Another depressing aspect of Tuchman's opus is the insight into the minds and power plays of the various leaders of nations. Not to mention any names, but I think we've got Kaiser Wilhelm's evil twin in the White House. Those who don't read history are doomed to repeat it, and the rest of us are just doomed.
Sun Sep 29 2002 16:49:
The Guns of August is horridly overwritten. If that's what it takes to win a Pullitzer Price, you may keep it. I'm finding it even more irritating than I did when I started it back in grad school. More disheartening is there is another book after this one-- or is it TWO???