--- product_id: 1605295 title: "The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I" price: "€ 23.41" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.hr/products/1605295-the-guns-of-august-the-pulitzer-prize-winning-classic-about store_origin: HR region: Croatia --- # The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I **Price:** € 23.41 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I - **How much does it cost?** € 23.41 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.hr](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/1605295-the-guns-of-august-the-pulitzer-prize-winning-classic-about) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I [Barbara W. Tuchman, Robert K. Massie] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I Review: WW1 comes alive with all its blunders and madness! - Written in 1962, this is a fascinating history of the beginnings of WW1 and is the result of a vast amount of research. It's all true, and all documented, and even though it's a dense read, the huge cast of characters springs to life. This is the story of a war that changed the course of history. And it's also a story of the men who make the war. The reader gets to see the blunders and the madness and the personal feuds. And the humanity of the imperfect human beings who make the decisions that result in slaughter. There are maps in the book describing the battles. There are also photographs. But I must admit that I barely looked at the maps. And I found all the photos of the elderly generals very similar. What I did love though was the sweep of the story as well as the many details that go into waging a war. Previously, most war books I've read had to do with the experience of the soldiers. But this book is about the experience of making decisions, often based on folly. And it opened my eyes to how vulnerable the ordinary person is to the whims of the generals and the forces of pure chance. Ms. Tuchman also had a sense of irony and humor and sometimes I found myself laughing out loud. The narrative of the month of August 1914 is described hour by hour. Belgium has to make a decision to accept an awful defeat or willingly allow the Germans to march through their neutral territory. There are alliances in place that are just waiting to be broken. The Russians come into the war. So do the British, even though it is with much reluctance. The basic war is between France and Germany, almost a continuation of the defeat the French suffered at the hands of the Germans during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. Before I read this book, I didn't know much about WW1. Now I do. It was a war that defined the breakdown of the European nobility and set the stage for the next war, which was even more horrific. It taught me a lot, especially about how many people wind up dying because of the quest for power. It saddened me too because this quest for power is basic. So is the folly of mankind. The only thing that has changed is technology. This book is a masterful work. It lays the groundwork for an understanding of the mechanics of war. I might not remember all of the names of the generals or the battle plans. But I will always remember the feeling of being right there, watching the decisions being made, marching for miles in spite of fatigue, handling the big guns, making courageous decisions that sometimes led to disaster. And, especially, knowing that this is the true face of war. Highly recommended. Review: Informative, well written and captivating - How do you critique a book given almost universal acclaim, and the winner of a Pulitzer prize? The answer would have to be "Very carefully". I tend to prefer the shorter and more concise works, but found myself immersed in this very detailed and excellent analysis of the origins of World War I, aka The Great War. However, in spite of the slowness of reading, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Let me say, if you happen to be of German descent, which I am, you might NOT like this book. It is not complimentary to German leadership and priorities, or even to the tendency of the German people to be docile and obedient to their leadership. However, her analysis of the average German citizen's obedience is not presented as her opinion, but rather is presented as the reported opinion of the German leadership themselves. Still, I found it to be a reasonable and interesting assessment of the causes of the Great War, and not at all derogatory. As a historian, Tuchman provides details and analysis that goes beyond normal historical writings. She has done her research, and organized it very intelligently. The result, to me, is an analysis that showed the errors, foolishness and military gaffes of all sides. Many historical writings concern themselves with WHAT happened. Tuchman tells us why, and how it happened, and helps us understand the years following 1914 in ways that simple facts do not. Tuchman's style of writing is also to be commended. I found it interesting and entertaining. She is an excellent wordsmith, leading me to investigate other of her writings. As the result, I am now reading a book written 4 years before The Guns of August entitled The Zimmerman Telegram, concerning events that led the United States into the conflict in 1917. I highly recommend The Guns of August for anyone wanting to do more than just KNOW history, but also UNDERSTAND it. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #30,315 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #4 in World War I History (Books) #8 in History Encyclopedias #116 in World History (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 8,399 Reviews | ## Images ![The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71vkxIftlzL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ WW1 comes alive with all its blunders and madness! *by L***C on February 9, 2003* Written in 1962, this is a fascinating history of the beginnings of WW1 and is the result of a vast amount of research. It's all true, and all documented, and even though it's a dense read, the huge cast of characters springs to life. This is the story of a war that changed the course of history. And it's also a story of the men who make the war. The reader gets to see the blunders and the madness and the personal feuds. And the humanity of the imperfect human beings who make the