An Insight Into the First World War
A collection of memoirs, fiction, and other writings written about WWI and its effects by people who lived and experienced it. Warning: some views expressed in these books (eg. racism, sexism), though considered "acceptable" at the time, are absolutely not - please engage with caution. Please suggest any other books you can think of - I'm always looking to add more perspectives. (The only caveat is that these are all English language books, so any suggestions should have an English translation.)
created by alkaios
last updated April, 2026
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Current Catalogue of this List by Author's Country Organised by allies, and then alphabetically. Many countries still aren't represented, please suggest any works you may know (if there is an English translation). Also, please correct any errors you see (eg. incorrect nationality of an author) - I've not read all of these works, so some may have been mislabelled. I'm working on adding more of the countries involved to this list (eg. those in Africa), this is not finished. ââââââââââ đFiction âïžMemoir đPersonal Writings (eg. diaries, letters, etc.) đPlay âïžPoems ââââââââââ đŠ Allied Powers
đ§đȘ Belgium đ§đ· Brazil đŹđ§ British Empire » đŠđș Australia John Charles Barrie, âMemoirs of an ANZACâ âïž Frederic Manning, âThe Middle Parts of Fortuneâ đ » đšđŠ Canada (more Canadian memoirs can be found here) Mabel B. Clint, âOur Bitâ âïž R. J. Manion, âA Surgeon in Armsâ âïž Nellie L. McClung, âThe Next of Kinâ âïž Stanley A. Rutledge, âPen Pictures from the Trenchesâ đ J. C. Thorn, âThree Years a Prisoner in Germanyâ âïž Â» đŽó §ó ąó „ó źó §ó ż England Richard Aldington, âDeath of a Heroâ đ Edmund Blunden, âUndertones of Warâ âïž Vera Brittain, "Testament of Youthâ âïž Robert Graves, âGoodbye to All Thatâ âïž Ian Hay (John Hay Beith), âThe First Hundred Thousandâ đ A. P. Herbert, âThe Secret Battleâ đ Ward Muir, âObservations of an Orderlyâ âïž Flora Sandes, âAn English Woman-Sergeant in the Serbian Armyâ âïž R. C. Sherriff, âJourneyâs Endâ đ Rebecca West, âThe Return of the Soldierâ đ » đźđł India Amar Singh, âReversing the Gazeâ đ » đźđȘ Ireland » Newfoundland » đłđż New Zealand » đŽó §ó ąó łó Łó Žó ż Scotland » đżđŠ South Africa » đŽó §ó ąó ·ó Źó łó ż Wales T. E. Lawrence, âSeven Pillars of Wisdomâ âïž Â» Various British Authors âThe Penguin Book of First World War Storiesâ đ«đ· France Henri Barbusse, âUnder Fireâ đ Louis Barthas, âPoiluâ đ đŹđ· Greece Hejaz đźđč Italy đŻđ” Empire of Japan đČđȘ Montenegro đ·đŽ Romania đ·đș Russian Empire Maria Bochkareva, âYashka: My Life as Peasant, Exile, and Soldierâ âïž Konstantin Paustovsky, âThe Story of a Lifeâ âïž đ·đž Serbia đșđČ United States of America Thomas Boyd, âThrough the Wheatâ đ John Dos Passos, âOne Man's Initiation: 1917â đ, âThree Soldiersâ đ Ernest Hemingway, âA Farewell to Armsâ đ Various English Speaking Authors âPoems of the Great War 1914-1918â âïž ââââââââââ đ§ Central Powers
đŠđč/đđș Austro-Hungarian Empire
Jaroslav HaĆĄek, âThe Good Soldier Ć vejkâ đ
Georg Trakl, âThe Last Gold of Expired Starsâ âïž
BĂ©la Zombory-MoldovĂĄn, âThe Burning of the Worldâ âïž
đ§đŹ Bulgaria
đ©đȘ German Empire
Peter Flamm, âA Shadow of Myselfâ đ
Ernst JĂŒnger, âStorm of Steelâ âïž
Erich Maria Remarque, âAll Quiet on the Western Frontâ đ, âThe Road Backâ đ
Manfred von Richthofen, âThe Red Fighter Pilotâ âïž
đčđ· Ottoman Empire
ââââââââââ
Map Showing Alliances of WWI:
đŠ Allied Powers
đ§ Central Powers
ââââââââââ
(Note: some of these books can be found for free on the Internet Archive/Open Library or Project Gutenberg.)
