How Jerusalem Was Won

Massey, W. T.Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 503K words
Chapters: 51

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.How Jerusalem Was Won by W. T. MasseyAuthor: Massey, W. T. (William Thomas),Language: English, Class: D501: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: World War I (1914-1918), Release Date: Nov 1, 2003

Editor's review

This book examines the fall of Jerusalem during the First World War and belongs to the military history and Middle Eastern theater narrative tradition. W. T. Massey presents the course of military operations in the manner of wartime reporting, and the source classifies the work under general histories of WWI. For readers interested in the WWI Middle Eastern front, the final years of the Ottoman Empire, or the urban history of Jerusalem, it offers narrative material from a contemporary perspective. The prose carries the flavor of wartime reportage; the narrative is fairly concrete, but its standpoint and period limitations require the reader's own scrutiny. It is not a systematic analysis in the manner of a scholarly monograph and is better read as a primary narrative source alongside other studies. Those seeking to understand the course of the fighting and the public rhetoric of the time will find it valuable; those expecting grand strategic analysis or a balanced multi-perspective account will need to supplement it with other works.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Researchers of the WWI Middle Eastern front and the fighting for Jerusalem
Readers interested in the urban history of the late Ottoman Empire
History readers who enjoy wartime narrative and the reportage style of the period
Those needing public-domain English historical sources for textual analysis or translation practice

Not a good fit for

Rigorous researchers expecting a balanced, multi-perspective and systematic strategic analysis
General readers unfamiliar with military detail and place names who want a popular story
Readers seeking modern Middle Eastern political analysis rather than historical narrative

Reading tips

First review the timeline of the WWI Middle Eastern front, then read chapter by chapter against each phase of the fighting
Mark the narrator's standpoint and sources of information as you read, and compare them with later scholarship
Read alongside maps to clarify the geography of marches and operations around Jerusalem
Use the book as a source of period narrative excerpts rather than reading every page closely

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Which war is this book about?

According to the source, the book is classified under the history of the First World War, and its subject is how Jerusalem was captured. It deals with military operations on the Middle Eastern front during WWI and is a work of military history narrative, not a general textbook.

Does the author's narrative standpoint require special attention?

Yes. The book bears the stylistic marks of wartime record and contemporary reporting, and its perspective is shaped by its era and standpoint. It should be read against later scholarship, with care to distinguish factual record from tendentious statements.

Can I read it without a background in military history?

You can, but first acquire some basic background on the WWI Middle Eastern front and its place names. Otherwise it is easy to get lost in march routes and unit designations. It is better suited as a supplementary source than as a first introductory book.

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About the author

Massey, W. T. Author

W. T. Massey is an author about whom limited public information is available; details such as nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background remain unknown, and only one of his works is held in the collection. His known representative work is How Jerusalem Was Won. Judging from the title and subject matter, the book deals with the taking of Jerusalem and belongs to historical narrative writing, likely recording military operations and the regional situation. Owing to the scarcity of verifiable material, it is difficult to assess his overall writing style or the full scope of his work, but the surviving title suggests an author concerned with reconstructing historical events and with factual exposition and process description. As the only work of his in the collection, it serves as the main basis for understanding his writing orientation and offers some reference value for readers studying related historical subjects.