--- product_id: 4288687 title: "The First World War" brand: "hew strachan" price: "HK$259" currency: HKD in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.hk/products/4288687-the-first-world-war store_origin: HK region: Hong Kong --- # The First World War **Brand:** hew strachan **Price:** HK$259 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The First World War by hew strachan - **How much does it cost?** HK$259 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.hk](https://www.desertcart.hk/products/4288687-the-first-world-war) ## Best For - hew strachan enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted hew strachan brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The First World War ## Images ![The First World War - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51mYjrtczdL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great Book on World War I *by A***D on Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2023* The author is one of the better experts on the First World War and has a detailed but fluid writing style. Excellent book !Book store service was great too, book was as promised and speedy on delivery. Thank You All. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Solid, but not for beginners *by J***N on Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2011* This one-volume history of the Great War differs from others I have read over the years. While most of them focus on the trench warfare of the Western Front, emphasizing battles like Ypres, Verdun, The Somme, and so on, this book gives far more space to action in the East, in the Balkans, in Africa, in the Middle East, and even in the Pacific. This change of focus, I can see, has been disconcerting to other reviewers. I find it welcome, interesting and refreshing, perhaps a useful corrective.So much of our consciousness of the Great War comes, of course, from icons of the West, whether it's Owen, Sassoon or Remarque or Junger. This, perhaps, has had something of a distorting effect on our understanding of this conflict, blinding us as to how events in Austria-Hungary, Poland, and Italy shaped what happened in the West and elsewhere. Strachan treats the Great War as truly a World War, and says much about the interrelationships of various theaters as well as local politics.I wouldn't call this, though, a military history. It's more a geopolitical history that provides some treatment of strategy and tactics. For instance, it discusses economics (to include stock and commodity prices), industrial development, and local agriculture in a way I've never seen in such a book before. It discusses diplomacy and national politics more than it does Petain's problems resupplying Verdun, or the German adoption of Hutier tactics in 1918. So if you are looking for a book on how the war was actually fought by the opposing forces, this isn't for you -- try Keegan's history instead.I also would never suggest that this be someone's first read as a World War I history. It's clear from the beginning that the author presupposes a lot of knowledge on the part of his reader about prewar Europe, particularly prewar diplomacy. Lots of names are dropped that would only be recognized by those already well read on the subject. It seems also that Strachan is comfortable not relaying in depth events in the West as he takes them to be well known (hence, Passchendale merits about a page or so, almost as if in passing).I enjoy Strachan's deft writing. He knows where and how to drop in the revealing statistic, the pregnant quote, the striking anecdote. He keeps the narrative going, and rarely wastes a word. And obviously he has magisterial knowledge of the War. I'm tempted now to take on his multivolume history (after I work down the current reading queue a bit).The book makes excellent use of pictures. It provides a generous section of color plates, most of which I had never seen before, and drops in many fascinating black and white pictures at relevant moments -- all are well selected to reveal the character of events.My main complaint -- and I complain about this often with histories -- is that the book has too few maps. The maps it provides at the beginning are helpful, of course, but when considering specific actions readers like me really beg for more local maps showing unit positions, objectives, and so on. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Hew Strachan’s The First World War reads like a collection of lecture notes *by C***E on Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2017* Hew Strachan’s The First World War reads like a collection of lecture notes—full of useful and interesting information, but lacking the needed professorial asides. Further, some of Strachan’s insights would be lost on a reader lacking in a basic understanding of the Great War.Those cautions considered, The First World War is a welcome addition to the literature of the first modern total war. Its ten chapters are more thematic than chronological, lending to a more complete appreciation for aspects of the World War I that are typically left unexamined by other authors.“Chapter 1- To Arms” explores the policy reasons that compelled the European powers to go to war. Austria-Hungary, a multi-ethnic empire, found its internal power structures profoundly threatened by the growing unrest on its southern border. Strachan lends his deep knowledge to helping today’s reader comprehend how such a devastating war could start when few at the time expected it:“For Austria-Hungary the situation in the Balkans was as much a matter of domestic politics as of foreign policy. The empire consisted of eleven different nationalities, and many of them had ethnic links to independent states that lay beyond its frontiers. Austria itself was largely German, but there were Italians in Tyrol, Slovenes in Styria, Czechs in Bohemia and Moravia, and Poles and Ruthenes in Galicia. In the Hungarian half of the so-called Dual Monarchy, the Magyars were politically dominant but numerically in a minority, hemmed in by Slovaks to the north, Romanians to the east, and Croats to the south.”Such geographical and ethnic realities greatly magnified the potential threat of local events, setting in motion what would become a massive conflict.Chapters seven and eight expound on parts of the war often glossed over: the effect of the blockade on Germany’s war production and the morale of the Central powers home front, and the revolutionary forces unleashed by total war’s privations.The First World War is a needed addition to any serious student’s library of contemporary war.Reviewer: A former California State Assemblyman and retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, Chuck DeVore is an executive with the Texas Public Policy Foundation and the author of three books, the most recent being, "The Crisis of the House Never United, A Novel of Early America." --- ## 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.hk/products/4288687-the-first-world-war](https://www.desertcart.hk/products/4288687-the-first-world-war) --- *Product available on Desertcart Hong Kong* *Store origin: HK* *Last updated: 2026-04-22*