It was the greatest war the world had even seen and tallied sixteen million dead. From 28th July 1914 to 11th November 1918 the world went to war in what became known as The Great War, and later World War I.
Such an event was always going to be documented over the years and a raft of World War I poetry, literature, and novels exist. Today we’re recommending some of our favourite reads set around the First World War, feel free to add your own in the comments.

Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks
Fiction
Birdsong is a beautiful romantic novel, spanning three generations between the First World War and the present. A beautiful work of fiction as follow a young Englishman from a love affair to the trenches of No Man’s Land.
The First World War – John Keegan
Nonfiction
Keegan’s nonfiction book on the First World War is a modern day classic, bringing to life the bloody and futile conflict that caused the unnecessary death of millions. Accompanied by black and white photographs and quality maps this superbly written narrative is essential reading.


Goodbye To All That – Robert Graves
Memoir
Graves autobiography offers a beautifully written and detailed description of trench warfare, the incompetence of the Battle of Loos and the bitter fighting in the Somme Offensive, giving a first hand account of one of the bloodiest wars in history.
A Farewell to Arms – Ernest Hemingway
Fiction
Often lauded as the best American novel to emerge from World War I, Hemingway’s Farewell to Arms is a beautiful novel of love during wartime, an unforgettable story of an American ambulance driver and a beautiful English nurse.


Testament of Youth – Vera Brittain
Memoir
Much of what is known about World War I is owed to Vera Brittain’s unsparing book, setting the standard for WWI memoirists. Brittain abandoned her studies at Oxford in 1915 to enlist as a nurse, serving in London, Malta, and on the Western Front. By the end of the war, everyone she loved was dead. This is her story.
The First Casualty – Ben Elton
Fiction
Elton has a way of succinctly showing the absurdities of life. The First Casualty is a gut-wrenching historical drama that asks what is murder, and what is justice in the face of unimaginable slaughter.


The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 – Christopher Clark
Nonfiction
Clark has won awards for his work on German history and here he covers, in great detail, the start of the First World War, debating how the war begun. While comprehensive, The Sleepwalkers has received some criticism due to Clark’s failure to blame Germany for the war, instead blaming the whole of Europe.
Private Peaceful – Michael Morpurgo
Fiction
Written for young adults, Private Peaceful should be read by everyone. As the minutes tick by, Thomas Peaceful remembers his childhood, his life and the events that brought him to a terrible moment he must face.


The Penguin Book of First World War Poetry – Various
Poetry
For a hundred years it’s the poetry of World War I which has set the tone and this excellent collection brings together the best of that.
All Quiet on the Western Front – Erich Maria Remarque
Fiction
All Quiet on the Western Front describes the extreme physical and mental stress felt by German soldiers during World War I and the detachment they felt from civilian life if the were lucky enough to make it home.


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