3MPBFB Archives - Duckworth Books

Siegfried Sassoon

The definitive biography of one of the twentieth century’s finest poets, Siegfried Sassoon combines material from The Making of a War Poet and The Journey from the Trenches, the two bestselling volumes on Sassoon from his biographer and foremost scholar, Jean Moorcroft Wilson.

Encompassing the poet’s complete life and works, from his patriotic youth that led him to the frontline, to the formation of his anti-war convictions, great literary friendships and flamboyant love affairs, this single-volume opus also includes new poems only just come to light. With over a decade’s research, and unparalleled access to Sassoon’s private correspondence, Wilson presents the complete portrait, both elegant and heartfelt, of an extraordinary man, and an extraordinary poet.

The Dardanelles Disaster

The British Navy’s failed attempt to capture Constantinople and secure a sea route to Russia in 1915 marked a turning point of World War I. Acclaimed naval military historian Dan van der Vat argues that the disaster at the Dardanelles not only prolonged the war for two years and brought Britain to the brink of starvation, but also led to the Russian Revolution and contributed to the rapid destabilisation of the Middle East.

With a narrative rich in human drama, ‘The Dardanelles Disaster’ highlights the diplomatic clashes from Whitehall to the Hellespont, Berlin to Constantinople, and St Petersburg to the Bosporus. Van der Vat analyzes then-First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill’s response to the obstacles he faced and describes the fateful actions of the Turkish, German, and British governments throughout the Gallipoli Campaign. With detailed analysis of the battle’s events and never-before-published information on the German navy’s mine laying operations, ‘The Dardanelles Disaster’ tells a forgotten story from a fresh viewpoint, shedding light on one of World War I’s most pivotal moments – and in particular on one avoidable and monumental blunder.

The Truth of the First World War

Common wisdom has it that the German records of the First World War were mostly destroyed by Allied bombing during the Second World War. In this revelatory work, the result of 15 years of primary research, Peter Barton uncovers the letters, diaries, prisoner testimony, intercepted conversations, and myriad other intelligence reports still stored in the German national archives.

The enormous cache of unseen material is housed in archives all over Germany, parts of it covered in dust. For the astonishing fact is almost nobody has looked for them.

The discoveries force us to question what we know about the war, including the German experience. Most extraordinary are stories that can be linked directly to contrasting Allied records. Peter Barton’s painstaking researches now reveal: identified spies at the heart of the Entente leadership; intelligence coups by the German high command prior to key battles, which led to the war lasting so long; prisoner testimony, captured letters and diaries from captured Allied soldiers contradicting what they told folks back home; records of war crimes performed by Allied soldiers; and much more.

The Truth of the First World War is set to change our understanding of the First World War, arguably still the most influential event of modern history.

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