Hart's private library and famous and voluminous archives of personal correspondence with such giants as Lloyd George and Churchill; the notes of the detailed interviews which he conducted after the war with the captured German generals, as well as with the leading Allied commanders who had so often turned to him for inspiration and advice; the subject files and private papers placed in his hands by many of his great contemporaries-all constitute that priceless personal collection of private documents upon which the present magnificent work is based. It is military history in the broadest possible scale, ranging from the frustrating events preceding the war, through all the campaigns and battles of seven turbulent years, to the final conclusion of hostilities. Trenchant, searching, thought-provoking, it is a study in realism and object analysis, uncluttered by self-deception. Cherished illusions fade under fresh surveillance; long-held beliefs of justification fail under new questioning; reputations are reexamined by one of the most incisive minds of our time; judgments of our past are made lessons for our present and our future.

Hide more