The Greatest Day In History by Nicholas Best
Unlike 1945, the First World War did not end neatly with the unconditional surrender of the Germans. After a dramatic week of negotiations, military offensives and the beginning of a Communist revolution, the German Imperial regime collapsed. The Kaiser fled to Holland. The Allies eventually granted an armistice to a new German government, and at 11.00hrs on 11 November, the guns officially ceased fire, but only after 11,000 casualties had been sustained -- more than on D-Day! The story of this remarkable day has never been told properly, and yet the roll call of eyewitnesses who left us their impressions includes Adolf Hitler, Charles de Gaulle, Harry S Truman, Anthony Eden, Marie Curie, Maurice Chevalier, Richard Strauss -- and future famous generals MacArthur, Patton and Montgomery. Nicholas Best tells the story in his signature cinematic style, revealing that events were far from pre-ordained. From the generals' headquarters to the frontline trenches, from the factories to the farms, Nicholas Best reveals the twists and turns that led to the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
'this volume sets an example that will be hard to equal' -- Peter Lewis DAILY MAIL 'well written and entertaining.. the book is undoubtedly an enthralling read.' -- Frank McLynn GLASGOW HERALD 'This splendid volume enables the reader to watch events unfold from both sides.' FAMILY HISTORY MONTHLY 'gripping' THE OFFICER "a first-rate work of popular history...a vivid, pacy narrative" YORKSHIRE POST "Scintillating... a miscellany of tragedy mixed with delight" LITERARY REVEIW "a truly magnificent book" GUARDS MAGAZINE "An excellent history... a fully ruonded picture and a fitting publication for the 90th anniversary" PUBLISHING NEWS "Compelling...vivid" THE OLDIE "An extremely interesting, lively and vivid account of the end of the First World War. Better than anything else I have read" -- Tom Sharpe "Highly readable... Best paints a compelling picture" BBC Who Do You Think You Are? "all expanding WWI collections need this book" BOOKLIST
Nicholas Best grew up in Kenya and was educated there, in England and at Trinity College, Dublin. He served on a short service commission in the Grenadier Guards and spent a year at Harvard before becoming a fulltime writer. He has written novels, travel and history books, and has seen his work translated into several foreign languages and serialised on Radio 4. He was FINANCIAL TIMES fiction critic during the 1990s and has reviewed for THE DAILY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY TIMES, OBSERVER, TIMES LITERARY SUPPLMENT and LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. He lives in the academic community in Cambridge.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780297851905 |
| ISBN 10 | 029785190X |
| Title | The Greatest Day In History |
| Author | Nicholas Best |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Orion Publishing Co |
| Year published | 2008-01-31 |
| Number of pages | 320 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |