The Guns of August
Barbara Tuchman
13 people recommended it in 9 threads, 2011–2026.
1 commenter pushed back on it — worth reading the threads.
What people on Hacker News said
The writing style is gripping and it's a very funny book despite being about a serious subject: WWI.
The author makes clear how individual decisions made huge differences and the entire outcome of the war could have been very different based on the personalities of those involved.
Got me interested in reading more history, and I think history has so much to teach us, but my quest really started with her and has branched out from there.
Tuchman often points out the critical mistake or mistakes that lead to the collapse of a crucial offensive that basically ends a country’s ability to succeed at war.
The Zimmerman Telegram and The Guns of August were both amazing, and The Zimmerman Telegram is short, to me it read better than any Tom Clancy novel.
Not as good as Guns of August, but still worth reading
Where it comes up
- Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days? 2015 · 3 recommendations
- Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021? 2021 · 2 recommendations
- Ask HN: Books you read in 2015? 2015 · 2 recommendations
- My favorite nonfiction books about cults, scams, and schemes 2026 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read? 2024 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023 2022 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What book changed your life? 2022 · 1 recommendation
- Summer Reading List 2017 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011 2011 · 1 recommendation