Source Records of the Great War Vol I How the Great War Arose by Charles F. Horne
samsloan
Vol I
How the Great War Arose
by Charles F. Horne
and
Walter F. Austin (Directing Editor), with a staff of specialists.
Foreword by Sam Sloan
Source Records of the Great War is a collection of documents by
European leaders leading up to what we now call “World War One”.
The author, editor and compiler of these documents concludes, “The
Great War could no more have been avoided than an earthquake or any
other cataclysm of Nature's Unknown Forces”.
This is the first volume in a seven volume work. I am reprinting just
the first volume for the time being mainly because I have found that
World War One books sell poorly (nobody cares about that war any
more?) but Volume One of this series of books is impossible to obtain
even as a used book. There are several used copies of volumes 2-6
available through online used book sellers, but none of them have a
copy of Volume One, except as part of a complete set costing $250 or
more.
This tells me that there is demand and interest in Volume One of this
book.
And for good reason. The author-editor starts with a 47 page summary
of the reasons for the war. He to some extent debunks the claims that
the war was caused by the June 28, 1914 assassination of Archduke
Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, by Gavrilo
Princip, who, as he points out, was a mere boy aged 18.
How could the actions of such a boy lead to the deaths of 15 million
of people. He states that no proof was produced that the boy was part
of a larger conspiracy or that he was acting under orders of the
Government of Serbia. He concludes that the Assassination of Arch-Duke
Ferdinand merely provided the pretext for the war. Austria was already
planning to start what they expected to be a brief and successful
invasion of Serbia. Austria was later utterly surprised when Russia
pledged to come to the aid of Serbia and mobilized. Germany then
declared war on Russia and then attacked France through Belgium. It
was the attack on innocent Belgium that brought Britain and later
America into the war.
Each of the remaining six volumes deals with one of the years of the
war. For example, Volume Two deals with 1914, Volume Seven deals with
1919. Were it not for the poor results I have had in reprinting other
World War One books, I would be reprinting all seven volumes now.
Instead I will wait and see if this one sells before I undertake the
subsequent volumes.
This series was published by the American Legion in a limited edition,
with each volume including an engraved certificate dedicated to one of
the veterans of the war who supplied information used in the book. I
need to thank Mario L. Sacripante, a member of the American Legion,
for donating his personal copy that was used to create this reprint.
This Volume One explaining how the war started is of special interest
to modern readers because one simply cannot imaging how and why such a
pointless war could start, leading to the deaths of 15 million people.
The author editor goes through the background and history of events
leading up to this war, starting with the invasion by King Louis XIV
of area then part of Germany, followed by the French Revolution and
the Napoleonic Wars, and then several other wars in-between leading up
to the Great War.
To those who think it can never happen again, one need only think of
the 1992-1995 War in Bosnia, another pointless war fought over many of
the same issues that started World War One. The War in Bosnia led to
100,000–110,000 killed and 1.8 million displaced, but at least it did
not spread to the extend of The Great War.
Charles Francis Horne (1870-1942) was the author-editor of several
other multi-volume works, including “Great Men and Famous Woman”,
“Source Records of the Great Events of the Post War Period,
1924-1927”, “The Works of Jules Verne, 15 volume set”, and many
others. He was a man who could not seem to write a book with only one
volume.
Sam Sloan
New York
January 5, 2010
Taylor Kingston
>
> To those who think it can never happen again, one need only think of
> the 1992-1995 War in Bosnia, another pointless war fought over many of
> the same issues that started World War One. The War in Bosnia led to
> 100,000–110,000 killed and 1.8 million displaced, but at least it did
> not spread to the extend of The Great War.
Then contrary to your implication, this clearly supports the idea
that it can't happen again, right? Your sentence is like saying "To
those who think the North Pole is colder than Honolulu, one need only
compare temperatures."
mstarvelous
samsloan;331549 Wrote:
> Source Records of the Great War
> Vol I
> How the Great War Arose
> by Charles F. Horne
> and
> Walter F. Austin (Directing Editor), with a staff of specialists.
>
--
mstarvelous
raylopez99
wrote:
Yes that paragraph needs editing; I think he's saying it can happen
again.
RL
samsloan
I cannot see anything wrong with my sentence.
Could you please tel me what is wrong with it and how I can make it
better?
Sam Sloan
Taylor Kingston
Um, Sam, it should be obvious. You're trying to say something like
WW I could happen again, right? If so, the Bosnian conflict of the
1990s is not a good case in point. That conflict stayed localized and
did not spread into a major European or world war.
micky
> > I cannot see anything wrong with my sentence.
