Research Catalog

The secret history of soldiers : how Canadians survived the Great War

Title
The secret history of soldiers : how Canadians survived the Great War / Tim Cook.
Author
Cook, Tim, 1971-
Publication
  • Toronto, Ontario, Canada : Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin Canada Books, Inc., 2018.
  • ©2018

Items in the Library & Off-site

Filter by

1 Item

StatusFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
Request for On-site UseRequest Scan

Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schwarzman Building to submit a request in person.

TextUse in library JFE 19-1071Schwarzman Building - Main Reading Room 315

Details

Description
472 pages : illustrations, facsimiles, portraits; 24 cm
Summary
"There have been thousands of books on the Great War, but most have focused on commanders, battles, strategy, and tactics. Less attention has been paid to the daily lives of the combatants, how they endured the unimaginable conditions of industrial warfare: the rain of shells, bullets, and chemical agents. In The Secret History of Soldiers, Tim Cook, Canada's foremost military historian, examines how those who survived trench warfare on the Western Front found entertainment, solace, relief, and distraction from the relentless slaughter. These tales come from the soldiers themselves, mined from the letters, diaries, memoirs, and oral accounts of more than five hundred combatants. Rare examples of trench art, postcards, and even song sheets offer insight into a hidden society that was often irreverent, raunchy, and anti-authoritarian. Believing in supernatural stories was another way soldiers shielded themselves from the horror. While novels and poetry often depict the soldiers of the Great War as mere victims, this new history shows how the soldiers pushed back against the grim war, refusing to be broken in the mincing machine of the Western Front. The violence of war is always present, but Cook reveals the gallows humour the soldiers employed to get through it. Over the years, both writers and historians have overlooked this aspect of the men's lives. The fighting at the front was devastating, but behind the battle lines, another layer of life existed, one that included songs, skits, art, and soldier-produced newspapers. With his trademark narrative abilities and an unerring eye for the telling human detail, Cook has created another landmark history of Canadian military life as he reveals the secrets of how soldiers survived the carnage of the Western Front."--
Alternative Title
How Canadians survived the Great War
Subjects
Genre/Form
  • Personal narratives – Canadian.
  • Personal narratives.
  • History.
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (pages 420-455) and index.
Call Number
JFE 19-1071
ISBN
  • 9780735235267
  • 0735235260
OCLC
1052784378
Author
Cook, Tim, 1971- author.
Title
The secret history of soldiers : how Canadians survived the Great War / Tim Cook.
Publisher
Toronto, Ontario, Canada : Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin Canada Books, Inc., 2018.
Copyright Date
©2018
Type of Content
text
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
volume
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 420-455) and index.
Chronological Term
1900-1999
Other Form:
Cook, Tim, 1971-, author. Secret history of soldiers.: Toronto : Allen Lane Canada, 2018. (CaOONL)20189024208
Research Call Number
JFE 19-1071
View in Legacy Catalog