September 2008 The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman. The detail in this book is just mind-boggling. It took me 50-60 pages before I was in-sync with the pace of the information coming at me. But once I got over that hump, I found that I had a hard time putting down this book. Mrs. Tuchman tells the story of events leading up to the outbreak of WW1 and the first month's fighting in August 1914. Among history books, this one is unique because the author gives the readers a sense of uncertainty about events that happened 90+ years ago. She really puts the reader in the shoes of the soldiers and officers in each of the armies. The author also assumes a high level of understanding about 19th Century European history that had a bearing on the pre-war attitudes of the combatants. I found myself going to Norman Davies' Europe and Henry Kissinger's Diplomacy for background. the latter has two excellent chapters on the aftermath of Waterloo (1815) and the emergence of Realpolitik (Napolean III and Otto von Bismark) leading to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, which looms prominently in Tuchman's chapter 3 "In the Shadow of the Sedan." I enjoyed this book cover to cover, from it's profiles of the generals and politicians, to the clear descriptions of battles like Tannenberg, Mons and the Marne. Depsite it's length (400+ pages), it's very readable. Anther good, detailed WW1 book is A Peace to End All Peace. The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East by David Fromkin. 567 pages.