decisions that result in slaughter. There are maps in the book describing the battles. There are also photographs. But I must admit that I barely looked at the maps. And I found all the photos of the elderly generals very similar. What I did love though was the sweep of the story as well as the many details that go into waging a war. Previously, most war books I've read had to do with the experience of the soldiers. But this book is about the experience of making decisions, often based on folly. And it opened my eyes to how vulnerable the ordinary person is to the whims of the generals and the forces of pure chance. Ms. Tuchman also had a sense of irony and humor and sometimes I found myself laughing out loud. The narrative of the month of August 1914 is described hour by hour. Belgium has to make a decision to accept an awful defeat or willingly allow the Germans to march through their neutral territory. There are alliances in place that are just waiting to be broken. The Russians come into the war. So do the British, even though it is with much reluctance. The basic war is between France and Germany, almost a continuation of the defeat the French suffered at the hands of the Germans during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. Before I read this book, I didn't know much about WW1. Now I do. It was a war that defined the breakdown of the European nobility and set the stage for the next war, which was even more horrific. It taught me a lot, especially about how many people wind up dying because of the quest for power. It saddened me too because this quest for power is basic. So is the folly of mankind. The only thing that has changed is technology. This book is a masterful work. It lays the groundwork for an understanding of the mechanics of war. I might not remember all of the names of the generals or the battle plans. But I will always remember the feeling of being right there, watching the decisions being made, marching for miles in spite of fatigue, handling the big guns, making courageous decisions that sometimes led to disaster. And, especially, knowing that this is the true face of war. Highly recommended. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Informative, well written and captivating *by T***N on March 29, 2010* How do you critique a book given almost universal acclaim, and the winner of a Pulitzer prize? The answer would have to be "Very carefully". I tend to prefer the shorter and more concise works, but found myself immersed in this very detailed and excellent analysis of the origins of World War I, aka The Great War. However, in spite of the slowness of reading, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Let me say, if you happen to be of German descent, which I am, you might NOT like this book. It is not complimentary to German leadership and priorities, or even to the tendency of the German people to be docile and obedient to their leadership. However, her analysis of the average German citizen's obedience is not presented as her opinion, but rather is presented as the reported opinion of the German leadership themselves. Still, I found it to be a reasonable and interesting assessment of the causes of the Great War, and not at all derogatory. As a historian, Tuchman provides details and analysis that goes beyond normal historical writings. She has done her research, and organized it very intelligently. The result, to me, is an analysis that showed the errors, foolishness and military gaffes of all sides. Many historical writings concern themselves with WHAT happened. Tuchman tells us why, and how it happened, and helps us understand the years following 1914 in ways that simple facts do not. Tuchman's style of writing is also to be commended. I found it interesting and entertaining. She is an excellent wordsmith, leading me to investigate other of her writings. As the result, I am now reading a book written 4 years before The Guns of August entitled The Zimmerman Telegram, concerning events that led the United States into the conflict in 1917. I highly recommend The Guns of August for anyone wanting to do more than just KNOW history, but also UNDERSTAND it. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The month that changed the world forever. *by C***. on February 16, 2019* A masterfully written and easy-to-read account of the first month of the First World War. Refreshingly, the book does not begin with the demise of the Habsburg heir, but with an account of a prior funeral, which serves to showcase the peculiar propensities and invidious and insidious intentions of Kaiser Wilhelm II. My only quarrel with Tuchman is that after documenting the Kaiser’s habitually psychotic rants, she succumbs to the universal tendency to take his August 1st session with General Moltke at face value, and to credit Willy with cold feet at the last minute. Nothing could be further from the truth: Wilhelm II was a master manipulator, and he made sure to snare everyone (including Moltke) in his web of deception, so that he would be “on the record” as being blameless for acting on his long-cherished desire to prosecute the ultimate war of Teutonic hegemony. The photographs selected for the book are all unusual: none of them became the iconic images seen in later histories. The maps that are included are minimalist in design (black-and-white line drawings), but most of them manage to convey troop movements understandably. (The endpaper maps are the exception: they suffer from the inclusion of confusing topographic features, and a lack of contrast due to their being rendered in shades of grey.) Chapters are given descriptive titles, making the table of contents the helpful tool it is meant to be. Tuchman employs an unwieldy end-notes system, but she does it with diligent attention to detail, so the reader is not left wondering where the in-text quotations came from. The book is thoroughly indexed. I read the public library’s well-thumbed 1962 first edition, but added a copy to my own library, for further study. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.hr/products/1605295-the-guns-of-august-the-pulitzer-prize-winning-classic-about](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/1605295-the-guns-of-august-the-pulitzer-prize-winning-classic-about) --- *Product available on Desertcart Croatia* *Store origin: HR* *Last updated: 2026-07-11*