So, I have bought this book, but unfortunately have not had time to read it. Sorry Nigel Jones, it does look good. If I have time later this year I’ll return here to write something about it. Nigel Jones – Peace and War: Britain in 1914
The date was Bank Holiday Monday, 3 August 1914, and it was destined to be a day of final, irrevocable and fateful decision. Even as the camera shutter fell, preserving this carefree scene, the larger issues of peace and war continued to hang in the balance… Nearly thirty-six hours later, Britain would declare war on …
My desire for an overview of the year 1913 in book form being so far unsated, I was very happy to find someone else had had a go at it, and didn’t stop for 500 pages. It feels very much like the author had enough material for 1000 and had to cut it down, such …
Charles Emmerson – 1913 The World Before the Great War Read More »
One part of this project which has surprised me in its scope is “books about years” – this has become something of an obsession, and having started, I’ve been working my way up to having a shelf full of them, which means I also need to read the things. So far the entries in the …
Florian Illies – 1913: The Year Before the Storm Read More »
Time inexorably marches on at a 12x speed, and sometimes there isn’t the opportunity to fully immerse myself in the moment. I bought this book at Oxfam two weeks ago, but have only had time to read the introduction and two chapters. The one on entertainment was excellent, its description of the cultural value of …
Jonathan Schneer – London 1900: The Imperial Metropolis Read More »
1898 is quite a memorable year for one big reason; it marks the start and end of the Spanish-American war, the first adventure of the USA’s imperial phase, and the making of one of its most zeitgeist-setting leaders, Theodore Roosevelt. On the plus side this means the year is easier to research, but on …
