrific wave you wish you could stop. The destruction of Belgium is so painfully portrayed that I wept while reading it. Tuchman turns the first month of the war into s thrilling, dark, mesmerizing trip through time. "Guns of August" is the ultimate historical account of WWI.
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Summary: Almost a 5 - fascinating and even-handed
Review: This is a very entertaining and readable book about the first month of WWI. The scope is basically the assassination of the Archduke in Sarajevo to the eve of the Marne (and includes the Battle of Tannenburg on the eastern front). Because most of the action occurs in the western front at this stage of the war, the book concentrates there. It develops the Schlieffen Plan and the French war plans (Plan 17) and explains how the high commands of both countries attempt to carry out these plans irrespective of what the other side is doing. Tuchman does not assign blame. She tries her best to give all sides of a disagreement in policy or action. This even-handed account is most welcome. The best example of this approach is her treatment of Lanrezac, commander of the French 5th army from the start of the war to a few days before the Marne - she points out that he was the man most essential to preventing the Germans from turning the French flank in the early battles, but then agrees with his dismissal at the eve of the Marne: "He was not the man to lead the offensive." The only person she completely villifies is Sir John French, leader of the BEF. Although I get the impression that she would have forgiven his follies if only he hadn't written a book after the war full of inconsistencies and, to use Tuchman's word, "lies." Most importantly, the book is very well-written, enjoyable and clear to read, and even witty. Unfortunately, there are some spots with vague allusions to historical events and people without explanantion. While a practising historian probably finds this humourous or helpful, it is murky for an amateur. This is a minor point, though, and on the whole, this book is stellar. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Epitome of Historical Writing
Review: Barbara Tuchman's account of the first two months of World War I is written in a narrative style that puts real faces (glorious as well as shady) on the individuals who are so often lost in the trenches of historical writing. One is amazed at how seemingly trivial events combined with underlying factors would, in less than a month, lead to the destruction and rebirth of the world. An entire generation of young men would be lost by the decisions made by a few. Unlike how the war is usually presented, these choices were not easy ones, whether for Poincare or the Kaiser, and all parties involved slept little until the very last minute of peace. The same emotions courses through the reader at every turn of the page as the mind absorbs the history as if it has countered it for the first time. Barbara Tuchman is also very fair in her views of the leading characters in the unfolding drama. True, many generals were incompetent, throwing entire populations at each other in an attempt to outmaneuver the enemy and win a glorious victory in the style of Napoleon of Bismarck. However, they were human, and one can empathize with the meloncholy felt by Sir French, the sense of inevitability felt by King Albert, and the crushing affect of past parental achievements on the mind of von Moltke. At times, though, one may feel that Shakespeare said it best through the mouth of Puck: "What fools these mortals be!" The many, missed opportunities for a completely different and benevolent future stings us with the same impact of a failed field goal that would've won the NBA finals. This book is closest to some real-time experience of World War I that one can get, and quite frankly a lengthier work describing the entire war will be too exhausting. I have never read a history book as this one; more "strategic" than Stephen Ambrose but more "tactical" than Gilbert Martin. Barbara Tuchman is a truly unique writer.
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Summary: The Best!
Review: I have not read Keegan's recent book on WWI. I am sure his is very good. However, I do know that Tuchman's Guns of August is Great for the Causes of the WWI. Nationalism, Militarism, Imperialism, The Alliance System, and of course the Archduke's Assassination. Tuchman does a excellent job describing why WWI started. This is a well written book, with great information. This is a classic account of the origins of WWI.
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Summary: A classic historical study
Review: This book should be required reading for anyone studying the First World War and the evolution of governments and world politics in the 20th century. It is a thorough account of the events and alliances that led to the war, the wrong impression the German government had of the probable British reaction, the split in the British government over the question of British involvement, and events leading other countries into the war. It was a case of miscalculations, bad judgement, and blunders that led nations into a war that forever changed the world. What the German government thought would be a short war turned into the long war that destroyed monarchies and empires, left the Kaiser in exile, and the Czar murdered along with his family. Ludendorff's copying Stonewall Jackson's tactics in shifting an army to defeat the Russians at Tannenberg, Von Kluck's exposure of his flank and the French and British failure to fully capitalize on the error, and the British failure to prevent the German battle cruiser Goeben and the light cruiser Breslau from entering the Dardanelles, are all discussed in detail. This book is well researched and well written. It is rare to find a book on history that holds your interest and attention as this book does.
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Summary: Although no sources cited, wonderful work on WWI
Review: The Guns of August covers the first six weeks of World War I by telling the story of the leaders and generals of Germany, France and Great Britain. The book catches the human side of the beginning of the war through vivid and powerful writing. Emotion and power flow from the pages as we follow the German march into France and the French and British halting of their advance. It is not a mere recitation of facts about the war but it weaves facts into a narrative that grips you, it makes you ask, "what will happen next", even if you know what happened next.
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