ON THE WESTERN FRONT: SOLDIERS' STORIES FROM FRANCE AND FLANDERS, 1914-1918. by Laffin, John

Alan Sutton, (Gloucester), 1985, Ist edition. 277 pp, 8vo (8 3/4" H), hard cover in dust jacket. ISBN 0862992427 B&w photos, maps, cartoons. "...at its lowest level the history of the 'Great War' is made up of millions of trivial incidents, for something happened each day to each man - somet hing that made him laugh or cry or sigh...And he told stories - about the things that happened to him. Those stories reveal, collectively, much about the 'real' war. Most were for consumption within the army so they were heard only by th e m e n i n t he trenches, behind the lines, at base hospitals and at the estaminets and billets during rest periods. The anecdotes which make up this collection (some taken from letters, diaries, published and unpublished books) are, John Laffi n b el ie ve s , th e f irst serious attempt to show the humanity of the soldier on the Western Front. They reflect the conditions, attitudes and practices of 1914-18, revealing the soldiers' war from first shot to last..." Minor wrinkling to to p of sp ine , s ma ll bu mp to one corner, slight fading to bottom 1/2" of both boards. Dust jacket has very light edge wrinkling - small crease at bottom of front panel, four small areas light dye staining due to dampness. Very Good/Very Good.