This is far more a contextual history than a descriptive narrative of events. The reader is assumed to be familiar with the details of even the most significant events, such as the October Revolution, the 1917 mutinies, the Rape of Belgium, and pretty much any battle one could name. And have a detailed map handy: a scale of 1 : 1 million was good, 1 : 2.5 million was not so good.

That said, a contextual history was, I think, more satisfying in the long run. This one devotes only 4 chapters out of 23 to operations on the western front. The other 19 address theaters worldwide, political maneuvering throughout the war on all sides, economic aspects of belligerence, and other things. I have a much greater appreciation of the "world" scope now. But it was not so satisfying as it might have been because the chapters (each by a different author) are of widely varying quality. Some are descriptive, some analytical, and some more lyrical than anything else; some do these things well, and some not so well. I did find the illustrations quite satisfying. I can't say exactly how, but they complement the text more than illustrate it.

Overall this is an OK book. I wouldn't buy it, though, not even used. ( )

Strachan (modern history, Univ. of Glasgow; The Politics of the British Army, Oxford Univ., 1997), most familiar from his work in the London Times, has collected a remarkable series of essays on a variety of issues raised by the Great War. Although the essays are often difficult to read without a deep understanding of the period, they illuminate complex and often misunderstood territory. Gail Braybon's take on women's roles enormously complicates the idea of women as a monolithic class. Strachan's economic approach to mobilization and B.J. McKercher's discussion of economic warfare considerably expand and complement the more familiar tactical and strategic summaries. Many of the essayists take care to place the greatest event of that generation in the context of future events, both in the tactical and in the larger social sphere.

Strachan"," Hew