Current Catalogue of this List by Theatre of War Organised by theatre, front/campaign, and then alphabetically. Many theatres, campaigns, and fronts still have no works so, if you know any with English translations, please let me know. Also, if any work is incorrectly categorised please tell me - I've not read everything and I want this to be as accurate a resource as possible. Some works on this list are not in this catalogue because they do not take place on a certain front (eg. they discuss the effects of the war at home). Additionally, some appear more than once because they discuss multiple areas of the war. ââââââââââ African Theatre
East African campaign Kamerun campaign Operations in North Africa South West Africa campaign Togoland campaign ââââââââââ Asia-Pacific Theatre
Attacks on German Colonies North-West Frontier Revolts against Russian Rule ââââââââââ European Theatre
Alpine/Italian Front Ernest Hemingway, âA Farewell to Armsâ đ Balkan Front Flora Sandes, âAn English Woman-Sergeant in the Serbian Armyâ âïž Eastern Front Maria Bochkareva, âYashka: My Life as Peasant, Exile, and Soldierâ âïž Jaroslav HaĆĄek, âThe Good Soldier Ć vejkâ đ Konstantin Paustovsky, âThe Story of a Lifeâ âïž Georg Trakl, âThe Last Gold of Expired Starsâ âïž BĂ©la Zombory-MoldovĂĄn, âThe Burning of the Worldâ âïž Western Front Richard Aldington, âDeath of a Heroâ đ Henri Barbusse, âUnder Fireâ đ John Charles Barrie, âMemoirs of an ANZACâ âïž Louis Barthas, âPoiluâ đ Edmund Blunden, âUndertones of Warâ âïž Thomas Boyd, âThrough the Wheatâ đ Vera Brittain, "Testament of Youthâ âïž Mabel B. Clint, âOur Bitâ âïž John Dos Passos, âOne Man's Initiation: 1917â đ, âThree Soldiersâ đ Robert Graves, âGoodbye to All Thatâ âïž Ian Hay (John Hay Beith), âThe First Hundred Thousandâ đ A. P. Herbert, âThe Secret Battleâ đ Ernst JĂŒnger, âStorm of Steelâ âïž R. J. Manion, âA Surgeon in Armsâ âïž Frederic Manning, âThe Middle Parts of Fortuneâ đ Erich Maria Remarque, âAll Quiet on the Western Frontâ đ Manfred von Richthofen, âThe Red Fighter Pilotâ âïž Stanley A. Rutledge, âPen Pictures from the Trenchesâ đ R. C. Sherriff, âJourneyâs Endâ đ Amar Singh, âReversing the Gazeâ đ J. C. Thorn, âThree Years a Prisoner in Germanyâ âïž ââââââââââ Middle Eastern Theatre
Armenian Resistance Caucasus Campaign Gallipoli/Dardenelles Campaign John Charles Barrie, âMemoirs of an ANZACâ âïž Mabel B. Clint, âOur Bitâ âïž A. P. Herbert, âThe Secret Battleâ đ Great Arab Revolt T. E. Lawrence, âSeven Pillars of Wisdomâ âïž Mesopotamian Campaign Persian Campaign Amar Singh, âReversing the Gazeâ đ Second Saudi-Rashidi War Sinai and Palestine Campaign ââââââââââ Naval Engagements
Works on this List Written by Women Organised alphabetically. Obviously, this is disappointingly short. If you know any other works (English or English translation) written by women please let me know. ââââââââââ Maria Bochkareva, âYashka: My Life as Peasant, Exile, and Soldierâ âïž Vera Brittain, "Testament of Youthâ âïž Mabel B. Clint, âOur Bitâ âïž Nellie L. McClung, âThe Next of Kinâ âïž Flora Sandes, âAn English Woman-Sergeant in the Serbian Armyâ âïž Rebecca West, âThe Return of the Soldierâ đ "The Penguin Book of First World War Stories" (Contains some works written by women.)
I would recommend Pat Barkerâs Regeneration trilogy, with Regeneration, The Eye on the Door, and The Ghost Road, with the latter winning the Booker Prize.
alkaiosOP
I had no idea Pat Barker had written anything about WWI, I've read some of her greek myth retellings and enjoyed those so I'll definitely check these out.
Iâm the opposite. I knew about Regeneration, but only rather recently learned about Greek mythology retellings. I really enjoyed The Silence of the Girls and plan to read the next one in the series.
alkaiosOP
I've read the first two books of that trilogy (haven't got my hands on the last third one yet) but I definitely enjoyed both of them - they're definitely an interesting perspective change compared to the illiad!
I would also recommend Timothy Findleyâs The Wars.
alkaiosOP
Thank you for both your recs! They sound interesting and I reckon I'll enjoy reading them - but I can't add them to the list as the authors weren't contemporary. Still - looking forward to reading them :)
Got it. Not being contemporary didnât click until now. Duh! đ
Don't worry, it wasn't the most obvious note. And I'm definitely still excited by this rec :D
This is so cool! Also, so glad this list reminded me of the Red Baron, I had wanted to read the book for years but completely forgot about it đ
alkaiosOP
I also haven't read that one yet, I've not sure when I'll get around to it but it's meant to be interesting. I'm glad you think this list is cool though. I'm trying to make it like a resource, so whatever part of the war people are interested in learning about, they'll easily be able to find a starting off point.
This is an amazingly thorough list guide! â€ïž
alkaiosOP
Thank you!! I've been trying to make it as easy to navigate and accessible as possible; I'm honestly quite proud of what I've got so far. Hopefully as I find more works it will become more comprehensive too (though it is extremely hard to find anything from some nations). I like to image, eventually, I'll find at least one work for every nationality and front so that, regardless of what someone wants to learn about, they'll have a good starting point.
