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The Soldier's War: The Great War Through Veterans' Eyes
 
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The Soldier's War: The Great War Through Veterans' Eyes (Paperback)

by Richard Van Emden (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
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Price For All Three: £15.25

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Product details

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (1 Jun 2009)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0747598738
  • ISBN-13: 978-0747598732
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 3.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 12,761 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #4 in  Books > History > Britain & Ireland > World War I 1914-1918
    #20 in  Books > History > World History > World War I 1914-1918
    #29 in  Books > History > Military History > World War I

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Product Description

Review
'Thousands of books have been written about the Great War, but perhaps none so vividly evocative as The Soldier's War an extraordinary homage to a lost generation' Daily Mail 'In The Soldier's War, Richard van Emden has toiled in archives and hunted down caches of letters to tell the story of the war chronologically through the eyes of the Tommies who fought it' The Times 'Not the least remarkable aspect of Van Emden's trawl through the memories of these survivors is that they are accompanied by around 100 unpublished photos Since original images from the war's sharp end are rarities, these pictures - blurred and fuzzy though many of them are - are themselves worth the price of the book' Literary Review 'Van Emden manages to establish in an immediate empathy with these ordinary men of Britain, thrown into such horrendous conditions. They hope, moan, laugh, grieve, despair and pray their way through the four years of the 'war to end all wars" Time Out

Review
`Profoundly moving ... extraordinary homage to a lost generation'
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Soldiers War., 18 Oct 2008
This review is from: Soldier's War: The Great War Through Veterans' Eyes (Hardcover)
I don't normally feel compelled to comment on any books I read, however this new book by Richard Van Emden is so good that I couldn't resist making my views known.
The book progresses year by year through the duration of the war, each chapter is full of amazing personal accounts most of which have never previously been published, through these Mr Van Emden sets out not just to tell us of the utter horror of the war, but also of the everyday experiences of the troops out of the line.
However it is not just the superb text that makes this book a must buy, the book also contains many truely excellent unpublished photos that I have never seen before. Most of these photos were taken by troops using their own cameras which was strictly against regulations, but thanks to their efforts they give us a remarkable view of their world.
This book isn't just for those who have a major interest in the war, but should be read by just about everyone in order to give us all a better understanding of what this generation suffered.
A really superb read.
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Soldiers' War, 10 Nov 2008
By JDB (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Soldier's War: The Great War Through Veterans' Eyes (Hardcover)
The Soldiers' War is genuinely exceptional. There are other Great War anthologies around, but this one stands out by a country mile. The book claims to contain primarily unpublished stories from 1914-1918 and whilst I do not know enough about the period to comment, I do not recognise any accounts that I have read before. Furthermore, the breadth and exquisite balance of the tales here makes this book so very gripping.
The book contains not just the familiar stories associated with the war, but others that I have never even thought about: There is a man pulling 18th Century pewter from a dugout, another finding a Roman Sword uncovered by a shell explosion. There are stories of the survival and the beauty of nature, and of men locating trout ponds behind the Somme Battlefield for a spot of fishing.
Some of the stories are frightening and, at times, violent; many others are deeply moving and occasionally almost poetic, emotionally charged as they are. Others are genuinely funny, such as the officer who writes about two Geordie friends one of whom is shot and wounded. One man rips open the tunic of the other, looks at the wound and says `ee man, its champion'. The friend, pleased with the nice wound, replies: `Howay, Geordie, gan awa and shake hands with the German for bein' sae canny.' The incredible gallows humour of conflict.
I found the illustrations extraordinary, not least because the soldiers themselves took them, using their own private cameras, which were banned and therefore illegal. I've never seen such privately taken images elsewhere, although one slight nit-picky point here is the quality of reproduction - it's good, but given their historical importance might have been a little better. That said, on the eve of the 90th anniversary of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, this book is an outstanding tribute to those men who lost so much, and whose sacrifices we must keep on remembering.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Personal accounts brought alive., 1 Nov 2008
By Capt John Rowlands "fotonix" (Anglesey, Wales, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Soldier's War: The Great War Through Veterans' Eyes (Hardcover)
Whilst this is in no way an original format for WW1 books, much of the material is. I have to be honest and say I was expecting more interesting new photographs, but they are remarkable from the point of view that they were taken on Kodak pocket cameras that were banned for most of the war.

The book is mainly a selection of personal accounts, and are a great way for those who have never taken an interest in WW1 to quickly get a feel for the experiences of soldiers without having to study the dry minutiae of war tactics and so on. My personal favourite cameo was one where a British soldier goes to steal some chickens for lunch, but comes across a German doing the same. The German merely nods to acknowledge the Tommy, and both carry on with catching their respective chickens and returning to their trenches.

In all, I think it's been a bit over-marketed on the new photos, but the book is certainly a must-read.


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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Moving and sincere
I purchased this book as I thought it would be the best way to get a real sense of what WW1 was like from a personal point of view. The book certainly did not disappoint. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Bess_Wheat

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Bought this for my partner for Christmas. He has thoroughly enjoyed reading it, although it is obviously quite a sad book.
Published 5 months ago by V. J. Scorer

5.0 out of 5 stars The Soldiers' War
There are a couple of truisms about the Great War: that it was a famously squalid and horrible four years entailing the senseless loss of swathes of Europe's youth; and that it... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mungo

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