The Guns of August is a historical non-fiction book written by Barbara W. Tuchman. This Pulitzer Prize-winning classic focuses on both the lead-up and first days of World War I. It follows the complex political webs as well as the nitty-gritty reality of the "boots on the ground" and the civilians who witnessed the mammoth struggle begin. The book follows the various declarations of war, focuses on the German invasion of Belgium and the French, English, and Russian responses, and then follows the aftermath as both sides settle into the years of trench warfare that followed.