> >
> > Could you please tel me what is wrong <etc>.
>
> Um, Sam, it should be obvious. You're trying to say something like
> WW I could happen again, right?
He keeps trying & trying so, but his basic spelling is shite (tel ?
extend ? for 'extent' etc...) similar to those scamming arseholes who
want your bank details = zero credibility....
>If so, the Bosnian conflict of the
> 1990s is not a good case in point. That conflict stayed localized and
> did not spread into a major European or world war.
True, & history shows some sort of moronic bloodbath going on
thereabouts, every 100 yrs or so (you can get a nice stone-cottage
overlooking the Adriatic "real cheap", sit pretty & run your business
online for the next 80 years etc...)
Bismarck once said that the whole of the Balkans is not worth the bones
of one Pomeranian grenadier - he said that he did.....
m.
Taylor Kingston
> Vol I
> How the Great War Arose
> by Charles F. Horne
> and
> Walter F. Austin (Directing Editor), with a staff of specialists.
>
> Great War could no more have been avoided than an earthquake or any
> other cataclysm of Nature's Unknown Forces”.
Eh, maybe. The difference is that earthquakes are the product of
unalterable physical laws, while wars are the product of human
decisions. The immense forces in the earth's core cannot choose
between various course of action, but men can. Granted, it would have
been difficult for the politicians and generals controlling events in
1914 to arrive at decisions markedly different than they actually did,
but it certainly was not impossible.
> To those who think it can never happen again, one need only think of
> the 1992-1995 War in Bosnia, another pointless war fought over many of
> the same issues that started World War One. The War in Bosnia led to
> 100,000–110,000 killed and 1.8 million displaced, but at least it did
> not spread to the extend of The Great War.
As I've pointed out, the 1992-95 Bosnian conflict is not a very good
case in point for the contention that a Great War could happen again.
I'm not sure any good case in point exists. There really has been no
comparable conflict since, with the exception of course of WW II. But
though WW II was, in a sense, a continuation of WW I, it was
qualitatively different, in that it grew mainly out of overall
strategies planned years in advance by the Germans and Japanese,
rather than snowballing from a less connected series of partly ad hoc
decisions.
Since 1945, here have been innumerable conflicts that might have
spiraled into global wars — those in or concerning Berlin, Korea,
Israel, the Suez Canal, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq etc., to
name only some of the more important — but they did not. Why? The
threat of nuclear retaliation, a factor not present back in 1914 and
1939? Or have we learned something? Heck if I know.
samsloan
printer.
You can already pre-publication order it from Barnes and Noble now:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ISBN=4871878732
http://www.amazon.com/dp/4871878732
Source Records of the Great War
Vol I
How the Great War Arose
by Charles F. Horne
and
Walter F. Austin (Directing Editor),
with a staff of specialists.
Foreword by Sam Sloan
Source Records of the Great War is a collection of documents by
European leaders leading up to what we now call “World War One”.
The author, editor and compiler of these documents concludes, “The
Great War could no more have been avoided than an earthquake or any
other cataclysm of Nature's Unknown Forces”.
This is the first volume in a seven volume work. I am reprinting just
the first volume for the time being mainly because I have found that
World War One books sell poorly. (Does nobody care about that war any
more?) Volume One of this series of books is impossible to obtain even
as a used book. There are several used copies of volumes 2-6 available
through online used book sellers, but none of them have a copy of
Volume One, except as part of a complete set costing $250 or more.
This tells me that there is demand and interest in Volume One of this
series.
And for good reason. The author-editor starts with a 47 page summary
of the reasons for the war. He to some extent debunks the claims that
the war was caused by the June 28, 1914 assassination of Archduke
Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, by Gavrilo
Princip who, as he points out, was a mere boy of age 18.
At the time of the assassination, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was on a
peace mission, trying to mediate a dispute. That was actually the
second attempt on his life that day.
How could the actions of such a boy lead to the deaths of 15 million
of people? The author states that no proof was produced that the boy
was part of a larger conspiracy or that he was acting under orders of
the Government of Serbia. He concludes that the Assassination of Arch-
Duke Ferdinand merely provided the pretext for the war. Austria was
already planning to start what they expected to be a brief and
successful invasion of Serbia. Austria was later utterly surprised
when Russia pledged to come to the aid of Serbia and mobilized.
Germany then declared war on Russia and then attacked France through
Belgium. It was the attack on innocent Belgium that brought Britain
and later America into the war.
Each of the remaining six volumes deals with one of the years of the
war. For example, Volume Two deals with 1914, Volume Seven deals with
1919. Were it not for the poor results I have had in reprinting other
World War One books, I would be reprinting all seven volumes now.
