Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Presented by Claire Armitstead and produced by Tim Maby

Reading the first world war – books podcast

One hundred years after the first world war we look back at a conflict which shaped its century.

We begin with the soldiers' perspective. Over the last 25 years, the historian Richard van Emden has assembled a vast collection of writings and images from the war. He tells us how this testimony, often created in defiance of regulations, summons up the boredom, comradeship and terror of war.

Scott Anderson widens our horizons, charting how TE Lawrence managed to make a name for himself in the Middle East while the eyes of the world were on Flanders. The Guardian's Berlin correspondent, Philip Oltermann, explores how the second world war has obscured the first in Germany, while Martin Kettle examines, with the historian Adam Tooze,
the lasting impact of the first war to truly span the globe.

Reading list

Tommy's War by Richard van Emden (Bloomsbury)
Lawrence in Arabia by Scott Anderson (Atlantic)
The Deluge by Adam Tooze (Allen Lane)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.