Catastrophe 1914: Europe Goes to War

Max Hastings is one of the better World War II writer-historians working today. In books like Armageddon, Retribution, and Inferno, he manages to be both accessible and sophisticated. A general reader can enjoy his work, while even longtime students can learn something new. If you want a finely chiseled, conventional-wisdom-defying nugget to toss in your friend’s face while getting drunk with him at a bar, Hastings is the man to read.

Hastings was once a war-correspondent, and it shows in his writing as he delivers sharp judgments, finds telling details, and eschews predictable retellings. His presentation is terse, stripped-down, and shorn of bluster and encomiums. He is unimpressed with wartime mythmaking, and unafraid to deliver an opinion. I haven’t always agreed with his conclusions, but at the very least he always got me thinking. When I read a book by Max Hastings, I know I’m reading a book by Max Hastings.