David Eppenstein's Reviews > A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918

This August will mark the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI. I expect we will be hearing a lot about that war as the anniversary draws near. If you were to desire preparing for the event I can think of no better book to read than this one. This is the second book by G.J. Meyer that I have read in the last few months. The first book was a biography of the Borgias that I found remarkably refreshing in its approach to the subject and its challenges to accepted beliefs. In this book Meyer takes a very complex war and makes it understandable. Where most historians would bog themselves and their readers down with unnecessary details, facts, and figures Meyer uses only enough to illustrate his point and convey the scope of the events. The statistics from WWI are astounding and are certainly difficult to avoid but they can also bog down and dull a reader's interest. Meyer uses what is necessary and has made the history understandable and readable and I will be looking for more books by this talented author.