BOOK REVIEWS

The First Day on the Somme Martin Middlebrook

I never thought I would ever be asked to review "The First Day on the Somme." It's so well-known that I'd have thought it needed no introduction.  But this edition is rather special - the first hardback edition for about twenty years and a replica of the first edition of 1971, printed on the same  (now out-of-date) paper format and in the same Monotype Bell typeface.

One part that wasn't originally there is Martin Middlebrook's brief preface to this new, replica edition. With his tongue firmly in his cheek, I suspect, he tells us that  he has been told that the book is achieving something like cult status and admits that while the book has never actually been revised, this might be a good opportunity to correct the only two minor errors  to have been found in it.  He's entitled to gloat a little. The book doesn't have a bad record at all, considering that the original synopsis was returned by a prominent historian who had been asked for his opinion, with a judgment that it was shallow, amateur stuff that would never amount to much.

This is the book which introduced a new way of writing about the war - exploring the development of a specific episode by reference to what happened to the people who were involved and there at the time. It remains a very important book, not just for what it has to say, but also because it was, for many people, the means by which they were introduced to a lasting and serious interest in the war.  Whenever there is a discussion of the top ten "must-have" books about the war, this is always at the top of the list.  I can remember the first time I read it, in 1974.  I had just moved into a new house and at the end of a day moving furniture and unpacking belongings, I cleared a space on the sofa and started reading the book, just for half-an-hour before going to bed.  I was enthralled and sat up all night  in order to finish it - the only time I have ever read a whole book in one go.

For those who, like me, have an original copy which was read to death years ago and have been making do with a paperback version ever since, here is a chance to upgrade (or should that be retro-grade) to the original format. The only thing I can find wrong with it is that the famous map following page 68 no longer folds out so that you can refer to it as you read.

Finally, for those who really didn't know.......

A first-of-its-kind classic. In this, the first of his books to be published, Martin Middlebrook gives a very detailed account of the first day of the Battle of the Somme - July 1st., 1916. It broke new ground because of the author's method of research. He contacted literally hundreds of people who were actually there, and pieced together his story of the events of the First Day from their memories of what happened to them. The book covers the whole of the Somme battle front and as well as telling the story of the tragic opening day of the battle, it gives a meaningful introduction to the places which figured so prominently in the later stages.  Remember - the battle started on July 1st., but didn't end until November. There are excellent appendices, containing useful statistics.

The First Day on the Somme

is published by:

Pen & Sword Book

Hard Covers

365 pages, 11 maps, many black-and-white photographs

ISBN: 0-85052-943-3

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