Instead I will wait and see if this one sells before I undertake the
subsequent volumes.
This series was published by the American Legion in a limited edition,
with each volume including an engraved certificate dedicated to one of
the veterans of the war who supplied information used in the book. I
need to thank Mario L. Sacripante, a member of the American Legion,
for donating his personal copy that was used to create this reprint.
This Volume One explaining how the war started is of special interest
to modern readers because one simply cannot imagine how and why such a
pointless war could start, leading to the deaths of 15 million people.
Over 60 million European soldiers were mobilized from 1914 to 1918.
The author editor goes through the background and history of events
leading up to this war, starting with the invasion by King Louis XIV
of area then part of Germany, followed by the French Revolution and
the Napoleonic Wars, and then several other wars in-between leading up
to the Great War.
To those who think it can never happen again, one need only think of
the 1992-1995 War in Bosnia, another pointless war fought over many of
the same issues that started World War One. The War in Bosnia led to
100,000–110,000 killed and 1.8 million displaced, but at least it did
not spread to the extent of The Great War.
The full original title of this book was “Source Records of the Great
War: A Comprehensive and Readable Source Record of the World's Great
War, Emphasizing the More Important events, and Presenting These as
Complete Narratives in the Actual Words of the Chief Officials and
Most Eminent Leaders, Presenting Documents from Government Archives
and Other Authoritative Sources, with Outline Narratives, Indices,
Chronologies, and Courses of Reading on Sociological Movements and
Individual National Activities.”
The Master
> The author, editor and compiler of these documents concludes, “The
> Great War could no more have been avoided than an earthquake or any
> other cataclysm of Nature's Unknown Forces”.
>
> This is the first volume in a seven volume work. I am reprinting just
> the first volume for the time being mainly because I have found that
> World War One books sell poorly. (Does nobody care about that war any
> more?)
Perhaps it was the introduction of color photography and motion
pictures that made later wars so much more appealing.
> Volume One of this series of books is impossible to obtain even
> as a used book.
I'll give you ten million dollars for that one you have right
now.
Wait-- if you sell it, then it would prove you to be a liar.
Nevermind.
(And just where was I going to get ten million dollars anyway?)
> And for good reason. The author-editor starts with a 47 page summary
> of the reasons for the war. He to some extent debunks the claims that
> the war was caused by the June 28, 1914 assassination of Archduke
> Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, by Gavrilo
> Princip who, as he points out, was a mere boy of age 18.
>
> At the time of the assassination, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was on a
> peace mission, trying to mediate a dispute. That was actually the
> second attempt on his life that day.
>
> How could the actions of such a boy lead to the deaths of 15 million
> of people? The author states that no proof was produced that the boy
> was part of a larger conspiracy or that he was acting under orders of
> the Government of Serbia. He concludes that the Assassination of Arch-
> Duke Ferdinand merely provided the pretext for the war.
This kind of argument undermines itself. For if there were a
conspiracy, a desire to create some pretext for war, what better
way than to have some such person assasinated?
> Austria was already planning to start what they expected to be a brief and
> successful invasion of Serbia. Austria was later utterly surprised
> when Russia pledged to come to the aid of Serbia and mobilized.
Oh, please! Russia is a pushover. A piece of spice cake. Look
at Napolean. Or Hitler. Did they have any trouble whatsoever with
Russia? Of course not.
> Germany then declared war on Russia and then attacked France through
> Belgium. It was the attack on innocent Belgium that brought Britain
> and later America into the war.
America had a treaty with Belgium? If we were attacked, then
Belgium would come to our defense, and vice versa? Well no
wonder nobody ever attacked us for so many years.
> I need to thank Mario L. Sacripante, a member of the American Legion,
> for donating his personal copy that was used to create this reprint.
Twenty million. In cash. I've already ordered the paper
and special green ink.
> This Volume One explaining how the war started is of special interest
> to modern readers because one simply cannot imagine how and why such a
> pointless war could start, leading to the deaths of 15 million people.
> Over 60 million European soldiers were mobilized from 1914 to 1918.
> The author editor goes through the background and history of events
> leading up to this war, starting with the invasion by King Louis XIV
> of area then part of Germany, followed by the French Revolution and
> the Napoleonic Wars, and then several other wars in-between leading up
> to the Great War.
>
> To those who think it can never happen again, one need only think of
> the 1992-1995 War in Bosnia, another pointless war fought over many of
> the same issues that started World War One. The War in Bosnia led to
> 100,000–110,000 killed and 1.8 million displaced, but at least it did
> not spread to the extent of The Great War.
