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.

Fighting France (1915), by Edith Wharton

The noted American novelist Edith Wharton was living in Paris when World War I broke out in August 1914. She then travelled throughout the war zone on the Western Front, and recorded her observations in Scribner's Magazine and the book Fighting France: From Dunkerque to Belport.

Four Weeks in the Trenches (1915), by Fritz Kreisler

World War I took millions of people from their chosen work, including many well-known individuals. These included the famous Austrian violinist Fritz Kreisler, whose short involvement in the war in August and September of 1914 is realistically and humanly chronicled in Four Weeks in the Trenches: The War Story of a Violinist.

The First Hundred Thousand (1915), by Ian Hay

The lives of soldiers became a popular subject for writers about World War I. The First Hundred Thousand by Ian Hay (1876-1952) describes in realistic detail the journey of Hay from a new recruit in training in 1914 to a hardened battlefield veteran in 1915. Hay was a popular novelist whose real name was Ian Hay Beith.

A Hilltop on the Marne (1915), by Mildred Aldrich

When the journalist Mildred Aldrich (1853-1928) decided to retire to a small hamlet in rural France, she had no idea that she would soon be applying her journalistic skills to one of the early battles of World War I—the first Battle of the Marne.

The Evidence in the Case as to the Moral Responsibility for the War (1915), by James M. Beck

The two weeks leading up to the beginning of World War I have been a rich source of analysis for historians, politicians, and other readers.  Those fateful days contained many clues about the different crucial turning points that led to the most destructive war in history.

A strong yearning to learn all of the reasons for the war persisted in many people, continuing many months after the start of the war.  That demand was partially met by the publication in March 1915 of a revised edition of The Evidence in the Case as to the Moral Responsibility for the War, by James M. Beck (1861-1936).

The Audacious War (1915), by Clarence W. Barron

Wars are closely related to the economies of the countries involved in those wars.  They often start as a way to protect or strengthen an economy.  Once they start, the costs of the war must be factored into a country's economy. Decisions then must be made about how to divide up economic resources between the military and general population.

In late 1914, Wall Street Journal publisher Clarence W. Barron (1855-1928) traveled to England and France to learn firsthand the reasons for the world war that had raged since August 1914.

This visit resulted in a series of articles in The Wall Street Journal from December 29, 1914 to February 4, 1915 that focused on the financial issues of the war.  These articles were later collected in the book The Audacious War.

America and the World War (1915), by Theodore Roosevelt

When World War I broke out, many people in the United States wondered how their country should react. Should the U.S. give any verbal or material support to any of the countries fighting in the war? Should it prepare for possible involvement in the war?

A strong advocate for increased military preparedness was former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, who outlined his proposals in a series of newspaper articles that was published by the Wheeler Syndicate from September 1914 to December 1914. These articles were included in a book that was published in January 1915—America and the World War.

Causes and Battles of the Colossal War in Europe (1915), by Charles Maxwell

As World War I progressed, human interest stories emerged, along with general reporting and analyses.  Causes and Battles of the Colossal War in Europe includes many examples of the personal impact of war in what was not a new book but an update to the 1914 book The True Story of The Great European War.

This new section—"Pathos and Patriotism of the War"—was Book IV of Causes and Battles, following the three sections that were originally published in The True Story (Book I, "The World-Staggering War"; Book II, "Causes and Consequences of the Great War"; and Book III, "Means and Resources of the Great War").