CNX 244: Exploring WWI Thru Literature

A century ago, World War I transformed the world in dramatic ways. In this course, students will learn about the origins and chronology of the war and the technological innovations that emerged from it.

Selected Books

These noted books are just an example of what might be found for a given topic. In this case, books related to Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the events that led to the beginning of World War I are featured. Take a look at book descriptions and table of contents to help brainstorm. And take note of call numbers. Books with similar subjects are shelved together. Get yourself to the stacks and explore!

The Trigger by Tim Butcher
ISBN: 9780802123251
Publication Date: 2014-06-03

On a summer morning in Sarajevo almost a hundred years ago, a teenager took a pistol out of his pocket and fired not just the opening rounds of the First World War but the starting gun for modern history. By killing Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Gavrilo Princip, started a cycle of events that would leave 15 million dead from fighting between 1914 and 1918 and proved fatal for empires and a way of ruling that had held for centuries.
The Month That Changed the World - July 1914 by Gordon Martel
ISBN: 9780199665389
Publication Date: 2014-07-01

On 28 June 1914 the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in the Balkans. Five fateful weeks later the Great Powers of Europe were at war. Much time and ink has been spent ever since trying to identify the "guilty" person or state responsible, or alternatively attempting to explain the underlying forces that "inevitably" led to war in 1914.
The Habsburgs by Paula Sutter Fichtner
ISBN: 9781780232744
Publication Date: 2014-08-01

The death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914 not only sparked the beginning of World War I--it also initiated the beginning of the end of the six-hundred-year-old Habsburg dynasty, which fell apart when the war ended, changing Europe forever.
A Mad Catastrophe by Geoffrey Wawro
ISBN: 9780465028351
Publication Date: 2014-04-29

The Austro-Hungarian army that marched east and south to confront the Russians and Serbs in the opening campaigns of World War I had a glorious past but a pitiful present. Speaking a mystifying array of languages and lugging outdated weapons, the Austrian troops were hopelessly unprepared for the industrialized warfare that would shortly consume Europe.
The Sleepwalkers by Christopher Clark
ISBN: 9780061146657
Publication Date: 2013-03-19

Historian Christopher Clark’s riveting account of the explosive beginnings of World War I. Drawing on new scholarship, Clark offers a fresh look at World War I, focusing not on the battles and atrocities of the war itself, but on the complex events and relationships that led a group of well-meaning leaders into brutal conflict.

DISCOVER

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Recommended Resources

These e-resources can be used as a starting point for your research. Use the Ask Us services at right for assistance with any of them.

World War I and II Poster Collection
This collection consists of posters documenting American involvement of the two World Wars of the 20th century. The World War I poster collection includes several posters by major illustrators of the time such as Joseph Pennell, Howard Chandler Christy and Jessie Willcox Smith, many of which made these artists famous.
F&M World War I Diaries Collection
Collection comprises the diaries of David A. Landis, graduate of Franklin & Marshall Academy (1914), and J. Reah Hollinger, graduate of Franklin & Marshall Academy (1913) and Franklin& Marshall College (1917). The diaries document their military service during World War I, covering the years 1918 and 1919.
World War I Posters (PA)
This collection is of World War I era posters of varying size, color and medium pertaining to the U.S. and Pennsylvania. The posters are manufactured for many different businesses, institutions, and government agencies, and the artwork is by famous, obscure and unknown commercial illustrators. Those printed by various federal agencies were intended to generate patriotic fervor in Americans.

Historical Abstracts with Full Text
Comprehensive international historical coverage (excluding the U.S. and Canada) from 1450 to the present, including world history, military history, women's history, history of education, and much more. Features article (+ some book) indexing from 1955 to the present.
America: History and Life with Full Text
Definitive database of literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada, from prehistory to the present. With selective indexing for 1,700 journals from 1955 to present, and also provides full-text coverage of more than 200 journals and nearly 100 books.
New York Times (ProQuest Historical Newspapers)
The New York Times Historical Archive offers full page and article images with searchable full text back to the first issue. The collection includes digital reproductions providing access to every page from every available issue. Sept. 18, 1851 - 4 Years Ago, full-text.
Readers' Guide Retrospective
Comprehensive indexing of 500 of the most popular general-interest periodicals published in the United States and reflects the history of 20th century America. The complete database covers the years 1890 through 1982.
Humanities & Social Sciences Index Retrospective
Indexes articles from English-language periodicals in a wide range of interdisciplinary fields. Covers 1907 to 1984.
JStor
A collection of full-text articles from over 3000 scholarly journals, many dating from the nineteenth-century to the last 4 or 5 years. A growing number of titles are available through the current issues, as part of their "Current Scholarship Program". Select Advanced Search to strategically search amongst 45 disciplines. Choose PDF from within JStor to properly view and print articles. For convenience, JStor is now searchable on Facebook.