World War I: Contains a 16-Page Guide to WWI Battlefields and Memorials

This book strikes a nice balance, there are plenty of details and some interesting minutiae but it doesn't lose track of the big picture. Not for the casual reader, but if you enjoy a little more meat to your history this is an excellent option,

I highly recommend this book for all readers whose interests include The Great War. It is an exceptionally well written book that provides an excellent overview of World War I and the immediate aftermath. The narrative is supported by excellent photographs and concise,color-enhanced maps of all the major offensives, many of which are augmented with color-coded chronological charts. Further clarity is added by the inclusion of sections dealing with the poets, novelists, and artists of the period.

Know what you're buying. This is more of a really thick 'magazine' rather than a book, since the text is somewhat sub-par and definitely plays second fiddle to the massive number of photographs. I bought it as a rough guide for painting WWI toy soldiers, and for that purpose, it's great. If you want to read accounts of the War to end all wars, there are better options, such as John Keegan's [I]The First World War[/I].

My husband loved this as a birthday gift. We had visited a WW1 museum and he wanted to follow up on the history with some light reading. Makes a nice coffee table book too.

I am really enjoying this book as I am a lifelong student of history. I especially like the abundance of pictures in the book which tend to bring the era of WWI to life. And, of course, if one has a brain and is a thinking person, one should be able to understand the implications this event has on our world today.

This is a very informative book on the first World War. However, the print is very small. It is as if someone took a large coffee table size book and shrunk it down by 20%. It's readable, don't get me wrong, but eye strain will soon follow if you attempt to read it cover to cover.

I have really enjoyed reading and studying this well done book on WWI. We are planning a trip next year to visit the area and I wanted an indepth well organized book to start my research. Perfect for what I was needing.

Like many DK books, this volume contains a good selection of photographs and timelines. The 16 page guide to WW1 Memorials and Battlefields is a nice addition. However the text of the book does not provide the kind of narrative that effectively pulls together the various aspects of the war. Willmott's writing is not necessarily bad, but it isn't great either. It still rates as a good overview of the war since it treats the primary battles, and is visually rich. Don't rely on this as your only or primary source for WW1. For a much better history of the war, see John Keegan's "The First World War."

perfect present

The book was a gift for a World War buff. The pictures and reading about the events look quite interesting.