Seymour Chwast This week in The New York Times Book Review, Harold Evans reviews two new books about the complicated web of events leading up to World War I: “The Sleepwalkers,†by Christopher Clark, and “July 1914,†by Sean McMeekin. Mr. Evans writes:
The historiography of World War I is immense, more than 25,000 volumes and articles even before next year’s centenary. Still, Clark, and Sean McMeekin, in “July 1914,†offer new perspectives. The distinctive achievement of “The Sleepwalkers†is Clark’s single-volume survey of European history leading up to the war. That may sound dull. Quite the contrary. It is as if a light had been turned on a half-darkened stage of shadowy characters cursing among themselves without reason. He raises the curtain at 2 a.m. on June 11, 1903, 11 years before Sarajevo. We see 28 Serbian army officers shoot their way into the royal palace in Belgrade. King Alexandar and Queen Draga, betrayed and defenseless, huddle in a tiny closet where the maid irons the queen’s clothes.
On this week’s podcast, Mr. Evans discusses “The Sleepwalkers†and “July 1914â€; Julie Bosman has notes from the field; Pamela Paul talks about the spring children’s books section; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Pamela Paul is the host.
