This is a concise and very readable history based on the latest academic research. It renders all other popular paperback histories out-of-date. The authors are internationally acclaimed experts in their field whose previous books have profoundly changed our understanding of the First World War. Their modern approach contrasts vividly with the polemic of Alan Clark (Lions led by Donkeys) and the burlesque Oh, What a Lovely War. Prior and Wilson have produced a brilliant synthesis of the modern view of the war that transformed the 20th century.