World War 1 Books
recommended by historians and novelists
Last updated: May 13, 2026
A wide range of WW1 books have been recommended on our site, exploring the outbreak of WW1, the conflict itself and the war's economic, political and cultural consequences.
Price of Glory: Verdun 1916 by Alistair Horne is a great account of the most destructive battle ever fought in Western Europe. Nexus: Strategic Communications and American Security in World War I by Jonathan Reed Winkler looks at the strategic importance of cables and communications technology during World War One. Haig’s Enemy: Crown Prince Rupprecht and Germany’s war on the Western Front by Jonathan Boff is a good take on the German view of the war.
On the consequences of World War 1, John Lewis Gaddis recommends The Wilsonian Moment: Self-determination and the International Origins of anti-Colonial Nationalism by Erez Manela, which looks at how President Wilson’s 14 points and his doctrine of national self-determination played out in Egypt, India, China and Korea. Our Foreign Affairs by Paul Scott Mowrer deals specifically with the role of the US in the aftermath of World War I. In Realm of the Black Mountain: A History of Montenegro Elizabeth Roberts looks at the only country on the winning side that disappeared (swallowed up by Serbia) in the wake of the First World War.
Larry Summers in the best books on globalisation recommends The Economic Consequences of the Peace by John Maynard Keynes as a highly influential book that influenced how the Versailles Treaty was adjusted to manage the economic problems of the post-war era. In The Great War and Modern Memory, Paul Fussell looks at how the experience of World War I changed modern literature.
Lastly, in her interview on the best children’s fiction of 2018, Zoe Greaves recommends Skylarks' War by Hilary McKay as a very accessible account of World War I for children.
The best books on World War I, recommended by Jonathan Boff
It’s been more than 100 years since World War I ended, but there is still very little consensus about what caused it, or what its consequences were. Historian Jonathan Boff talks us through the latest books and best modern interpretations of World War I.
The Best First World War Novels, recommended by Alice Winn
There are dozens of novels about the First World War, many of them well worth your time. Here, Alice Winn—author of In Memoriam, a bestselling story of forbidden love between two young soldiers—selects five of the very best, including autobiographical fiction by former officers and historical novels that bring humanity to the horror of the Great War.
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1
Poetry of the First World War: An Anthology
ed. Tim Kendall -
2
From the Line: Scottish War Poetry 1914-1945
ed. David Goldie and Roderick Watson -
3
The Penguin Book of First World War Poetry
ed. George Walter -
4
The War Poems of Wilfred Owen
by Wilfred Owen, ed. John Stallworthy -
5
The Annotated Collected Poems
by Edward Thomas, ed. Edna Longley
The best books on Poetry of the First World War, recommended by Guy Cuthbertson
The best books on Poetry of the First World War, recommended by Guy Cuthbertson
Poetry written during the First World War has remained prominent in the public consciousness for more than a century; writers like Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, and Robert Graves are still commonly studied in British schools and universities. Here, Guy Cuthbertson—literary scholar and author of an acclaimed biography of Owen—selects five books to give an overview of the poetry produced during the Great War.
The best books on Legacies of World War One, recommended by Wade Davis
The explorer and author of Into the Silence, Wade Davis, tells us that the consequences of the Great War were much more than merely political. He says the war had a noticeable impact on exploration, arts and literature, and modernity itself.
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1
On War
by Carl von Clausewitz -
2
Yorck and the Era of Prussian Reform 1807
by Peter Paret -
3
L'or et le sang: Les buts de guerre économiques de la Première Guerre mondiale
by Georges-Henri Soutou -
4
Vessel of Sadness
by William Woodruff -
5
The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One
by David Kilcullen
The Best Military History Books, recommended by Hew Strachan
The Best Military History Books, recommended by Hew Strachan
It’s no longer enough for military history to be just about battles told from the winning side, says Sir Hew Strachan, a leading historian on World War I and editor of the ‘Great Battles’ series. He talks us through what makes a great military history.
