The Great War: July 1, 1916: The First Day of the Battle of the Somme
Product ID: 5913426
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From “the heir to R. Crumb and Art Spiegelman” ( Economist ) comes a monumental, wordless depiction of the most infamous day of World War I. Launched on July 1, 1916, the Battle of the Somme has come to epitomize the madness of the First World War. Almost 20,000 British soldiers were killed and another 40,000 were wounded that first day, and there were more than one million casualties by the time the offensive halted. In The Great War , acclaimed cartoon journalist Joe Sacco depicts the events of that day in an extraordinary, 24-foot- long panorama: from General Douglas Haig and the massive artillery positions behind the trench lines to the legions of soldiers going “over the top” and getting cut down in no-man’s-land, to the tens of thousands of wounded soldiers retreating and the dead being buried en masse. Printed on fine accordion-fold paper and packaged in a deluxe slipcase with a 16-page booklet, The Great War is a landmark in Sacco’s illustrious career and allows us to see the War to End All Wars as we’ve never seen it before. 24 plates Review: A Different Perspective on a Tragic and Costly Battle of the First World War. - Joe Sacco is a journalist and comic book artist. Born in Malta, he is now a citizen of the U.S. living in Portland, Oregon. He has gained a reputation for reporting on some of the world’s top hot spots in the manner of a comic book style. He has written books on the Bosnian War, the Gulf war and the Palestinian situation. This book, which I received a couple of weeks ago, is somewhat of a departure from his previous subjects. It is a continuous drawing of the battle as it develops from the evening of June 30th to the evening of July 1st, folded concertina style into 24 plates (or pages). Beginning with Haig leaving church that evening it then shows in the minutest detail how the preparations for the battle unfold. The initial bombardment by heavy guns, thousands of troops moving into position with horses, men, wagons and piles of munitions are all meticulously portrayed in line drawings. Night falls and leads to dawn as men take up their positions and prepare for the assault. When they start going over the top, Sacco correctly portrays the men with arms at the port as they expected little resistance. There then follow several pages of the battle … shells bursting … the men struggling to advance … falling, dying … dead. It ends with the return, the roll calls, advanced dressing stations and burial. His research of the subject was extensive. Having spent fifteen years in Australia before he moved to the States in 1978, he became fascinated by the Great War, especially of Gallipoli and the Dardanelles and it apparently never left him. He has amassed a large library on the war and he states in the forward that his inspiration for the work was influenced by the authors Martin Middlebrook and Lynn MacDonald among others. This is a fascinating work. Its approach is probably unlike anything we have seen in this field. Despite this, it must be taken for what it is. Without a proper understanding of the battle, the book can do little to inform one of the chaos and horror of that day. The depiction of the dead and dying soldiers cannot by definition be close to reality. One unfortunate note (for me) is that Sacco chose to include an extract from Adam Hochschild’s book "To End All Wars", which is a history of the pacifist/socialist movements during the First World War. Although he doesn’t distort the history, Hochschild trashes most of the British military hierarchy including, of course, Earl Haig. He dismisses the more recent reassessments of the Field Marshall and falls back on the old ‘butcher’ treatment. I would have thought an extract from Martin Middlebrook’s "First Day of the Somme" would have been more appropriate. Having said that, there is no doubt that The Great War by Joe Sacco will become an important and unique addition to the literature and iconography of this terrible war with which we will undoubtedly be bombarded in the coming five years. Review: What a clever history book! - Great gift for a friend who's really into WWI - he just loves it. Fascinating book - Beautiful illustrations - what a clever way to tell the story of the Battle of the Somme first day. Our friend opened it completely - down his very long hallway - so he could view it in its entirety, and he just loves it. We are so pleased because it really was the perfect gift for this person, and we heard about it on a Public Radio station interview with the author.
| Best Sellers Rank | #713,182 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #551 in Military History Pictorials #663 in Biographies & History Graphic Novels #737 in World War I History (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 242 Reviews |
C**T
A Different Perspective on a Tragic and Costly Battle of the First World War.
