Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Short Rations: An American Woman in Germany (1917), by Madeleine Z. Doty

The German home front is a major topic in this book by Madeleine Z. Doty, who in 1917 was best known as a lawyer who was involved in prison reform. The title of the book refers to deprivations on the home front while men were fighting the war.

The book details trips to Germany by Doty in 1915 and 1916 that were part journalism assignments and part journeys of curiosity.

Saturday, November 11, 2023

Kings, Queens and Pawns (1915), by Mary Roberts Rinehart

One of the most compelling parts of books written during World War I is the contrast between the initial observations of eyewitnesses and the war-weary insights of participants who have had to learn to accept the daily realities of war.

That contrast is a running theme of Kings, Queens and Pawns, by the American author Mary Roberts Rinehart, who by 1915 had become a well-known author of novels, plays, and short stories.

Monday, March 20, 2023

Fear God and Take Your Own Part (1916), by Theodore Roosevelt

Fear God and Take Your Own Part was a followup to Theodore Roosevelt's 1915 book, America and the World War.  That earlier book was a collection of writings by Roosevelt in late 1914, after war had broken out in Europe.

In Fear God and Take Your Own Part, Roosevelt wrote about the response of the United States to German aggression during the war, in particular the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915, which caused the deaths of many United States citizens. 

Friday, November 11, 2022

Now It Can Be Told (1920), by Philip Gibbs

By 1920, the postwar period after World War I was well under way.  The Armistice and the Treaty of Versailles had been signed.  Throughout a much-changed world, people looked to the future with a mixture of hope and dread.

It was also a time of serious reflection about the physical and emotional destruction of the European war that had lasted for more than four years.

For noted British war correspondent Philip Gibbs (1877-1962), that reflection took the form of a 558-page book titled Now It Can Be Told.

Thursday, November 11, 2021

Gallipoli (1916), by John Masefield

The British-led effort in 1915 to take the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey and take control of the Dardanelles waterway is one of the most debated and discussed campaigns of World War I.

An early contributor to this discussion was the famous British writer John Masefield, who took a break from his usual work as poet, playwright, and novelist to write the 1916 book Gallipoli.

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

The White Flame of France (1918), by Maude Radford Warren

Writers from North America who travelled to Europe to gather material for newspaper articles, magazine articles, and books about the European War were always on a journey of understanding.

When The Saturday Evening Post sent Canadian and United States novelist Maude Radford Warren (1875–1934) to Europe in 1916, the articles that she wrote for the Post in 1917 later formed the content of the 1918 book The White Flame of France.  The book takes the reader from Warren's trans-Atlantic voyage to the trenches of northeastern France.

Sunday, November 11, 2018

My Home in the Field of Mercy (1917), by Frances Wilson Huard

After Frances Wilson Huard returned from the long journey to escape the Battle of the Marne that she described in My Home in the Field of Honour, she devoted herself to using her large home in Villiers, France as a hospital for wounded soldiers.

My Home in the Field of Mercy describes the challenges of providing medical care during wartime.  It is also a good account of how people selflessly adapted to wartime conditions and generously offered whatever they had to give, both large and small.

Saturday, November 11, 2017

My Four Years in Germany (1917), by James W. Gerard

American public opinion was generally against Germany from almost the beginning of World War I, but that didn't prevent the United States from having a diplomatic presence in Germany for the first 2 1/2 years of the war. This time period is described in My Four Years in Germany, by the American ambassador to Germany at the time, James W. Gerard (1867-1951).

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

On the Edge of the War Zone (1917), by Mildred Aldrich

As the years of World War I dragged on, civilians near the fighting were challenged to live their private lives as well as possible. That effort for one person is described in On the Edge of the War Zone: From the Battle of the Marne to the Entrance of the Stars and Stripes, by Mildred Aldrich (1853-1928).

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

First Lessons in Spoken French for Men in Military Service (1917), by Ernest H. Wilkins and others

The training of American soldiers and other military personnel involved more than how to shoot a gun or work in a team. It also involved learning the language of the country where they would most likely be working—France.

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Balfour, Viviani and Joffre (1917), by Francis W. Halsey

Soon after the United States entered World War I in April 1917, it was visited by diplomats from its war allies. These visits solidified the combined efforts of the allies through private meetings, speeches, parades, and ceremonial visits to historical sites.

Monday, September 18, 2017

England's Effort (1916), by Mrs. Humphry Ward

About 18 months into World War I, the English novelist Mrs. Humphry Ward (Mary Augusta Ward) felt compelled to explain to an American friend how English society was meeting the challenges of the war.

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Towards the Goal (1917), by Mrs. Humphry Ward

A spirit of hopefulness permeates Towards the Goal by the British novelist Mrs. Humphry Ward (Mary Augusta Ward).

The battle of the Somme in 1916 was seen in early 1917 as a morale-raising victory for England and its ally France. England's contributions to this battle were made possible by a military force that had grown significantly since World War I began in August 1914.

Thursday, August 17, 2017

The Living Present (1917), by Gertrude Atherton

World War I pushed many people out of their usual roles in society and gave them new ideas about their capabilities.

In The Living Present, the American historical novelist Gertrude Atherton (1857-1948) showed how Frenchwomen from every level of society were forced into new roles to support soldiers, as well as civilians whose lives were uprooted by the war. Atherton had been contributing political commentary to newspapers that often differed in tone from her popular novels.

Friday, July 21, 2017

Over the Top (1917), by Arthur Guy Empey

When American soldiers began their training after the United States entered World War I in 1917, many of them probably had a copy of the book Over the Top: By an American Soldier Who Went.

Friday, July 14, 2017

The Battle of the Somme (1917), by John Buchan

One of the most significant battles of World War I was thoroughly documented in book form by a famous novelist just months after the battle ended. The Battle of the Somme was written by John Buchan (1875-1940), a Scottish novelist who was well-known for the books The Thirty-Nine Steps and Greenmantle.

Friday, July 7, 2017

Why We Are At War (1917), by Woodrow Wilson

The official reasons for the entry of the United States into World War I on April 6, 1917 are stated in Why We Are At War, by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson.

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Our Part in the Great War (1917), by Arthur Gleason

When the United States entered World War I on April 6, 1917, a recently published book helped Americans understand why they were fighting. It also described the significant contributions already made to the war effort by other Americans.

Thursday, June 8, 2017

Flying for France (1917), by James R. McConnell

Before the United States entered World War I on April 6, 1917, many American citizens felt individually compelled to participate in the war. A prominent group of such Americans was the Lafayette Escadrille, who enlisted in the French military as fighter pilots.

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Italy, France and Britain at War (1917), by H.G. Wells

By the time World War I started, British writer H.G. Wells (1866-1946) had made an international name for himself with speculative fiction like The Time Machine (1895) and social fiction like Kipps (1905).

During the war, Wells wrote much fiction and nonfiction about the conflict, including a 1917 book that was published in the United States under the title Italy, France, and Britain at War. As the title indicates, the book is a history of the war, focusing on Wells's observations of the Western and Italian Fronts after he had toured them in 1916.