The pacy, sensitive and formidably argued history of the causes of the First World War, from acclaimed historian and author Christopher Clark FINANCIAL TIMES BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2014 SUNDAY TIMES and INDEPENDENT BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2012 Winner of the Los Angeles Times History Book Prize 2014 The moments that it took Gavrilo Princip to step forward to the stalled car and shoot dead Franz Ferdinand and his wife were perhaps the most fateful of the modern era. An act of terrorism of staggering efficiency, it fulfilled its every ...
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The pacy, sensitive and formidably argued history of the causes of the First World War, from acclaimed historian and author Christopher Clark FINANCIAL TIMES BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2014 SUNDAY TIMES and INDEPENDENT BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2012 Winner of the Los Angeles Times History Book Prize 2014 The moments that it took Gavrilo Princip to step forward to the stalled car and shoot dead Franz Ferdinand and his wife were perhaps the most fateful of the modern era. An act of terrorism of staggering efficiency, it fulfilled its every aim: it would liberate Bosnia from Habsburg rule and it created a powerful new Serbia, but it also brought down four great empires, killed millions of men and destroyed a civilization. What made a seemingly prosperous and complacent Europe so vulnerable to the impact of this assassination? In The Sleepwalkers Christopher Clark retells the story of the outbreak of the First World War and its causes. Above all, it shows how the failure to understand the seriousness of the chaotic, near genocidal fighting in the Balkans would drag Europe into catastrophe. Reviews: 'Formidable ... one of the most impressive and stimulating studies of the period ever published' Max Hastings, Sunday Times 'Easily the best book ever written on the subject ... A work of rare beauty that combines meticulous research with sensitive analysis and elegant prose. The enormous weight of its quality inspires amazement and awe ... Academics should take note: Good history can still be a good story' Washington Post 'A lovingly researched work of the highest scholarship. It is hard to believe we will ever see a better narrative of what was perhaps the biggest collective blunder in the history of international relations' Niall Ferguson '[Reading The Sleepwalkers], it is as if a light had been turned on a half-darkened stage of shadowy characters cursing among themselves without reason ... [Clark] demolishes the standard view ... The brilliance of Clark's far-reaching history is that we are able to discern how the past was genuinely prologue ... In conception, steely scholarship and piercing insights, his book is a masterpiece' Harold Evans, New York Times Book Review 'Impeccably researched, provocatively argued and elegantly written ... a model of scholarship' Sunday Times Books of the Year 'Superb ... effectively consigns the old historical consensus to the bin ... It's not often that one has the privilege of reading a book that reforges our understanding of one of the seminal events of world history' Mail Online 'A monumental new volume ... Revelatory, even revolutionary ... Clark has done a masterful job explaining the inexplicable' Boston Globe 'Superb ... One of the great mysteries of history is how Europe's great powers could have stumbled into World War I ... This is the single best book I have read on this important topic' Fareed Zakaria 'A meticulously researched, superbly organized, and handsomely written account Military History Clark is a masterly historian ... His account vividly reconstructs key decision points while deftly sketching the context driving them ... A magisterial work' Wall Street Journal 'This compelling examination of the causes of World War I deserves to become the new standard one-volume account of that contentious subject' Foreign Affairs 'A brilliant contribution' Times Higher Education 'Clark is fully alive to the challenges of the subject ... He provides vivid portraits of leading figures ... [He] also gives a rich sense of what contemporaries believed was at stake in the crises leading up to the war' Irish Times 'In recent decades, many analysts had tended to put most blame for the disaster [of the First World War] on Germany. Clark strongly renews an older interpretation which sees the statesmen of many countries as blundering blindly together into war' Stephen Howe, Independent Books of the Year About the author: Christopher Clark is Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of
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Add this copy of The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 to cart. $2.62, fair condition, Sold by KuleliBooks rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Phoenix, AZ, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Harper.
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The item is fairly worn but still readable. The book may have some cosmetic wear (i.e. creased spine/cover, scratches, curled corners, folded pages, sunburn, stains, water damage, bent, torn, damaged binding, dent). -The dust jacket if present, may be marked, and have considerable heavy wear. -The book might be ex-library copy, and may have the markings and stickers associated from the library-The book may have considerable highlights/notes/underlined pages but the text is legible-Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included-Safe and Secure Mailer-No Hassle Return.
Add this copy of The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 to cart. $2.81, fair condition, Sold by Dream Books Co. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Denver, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2014 by Harper Perennial.
Add this copy of The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 to cart. $3.74, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brooklyn Park, MN, UNITED STATES, published 2014 by Harper Perennial.
Add this copy of The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 to cart. $4.15, good condition, Sold by Goodwill Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hillsboro, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2014 by Harper Perennial.
Add this copy of The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 to cart. $5.00, good condition, Sold by HPB-Red rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2014 by Harper Perennial.
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Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used textbooks may not include companion materials such as access codes, etc. May have some wear or writing/highlighting. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 to cart. $5.00, good condition, Sold by HPB-Red rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Harper.
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Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used textbooks may not include companion materials such as access codes, etc. May have some wear or writing/highlighting. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 to cart. $5.16, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Penguin Group.
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Fair. The book is 100% readable but visibly worn, and damaged. This may include stains. tears, rips, folded pages, binding damage, dents, scuffs, scratches and sticker residue. The book also may contain heavy highlighting and notes. Most books listed do not fall under these conditions as we tend to underlist. If you would like a photo of your purchase, please contact us.
Add this copy of The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 to cart. $5.16, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Penguin Group.
Add this copy of The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 to cart. $5.16, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Penguin Group.
I'll compare this book to Barbara Tuchman's seminal "Guns of August". This is a more complete and detailed review of the historical conditions and events that lead to the war. From an academic perspective this is a superior account to Tuchman's.
The author does create a narrative structure but the academic nature of the discussion sometimes drags. A excellent discussion is made of the conflicting nature of governmental policies and personalities
I would recommend this title for WWI buffs who are interested and motivated by the topic. For the novice or casual reader "Guns of August" would be a better choice.
The author has public lectures for viewing at the Gresham College, UK site. One of his lectures lead me the book.
Charles E. H
Feb 27, 2014
The author provided me with a wider under standing of the many people and States involved in Middle Europe prior to World War I.
