Books in Essential Histories series

Raging for over four years across the tortured landscapes of Europe, Africa and the Middle East, the First World War changed the face of warfare forever. Characterized by slow, costly advances and fierce attrition, the great battles of the Somme, Verdun and Ypres incurred human loss on a scale never previously imagined. This book, with a foreword by Professor Hew Strachan, covers the fighting on all fronts, from Flanders to Tannenberg and from Italy to Palestine. A series of moving extracts from personal letters, diaries and journals bring to life the experiences of soldiers and civilians caught up in the war.

One of the most important conflicts in American history, the Civil War nearly divided the United States permanently. From the first battle fought in the war to the countrys eventual reunification, this essential four-volume series covers the major events of the most devastating war ever fought on American soil. Each book is filled with period photographs, drawings, and other images, and includes maps and a timeline to aid the reader in visualizing history as it happened. Readers will be drawn in by the vivid descriptions of battles, period politics, and the difficult decisions Americas leaders made during the war.