A detailed contemporary account of World War 1 as it happened, heavily illustrated with drawings and photographs created by the foremost war artists in the field.

In 1917, Willis J. Abbot, the writer of "Panama and the Canal" and "The Story of Our Navy," assembled a massive collection of material that contained many of the best Great War photographs, drawings, and paintings from the time. He used these rich visual details to illustrate the outbreak of hostilities and the ongoing conflict that raged throughout Europe. His period journalism covered, from top to bottom, the outbreak of war and its rapid escalation into the global conflagration, which would later become known as World War One.

What resulted from his efforts is a timeless and educational book called "The Nations at War," reprinted here with digitally re-scanned images, enlarged pages, and the original period type font. Newcomers get a glimpse into WW1 as it happened, while veteran historians can thoroughly enjoy Abbot's meticulous writing style and his illustrative use of maps, photos, and diagrams that detail nearly every part of the Great War from a contemporary viewpoint.

Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, Position and Relative Strength of the Powers
Chapter 2 - The Invasion of Belgium, Dash Upon Paris, Heroism of Belgians, German Defeat at the Marne
Chapter 3 - Battle of the Aisne, On the Fighting Lines, Fighting in Flanders, Ypres and the Yser
Chapter 4 - The War in the East, Russians Advance Into Galicia, Tide of the Battle Before Cracow
Chapter 5 - The Work of the Navies, German Naval Strategies, Three Fleet Battles
Chapter 6 - Deadlock in France and Belgium, The Hardships of the Trenches, A Christmas Truce, Gas and Liquid Fire
Chapter 7 - Turkey Enters the War, Russians in Asia Minor, The Attempts on the Dardanelles, British Failure in Mesopotamia
Chapter 8 - Warsaw and After, Transfer of the Grand-Duke Nicholas, Record of Russian Successes
Chapter 9 - The War in the Balkans, Bulgaria Enters the War, Destruction of the Servian Army, Profess of Italian Campaign
Chapter 10 - The Attack Upon Verdun, Character of History's Greatest Battle, Battle of the Somme
Chapter 11 - War's Echoes in Asia and Africa, Loyalty of the British Colonies, Rebellion in Ireland, The Aerial War, The War's Cost