236 replies to this topic

[THE LORAX]

Many of us have posted on the Forum regarding our Favourite WW1 Books...here is a question for Forum Members,in your opinion which is the most boring/disliked Book that you have read concerning WW1...??????

definitely the seven pillars of wisdom. almost makes you wish he'd lost the manuscript a second time. how can he make that campaign so dull!

[3rdID]

I have attempted twice to read Weintraub's Silent Night.  That book is so utterly dry and unengaging.  It sounds like I need to read Myth of the Great War so I know what this hubbub is all about.

One of the most dissapointing books I've read is Philip Warner's Passchendaele.  He starts out with a German quotation saying that it was considered worse than Verdun and called "The Greatest Martyrdom of the World War".  I think he utterly failed at showing that it was worse than Verdun.  He didn't really convey the horror of fighting in those conditions.

[paul guthrie]

Do yourself a favor; don't read Myth of the Great War! If you must borrow it! Do not put money in the hands of that fool Mosier.

[egbert]

The Myth of the Great War is a great book !
Mosier just did not recognize Paul properly when they met in a WFA session

[3rdID]

With Snow On Their Boots was also a big dissapointment.  That book has serious editing problems and was very dry.  It had potential.

I also thought Asprey's At Belleau Wood was a let down.  It was dry and had too much nit picky tactical detail, IMO.

Regarding Myth of the Great War, the subtitle "How the Germans won the battles and how the Americans saved the Allies" is a telling statement.

[paul guthrie]

Never laid eyes on him and thank goodness I did not buy his ridiculous book either. Eggie just loves to give me grief about him. He's got to know the book is nonsense.

[3rdID]

Eggie just loves to give me grief about him.

[egbert]

He's got to know the book is nonsense.

Mosier's book has a place of honor in my humble GW library

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[paul guthrie]

Mosier's book has a place of honor in my humble GW library

Looks like a paperback to me!

[egbert]

Looks like a paperback to me!

Paul, l'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux! Its always the contents Paul, the contents, not the appearance!
And its great contents!

[mruk]

Your loyalty to Mosier is commendable, Egbert. It should do wonders for future sales. I'm still looking out for a cheap copy.

Cheers,
Dave

[paul guthrie]

Paul, l'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux! Its always the contents Paul, the contents, not the appearance!
And its great contents!

Eggie, you spent a year in Alabama so I know damn well you speak prefectly good redneck so what the hell are you doing going on to a Kentuckian in French?

[John Hartley]

I'm still looking out for a cheap copy.

You could have had mine, Dave. For the price of the postage.

But I threw it in the bin so as not inflict it on others. Not even worth sending to the charity shop.

John

[mruk]

Thankyou John,
I'm sure one of the refuse collectors will have greatly benefitted--or not.

Kind Regards,
Dave

[John Gilinsky]

Or, as Captain Blackadder would have said:  "Ah, yes Mosier.  Wonderful feel and thoroughly absorbent!"

[Jim Clay]

Do I take it, from the last few posts (egbert aside, of course   ), that ... Mosier ... should ... be ... avoided    ...?  Thought I should ask.

[egbert]

Well Jim everybody who hates the Huns and those with a healthy prejudice against them should avoid the book. All others: judge by yourself
@Paul: 5 years, 5 years and lost my 2 daughters who are still there
and Paul, did you miss this posting?

[truthergw]

This last little exchange has me intrigued. Plenty of Pals, whose opinions I value, slating the book. Egbert defending it. I went to have a look at the reviews in the jungle bookshop. On the face of it, I would not buy it but Egbert, why do you like it so much?  I am interested enough in the German viewpoint to have retaught myself Fraktur after a 50 year layoff. I generally avoid books which seek to debunk myth. I find they generally create more new ones than they dispel.

[egbert]

I would not buy it but Egbert, why do you like it so much?

Because some myths are blown! Seriously we had an extensive exchange of opinion, justification, excerpts in an old thread here on GWF. Just try to use the search function, maybe keyword "Mosier" or so....Paul do you remember where?

[tintin1689]

I am so glad I am not the only one who struggles with "With Snow on Their Boots" - there is just about enough to make a really good Osprey book there, but not the door stop it is...

One of the worst books I have ever read is "Assize of Arms" about the Disarmament Commission written by Major-General J H Morgan. I have Volume 1 (of two) brought out in the 1940's.

I thought that looks an interesting volume - alas! It rambles, lacks any sense of time and place and is just a stream of conciousness of intemperate bigotry against all things German of the "my auntie's cousin's best friend knew someone who met a man on the 'bus who had had the most frightful things done to his carpet by the Uhlans" type.

I can only assume they were short of propaganda in WW2 and had the General's rejected manuscript to hand. It would be interesting to see if Vol.2 ever came out.

If you want it don't buy it ($23 on Amazon) you can have mine

[truthergw]

Because some myths are blown! Seriously we had an extensive exchange of opinion, justification, excerpts in an old thread here on GWF. Just try to use the search function, maybe keyword "Mosier" or so....Paul do you remember where?

Found it Egbert. Mmmm. Think I am going to have to read this one. I'll see if I can con the local library into getting it.

[mastermindmichel]

The Dutch translation of Keegan's The First World War is the absolute worst!
The translator should be slapped...  
Luckily the original is of top quality.

[PoW1988]

Get those books in alphabetical order of surname of author...pfft!  Hee hee

Lynz

[mruk]

"The Wet Flanders Plain" by Henry Williamson.   [Please see Katie's thread on 'Book Reviews']

Cheers,
Dave

[John(txic)]

"Pyrrhic Victory: French Strategy & Operations in the Great war" by Robert Doughty.

Dull beyond belief - I gave up half-way through.