Not too much to ask, is it? It was in 1935 when Allen Lane, Managing Director of Bodley Head Publishers, stood on a platform at Exeter railway station looking for something good to read on his journey back to London. His choice was limited to popular magazines and poor-quality paperbacks – the same choice faced every day by the vast majority of readers, few of whom could afford hardbacks. Lane’s disappointment and subsequent anger at the range of books generally available led him to found a company – and change the world.
We believed in the existence in this country of a vast reading public for intelligent books at a low price, and staked everything on it’
Sir Allen Lane, 1902–1970, founder of Penguin Books
The quality paperback had arrived – and not just in bookshops. Lane was adamant that his Penguins should appear in chain stores and tobacconists, and should cost no more than a packet of cigarettes.
Reading habits (and cigarette prices) have changed since 1935, but Penguin still believes in publishing the best books for everybody to enjoy.We still believe that good design costs no more than bad design, and we still believe that quality books published passionately and responsibly make the world a better place.
So wherever you see the little bird – whether it’s on a piece of prize-winning literary fiction or a celebrity autobiography, political tour de force or historical masterpiece, a serial-killer thriller, reference book, world classic or a piece of pure escapism – you can bet that it represents the very best that the genre has to offer.
www.penguin.co.uk
Join the conversation:
Twitter Facebook
PENGUIN BOOKS
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Penguin Putnam Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Books Australia Ltd, 707 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3008, Australia
Penguin Books Canada Ltd, 10 Alcorn Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4V 3B2
Penguin Books India (P) Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi – 110 017, India
Penguin Books (NZ) Ltd, Cnr Rosedale and Airborne Roads, Albany, Auckland, New Zealand
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, Block D, Rosebank Office Park, 181 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parktown North, Gauteng 2193, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
www.penguin.com
First published by Allen Lane The Penguin Press 1998
Published in Penguin Books 1999
Copyright © Niall Ferguson, 1998
‘Repressions of War Experience’ copyright Siegfried Sassoon, reproduced by permission of George Sassoon
All rights reserved
The moral right of the author has been asserted
ISBN: 978-0-14197-583-2
Figures
Tables
Introduction
1. The Myths of Militarism
2. Empires, Ententes and Edwardian Appeasement
3. Britain’s War of Illusions
4. Arms and Men
5. Public Finance and National Security
6. The Last Days of Mankind: 28 June-4 August 1914
7. The August Days: The Myth of War Enthusiasm
8. The Press Gang
9. Economic Capability: The Advantage Squandered
10. Strategy, Tactics and the Net Body Count
11. ‘Maximum Slaughter at Minimum Expense’: War Finance
12. The Death Instinct: Why Men Fought
13. The Captor’s Dilemma
14. How (not) to Pay for the War
Conclusion: Alternatives to Armageddon
Illustrations
Bibliography
Note on the illustrations
Notes
Acknowledgements
Many historians far more expert than I on the subject of the First World War have generously given encouragement and advice during the research and writing of this book. I would like to thank especially Adrian Gregory and David Stevenson, who read the first draft in its entirety and saved me from many errors. Brian Bond, John Keegan, Avner Offer, Hartmut Pogge von Strandmann, Gary Sheffield and Peter Simkins also kindly helped. Among the many others to whom I have incurred ‘war debts’ over the years, I should like to thank Richard Bessel, Gerry Feldman, Stig Förster, Jonathan Steinberg, Norman Stone and Jay Winter. Needless to say, none of the above bear responsibility for the arguments and opinions advanced here.
This book could not have been written without the invaluable research assistance I have received from Nick Berry, Glen O’Hara and Thomas Weber. Daniel Fattal, John Jungclaussen, Jon Thompson and Andrew Vereker also did sterling work.
Timothy Prus and Barbara Adams of the Archive of Modern Conflict, London, provided indispensable assistance with the photographs. I would also like to thank Jillian Timmis for introducing me to the Finch diaries, and the Finch family for permission to quote from them.
Over the period of this book’s long gestation, I have received generous financial assistance from both the Oxford University History Faculty and Jesus College, Oxford. I am deeply grateful to both. I would also like to thank Vivien Bowyer for her help in preparing the tables and charts.
I cannot praise too highly my publishers, Penguin Press. Those who have contributed to turning my rough manuscript into a book are too numerous to name; but I hope the others will forgive me if I thank my editor Simon Winder, who started the ball rolling.
Finally, I would like to thank my family for tolerating my unreasonable working hours and irascibility.
The book is dedicated to the memory of my grandfathers, who fought for their country in the two world wars.