Joe Sacco is a journalist and comic book artist. Born in Malta, he is now a citizen of the U.S. living in Portland, Oregon. He has gained a reputation for reporting on some of the world’s top hot spots in the manner of a comic book style. He has written books on the Bosnian War, the Gulf war and the Palestinian situation. This book, which I received a couple of weeks ago, is somewhat of a departure from his previous subjects. It is a continuous drawing of the battle as it develops from the evening of June 30th to the evening of July 1st, folded concertina style into 24 plates (or pages). Beginning with Haig leaving church that evening it then shows in the minutest detail how the preparations for the battle unfold. The initial bombardment by heavy guns, thousands of troops moving into position with horses, men, wagons and piles of munitions are all meticulously portrayed in line drawings. Night falls and leads to dawn as men take up their positions and prepare for the assault. When they start going over the top, Sacco correctly portrays the men with arms at the port as they expected little resistance. There then follow several pages of the battle … shells bursting … the men struggling to advance … falling, dying … dead. It ends with the return, the roll calls, advanced dressing stations and burial. His research of the subject was extensive. Having spent fifteen years in Australia before he moved to the States in 1978, he became fascinated by the Great War, especially of Gallipoli and the Dardanelles and it apparently never left him. He has amassed a large library on the war and he states in the forward that his inspiration for the work was influenced by the authors Martin Middlebrook and Lynn MacDonald among others. This is a fascinating work. Its approach is probably unlike anything we have seen in this field. Despite this, it must be taken for what it is. Without a proper understanding of the battle, the book can do little to inform one of the chaos and horror of that day. The depiction of the dead and dying soldiers cannot by definition be close to reality. One unfortunate note (for me) is that Sacco chose to include an extract from Adam Hochschild’s book "To End All Wars", which is a history of the pacifist/socialist movements during the First World War. Although he doesn’t distort the history, Hochschild trashes most of the British military hierarchy including, of course, Earl Haig. He dismisses the more recent reassessments of the Field Marshall and falls back on the old ‘butcher’ treatment. I would have thought an extract from Martin Middlebrook’s "First Day of the Somme" would have been more appropriate. Having said that, there is no doubt that The Great War by Joe Sacco will become an important and unique addition to the literature and iconography of this terrible war with which we will undoubtedly be bombarded in the coming five years.
E**N
What a clever history book!
Great gift for a friend who's really into WWI - he just loves it. Fascinating book - Beautiful illustrations - what a clever way to tell the story of the Battle of the Somme first day. Our friend opened it completely - down his very long hallway - so he could view it in its entirety, and he just loves it. We are so pleased because it really was the perfect gift for this person, and we heard about it on a Public Radio station interview with the author.
G**.
Stunning and meticulous
This book is an intellectual investment that should be savored and valued as an heirloom to be passed on to future generations. The format is unique. The art is stunning. The scope is amazing. And the lesson is timeless. Combined with Adam Hochschild's essay on the significance of the Battle of the Somme (which was adapted from his incredible book, To End All Wars), Sacco's vision can be studied for hours. One of the most impressive works of history I have ever had the honor to experience.
D**T
Love the artwork and story.
love the artwork and the story
P**U
I couldn't find Waldo!
No matter how hard I looked on each of the beautifully illustrated panels, I could not find Waldo. Maybe it's because this books is illustrated in Black and White and I'm not up for the challenge. I thought I saw him on 4th panel in the upper right, but close examination revealed that I was mistaken. Maybe he's on the last panel where they're burying the dead, but I would consider it bad form if we can only find the arm or leg of Waldo. That would kind of be cheating. I hope the next book about the Bataan Death March is an easier puzzle.
R**C
This book is extraordinary!!
I have never been to war. I don't know if any medium can represent what goes on in battle, but I certainly feel I have a better insight after this book. The author is inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry in creating a series of images that seek to present battle in many aspects, from the preparations behind the lines, to the horror of "over the top", to the survivors who returned and the burial details for those who didn't. This was a must for my WWI library. There are no words. The entire book is black and white line drawing. The only identifiable individual is Field Marshal Haig. It seems almost facetious to say that the book must be examined like a Where's Waldo book to find all of the details that the author has included. The book consists of a continuous accordion fold sheet that carries the battle through the first day. Each page is packed with the small events of war that were occurring at that day in the battle.
M**S
Expert technique
This is a panorama - 24 connected panels that tell the story of the first day of the Battle of the Somme, July 1, 1916. It includes a printed history and a key to understanding the panorama. The whole thing is presented in a hard slipcase and is gift quality. I am most impressed with the technical ability that keeps the day flowing across the panels, with troops marching up or heading out, explosions, air surveillance, certain buildings, trenches, no man's land, and barbed wire. This seems like it would be impossible to achieve, but I'm holding it here. Buy this one. It's a keeper.
J**K
Unlike anything you've ever unfolded before.
Such an impressive work of art. My only reservation is that i would like it to have been twice the size but then i would never have been able to pull the whole thing out inside my house. Joe Sacco brings humanity to the fore in our remembrance of one awful day in world war one. The more you look at this work, the more time you give it the more you are given by it. A truly remarkable book.
T**.
Grandios!
Ohne Worte vermitteln die detaillierten Bilder die Schrecken des Ersten Weltkriegs auf eindrucksvolle Art und Weise. Die Zeichnungen sind einfach grandios. Das Buch hat mich sehr bewegt, ich nehme es immer wieder zur Hand und entdecke immer wieder etwas Neues.
Q**T
Beautiful work
Very unusual work and excellent as a unique gift
野**裕
期待ほどではなかった
もう少しワクワクする絵巻物を想像していたが、 それほどではなかった。 まあ、労作ではあるが…。
S**O
Gran panorama ilustrado de las trincheras
Gran investigación sobre las trincheras de la primera guerra mundial
P**O
Muito bom
Produto chegou em ótimo estado.
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