A poor example.
> Charles Francis Horne (1870-1942) was the author-editor of several
> other multi-volume works, including “Great Men and Famous Woman”
Only one famous woman? Cleopatra. Joan of Arc. Not Hillary C.
The Master
wrote:
> Since 1945, here have been innumerable conflicts that might have
> spiraled into global wars — those in or concerning Berlin, Korea,
> Israel, the Suez Canal, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq etc., to
> name only some of the more important — but they did not. Why? The
> threat of nuclear retaliation, a factor not present back in 1914 and
> 1939? Or have we learned something? Heck if I know.
It is not "we" (the people) who have the power to wage wars. That
power belongs to a select few-- and I can guarandamntee that "they"
have not learned anything.
Be patient. It has been less than a century since the last time the
whole world went to war-- a blink of an eye in historical terms.
Taylor Kingston
> On Jan 7, 11:56 am, Taylor Kingston <taylor.kings...@comcast.net>
> wrote:
>
> > Since 1945, here have been innumerable conflicts that might have
> > spiraled into global wars — those in or concerning Berlin, Korea,
> > Israel, the Suez Canal, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq etc., to
> > name only some of the more important — but they did not. Why? The
> > threat of nuclear retaliation, a factor not present back in 1914 and
> > 1939? Or have we learned something? Heck if I know.
>
> It is not "we" (the people) who have the power to wage wars. That
> power belongs to a select few --
Eh, yes and no. I'd say that in 1917 strong popular sentiment had a
great deal to do with America's entry into the war. President Wilson
and various isolationist politicians wanted the US to stay out, but
"we the people" felt differently. Likewise, there was still ample
isolationist sentiment in 1941, until Pearl Harbor galvanized the
whole country.
Popular support matters. Usually even the most dictatorial regime
cannot prosecute a successful war without its people behind it. In
various cases "the people" may have little say about starting a war,
but they often have the final word when it comes to ending one.
> and I can guarandamntee that "they"
> have not learned anything.
You've given them all tests? :-)
> Be patient. It has been less than a century since the last time the
> whole world went to war-- a blink of an eye in historical terms.
Well, if we're going to speak in terms of historical frequency,
we've had only two real world wars in all of human history (perhaps
three if we stretch the definition to count the Napoleonic Wars),
which would indicate they are an aberration, in terms of magnitude.
Now with nuclear weapons, we can probably count on the next one /
really/ being "the war to end all wars."
raylopez99
Dear Mr. Sloan:
I understand from some previous posts you speak several languages
fluently, including several Asian and non-Indo-European languages as
well as a dialect of Mongolian. But in English this sentence is
ideomatically wrong: "To those who think it can never happen again,
one need only think of the 1992-1995 War in Bosnia.." (with
counterexample given that the Bosnian War did not turn into a global
conflict).
In English idioms, when you use the phrase "To those who think it can
never happen again...." the convention is to give an example that
supports the premise that it DID (or might) happen again. Thus your
sentence would be ideomatically correct if it stated "To those who
think it can never happen again, one need only think of the 1992-1995
War in Bosnia, which turned into World War III".
Take it from me, a native English speaker (as well as two other Indo-
Euro. languages and a smattering of swear words in Chinese).
RL
raylopez99
wrote:
>
> Um, Sam, it should be obvious. You're trying to say something like
> WW I could happen again, right? If so, the Bosnian conflict of the
> 1990s is not a good case in point. That conflict stayed localized and
> did not spread into a major European or world war.
Right you are my friend Taylor. Or as you might say in Spanish:
"Derecho es, amigo Senior Taylor".
RL
raylopez99
> spiraled into global wars — those in or concerning Berlin, Korea,
> Israel, the Suez Canal, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq etc., to
> name only some of the more important — but they did not. Why? The
> threat of nuclear retaliation, a factor not present back in 1914 and
> 1939? Or have we learned something? Heck if I know.
Nuclear retaliation. WWI, as John Keegan points out, was a failure to
understand the power of trenches, the machine gun, and lack of
communications, in short, defensive warfare. WWII was, as you say, a
continuation of WWI, but after nuclear weapons no rational enemy--pace
perhaps Al Queda--will risk war again.
All the more reason to keep nuclear weapons from spreading in places
like Pakistan where they might be misused. We should be trying to
outlaw the bomb.
RL
Taylor Kingston
Well, I would not put it exactly that way in Spanish. "Derecho"
means "right" in the sense of legal or moral rights, or direction
(i.e. the opposite of left). To say "You are right" the phrase "Tiene
razón" is probably most apt.