The Proud Tower by Barbara W. Tuchman

I'm so glad that I decided to embark upon my study of World War I with this epic series.  I was concerned that it was originally published in 1966.  But what it lacked in recency it more than made up for with its original, far-reaching approach to the subject.

The Proud Tower - the prequel to the war itself - covers the late 19th and early 20th century years as the war approaches.  And what I love most about Tuchman's writing is the cross-section of topics that she covers.  Sharing so much with my favorite historical writers (Will & Ariel Durant), she focuses on the cultural scene much more than the militaristic.  One of only eight chapters, for example, focuses almost exclusively on the music of German composer Richard Strauss.  What other history of the Great War does that?

I've absorbed perhaps a dozen books on the 19th century, yet Tuchman brought so many stories to life that I had little to no knowledge of.  How did I completely miss The Dreyfus Affair, on which Tuchman devotes another complete chapter?

Tuchman provides extensive coverage on anarchism, the Russian Ballet, the Peace Conferences in the Hague, the decline of the aristocracy in England and European progress for suffrage and representation and so much more.

The world was clearly on a precipice, and after reading this book I have a richer understanding of its complexity on the brink of war.