Many Fronts

Freeman, Lewis R. (Lewis Ransome), 1878-1960Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 383K words
Chapters: 39

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.Many Fronts by Lewis R. FreemanAuthor: Freeman, Lewis R. (Lewis Ransome), 1878-1960,Language: English, Class: D501: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: World War I (1914-1918), Release Date: Mar 31, 2013

Editor's review

Many Fronts is a collection of Lewis R. Freeman's dispatches from multiple fronts in World War I. The title signals the book's structure: rather than focusing on a single theater, the author moves between fronts and records what he sees and hears. As on-the-ground reporting by a war correspondent, its value lies in preserving the immediacy and detail of wartime observation rather than offering a systematic military history. Readers can see how early twentieth-century war reporting was written: attentive to scene, people, and atmosphere, with a distinctly journalistic perspective and period tone. It is best read as documentary reporting rather than military analysis, with attention to distinguishing firsthand record from the author's judgments. For readers studying the history of World War I journalism or the tradition of war writing, this is a useful primary text; for general readers, it serves as a supplementary source for understanding the attitudes and observational habits of the time. The Project Gutenberg edition allows full-text search and quotation.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in World War I history and war reporting
Students and researchers of journalism history and the tradition of war writing
General readers who prefer documentary observation to military analysis
Advanced learners who wish to read an early twentieth-century reporting style in the original English

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a systematic account of campaigns and military strategy
Readers expecting strong personal narrative or literary lyricism
Readers sensitive to war material who prefer not to read battlefield accounts

Reading tips

Begin with the table of contents and choose chapters by front or region of interest; there is no need to read straight through.
While reading, mark the author's subjective judgments and his firsthand records, and distinguish between them.
Keep a World War I timeline or map at hand to situate each dispatch in its phase of the war.
For research, excerpt descriptive techniques and vocabulary by theme and build your own notes.

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 fronts does the book cover?

Judging from the title and classification, the author records observations from several different fronts rather than a single theater. The specific fronts should be determined from the individual chapters. It is advisable to skim the table of contents, locate the regions you care about by chapter title, and then decide the order for close reading.

Is the reporting in the book neutral?

This is on-the-ground reporting by an early twentieth-century journalist, carrying the language habits and personal perspective of the time; it should not be treated as a fully neutral record. While reading, focus on observational detail and reporting method, be cautious about conclusive judgments, and compare with other historical sources.

Is it suitable as an introductory book on World War I?

It can serve as supplementary reading but not as the sole introduction. It offers firsthand impressions from a journalist's perspective and lacks a systematic overview of the military situation. It is better to start with a general history to establish a framework, then use this book to add the reporting tone and frontline detail of the period.

Comments

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About the author

Freeman, Lewis R. (Lewis Ransome), 1878-1960 Author

Lewis R. Freeman (1878–1960) was an English-language author known for his writing on travel, seafaring and wartime observation. Public information on his life is limited, but his surviving works show a lasting interest in maritime life and the geography of North American rivers: Stories of the Ships and Sea-Hounds deal with vessels and life at sea, Down the Columbia and Down the Yellowstone record journeys downriver, while To Kiel in the “Hercules,” Many Fronts and Hell’s Hatches concern wartime voyages and experiences at the front. These books are mostly documentary narratives, plain in style and attentive to first-hand detail and landscape, blending travel writing with reportage. Seven of his works are held in the collection, offering readers a glimpse of early twentieth-century maritime and travel writing.