The World Undone The Story of the Great War by G. J. Meyer  
2006 / 658 pgs. History/ Military and War

What a monster of a book!  It took me over a month to finish this masterpiece.  It is a very well-researched and detailed chronicle of the first world war.  Also, it is more than just belligerents going to war.  There is much more in this than all the key battles.  It is a wonderful narration about the war and its impact on the world.

The book is laid out in the same manner as many historical chronicles.  A section for each year is broken into chapters explaining a battle or significant event.  What makes this narration more interesting is the humanity that Meyer tries to add to the narration.  At the end of each chapter is a background that goes into details that add more seasoning.  Many of them are fascinating, especially about some of the biographies of world leaders or generals.   

The impact on humanity is illustrated with challenges citizens experienced after the destruction of cities and forced enlistment of men and boys by many nations—Germany, for example, enlisted in 1917 those born in 1900. 

Meyer paints an outstanding picture of the overall war.  While going into delicious details, naturally, he couldn’t feature every event like the Germans’ surrender on Fochs train car and how Foch walked off at the negotiations.  This event played a small but impactful historical role in the French surrender to Germany in 1939.

Would I recommend this? Absolutely!  I enjoyed every minute I was able to read this book.  At 658 pgs, it’s not a monster for page count, but a different demon for depth.  It is number 2 on my W.W.1 books, after the Guns of August. 

Enjoy a good cup of coffee and a wonderful book!

Lopaka