| Synopsis: |
It was the first war to envelop the globe, a war born of exploding ethnic tensions and ruthless empire building, a war that saw the first use of devastating technologies (machine guns, tanks, chemical weapons, air power). And, when it was over, its ineffective peace and lingering animosities would cast a dark shadow over the entire 20th century. Now, there is a remarkable new reference that makes the full scope of World War I accessible and relevant to today's students. Featuring a wealth of recent scholarship and a stunning collection of images, "World War I: A Student Encyclopedia" is the new standard introductory reference to the Great War, and to the nations and people whose lives were forever changed by it. In four exhaustive volumes with over 900 entries (over one million words plus hundreds of photos and illustrations), it gives students the opportunity to explore every aspect of the war - from its murky origins and wrenching battles to its dramatic social impact and tragic legacy. Contributions come from an author team of exceptional diversity, including scholars from a number of countries involved in the war that are not usually well-represented in works of this kind.Plus, an additional separate volume of primary sources puts an extraordinary collection of official documents, personal correspondence, and topical essays at your students' fingertips. There has never been a resource like it for giving students a sense of how participants and historians from around the world experienced and interpret World War I."World War I: A Student Encyclopedia" features: 900 A-Z entries covering military engagements (Battle of the Somme), cultural and political biographies (Lawrence of Arabia), geopolitical agreements (Treaty of Versailles), and much, much more; 150 contributors, including scholars from the United States, Britain, China, Japan, Australia, France, Germany, Austria, and Scandinavia, giving this encyclopedia an unprecedented global perspective; 700 photographs, including contemporaneous images of individuals, scenes from the front lines, and weapons technologies; 40 battle maps and locational maps provide the geographic context necessary to understand why the conflict moved and stalled; and new insights into a range of fascinating topics, including the pacifist movement, wartime atrocities, the efforts to establish international tribunals after the conflict, and the important role played by women, both in the battles and in the home front.Over the course of the last half-century, ABC-CLIO has earned an impeccable reputation, both as a publisher of innovative historical scholarship (especially military history) and as a source of reference works that communicate the complexities and relevance of the past for today's students. Those aspects of the ABC-CLIO publishing program come together in "World War I: A Student Encyclopedia". With this resource, students can follow the course of every battle and campaign, and can travel from the councils of military strategy to the corridors of political power to home fronts everywhere, meeting leading historic figures, soldiers in the trenches, and civilians caught up in the struggle. More importantly, they can get quick, authoritative answers to the crucial questions about the conflict's origins and aftermath. |