Book: Dreadnaught

[Darman]

Has anyone read this book: Dreadnought: Britain, Germany, and the Coming of the Great War (1991) by Robert Massie?  If so is it any good?  I ran across it in my university's library and I'm wondering if it would make a good book to read for fun or not. 

I also found several volumes (10 I believe) that cover British Foreign Office correspondence from 1898-1914 regarding international relations from relations with France to relations with Germany and Russia. 
Additionally I discovered a 30 volume set of US Army weekly intelligence briefings from 2 June 1918 through some point in the 1920s.  I'd try reading it but unfortunately my research skills are desperately needed to complete my capstone paper on the logistics of the Crusades. 

[Guinness]

It's one of the great books on European history from the last century and reads well, IMHO. So yes, well worth it.

If they have it, you should look to read the book he wrote after Dreadnought, Castles of Steel, which is a very very good account of the Great War at sea. His account of the Battle of Jutland is the best I've read.

Those original sources look interesting, but I fear I'd personally not have the patience to leaf through them unless I was actually working on something related to those subjects. But I'm lazy and haven't been in school for 12 years or so.

[snip]

I read the first bit of Dreadnaught. its good but a bit long. Castles of Steel is on my summer list, as well as finishing Dreadnaught

[miketr]

I have read both Dreadnought and Castles of Steel, they are good.  I have also heard good things about some other stuff Massie wrote.  They are done more in a novel style rather than as a typical work of history.  The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman has a similar style of writing and is also good.   

Darman something to keep in mind about the UK Foreign office papers, they have been edited in terms of what they released.  Its not like they did an info dump of everything in their records.  Note that the German records have been in public since post WW2 since the allies captured the German records and made them public.  Once the records were returned in the 1960's the West German government left them open.  So the German Foreign Office records of Prussia, German Empire, etc are all out in the open, sans records the allies reduced to ash during the Bomber Campaign in WW2.  I am not saying that the UK foreign office stuff is worthless.  Far from it they are a priceless set of Primary Sources and I used them for a paper I wrote.  A student of history has to keep in mind the completeness of what one has access to and why.  Just as one has to keep an eye open for the bias in writers on history. Everyone has an ax to grind so to speak. 

Michael

[TexanCowboy]

It is one of the better books I've read on the era...in fact, probably the best.

I recommended it to snip after I finished it, as he can testify.

[Darman]

Darman something to keep in mind about the UK Foreign office papers, they have been edited in terms of what they released.  Its not like they did an info dump of everything in their records.  Note that the German records have been in public since post WW2 since the allies captured the German records and made them public.  Once the records were returned in the 1960's the West German government left them open.  So the German Foreign Office records of Prussia, German Empire, etc are all out in the open, sans records the allies reduced to ash during the Bomber Campaign in WW2.  I am not saying that the UK foreign office stuff is worthless.  Far from it they are a priceless set of Primary Sources and I used them for a paper I wrote.  A student of history has to keep in mind the completeness of what one has access to and why.  Just as one has to keep an eye open for the bias in writers on history. Everyone has an ax to grind so to speak. 

Michael

I figured they would be. Its just a fantastic find.  Add to that the fact that I don't speak or read any language but English and the only true original sources I can utilize are those from English-speakers. 

Makes me wish my paper wasn't supposed to be based on the Crusades.  Then again, it is a challenge, and that is the whole point after all. 


I found Dreadnought while taking a short break from reading John France's Victory in the East and I read the prologue.  Or introduction perhaps?  The bit about the jubilee and grand review.  It looks very interesting, and that combined with your good reviews means it is definitely making it onto my "must read" list.  I may be spending as much time as I can with it after I finish my paper.

[ctwaterman]

Dont Forget to Post your Paper on Logistics and the Crusades when your done...  that sounds like interesting reading as well....

[Delta Force]

Yeah, they are both pretty good reads.