The Guns of August: The Outbreak of World War I; Barbara W. Tuchman's Great War Series (Modern Library 100 Best Nonfiction Books)

Name: The Guns of August: The Outbreak of World War I; Barbara W. Tuchman's Great War Series (Modern Library 100 Best Nonfiction Books)
Price: 1.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.5 (8431 reviews)
Author: Barbara W. Tuchman

by Barbara W. Tuchman

Biography Memoir

4.5 (8,431)

4.5 stars from 8,431 reviews. One of the highest rated Biography Memoir books we track.

658 pages~11 hr readPublished by Presidio PressPublished 2004-08-03

$1.99Deal80% off peak

Last checked: May 3, 2026

Price history: $1.99 – $9.99

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Price range: $1.99 – $9.99

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Perfect for you if...

You're fascinated by how history pivots on specific moments and want to understand the chain of decisions that triggered the Great War.
You appreciate narrative history that brings politicians, generals, and diplomats to life as flawed human beings rather than abstract forces.
You've read about WWI's horrors and want to understand exactly how the world stumbled into four years of bloodshed.

Maybe not for you if...

You're looking for a quick overview. At 658 pages, this demands real time and attention to military strategy and diplomatic detail.
You prefer optimistic narratives about human progress. This is a sobering story about how intelligent people made catastrophic choices.
You want to read primarily about the trenches and battles themselves. Tuchman focuses on the political and military decisions leading up to August, not the war's conduct.

About this book

Barbara W. Tuchman's account recreates the first month of World War I in the summer of 1914—thirty days that shaped the course of the conflict, the century, and the modern world. Beginning with the funeral of Edward VII, Tuchman traces the steps leading to the outbreak of war, showing how all sides had been preparing for conflict across generations. Tuchman draws on her skill for portraying the key figures of the war to present a comprehensive narrative of this pivotal period. This work is part of Tuchman's series of histories covering the First World War era, alongside The Proud Tower and The Zimmermann Telegram.

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$1.99 – $9.99

Currently on sale at $1.99 — 80% off peak. Price has dropped 19 times over the last 6 years. Goes on sale roughly every 113 days. Typically stays discounted for 11 days.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

Currently around #22K in the Kindle store — a steady mid-list seller. Climbing the charts — 25% improvement recently.

Rating & Reviews

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Currently 4.5★ from 8,431 reviews

Gaining approximately 37 new reviews per month. Steady word of mouth growth. Rating has remained stable at 4.6 over the tracking period.

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This book is currently discounted at $1.99. It typically returns to around $9.99.

Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.