World Crisis 1911-1918 (Penguin Books)

Winston Churchill's superlative account of the prelude to and events of the First World War is a defining work of twentieth-century history. With dramatic narrative power Churchill reconstructs the action on the Western and Eastern Fronts, the wars at sea and in the air and the advent of tanks and U-boats. He vividly describes the Lusitania's sinking, the heroics of the Battle of Jutland, Verdun's 'soul-stirring frenzy', the bloodshed of Gallipoli, the Somme and Passchendaele, and the USA's entry into the conflict. Rich with personal insights, this magisterial book is testament to the author's role in the Great War's conduct and outcome and fully demonstrates his brilliance as a historian.