For New Zealand, World War One was wholly avoidable, wholly unnecessary and almost wholly disastrous. Stevan Eldred-Grigg believes that the enormous cost of the war to our people was way too high - and that we still feel the effects of this cost, socially and culturally, today. This is excellent narrative non-fiction, analyzing our history in a very different way to what's been done before. It's very accessible, almost chatty but backed up with meticulous research. Stevan goes against the accepted line and gives us a fascinating look into our social history before, during and just after WW1.

Why did we go to the war in Europe? Was the country united in its desire for war? What were the economic and social consequences? What has been the impact on the psyches of New Zeland men? These and many other questions are answered in this fascinating book. In 2007 Harvey McQueen wrote in a review of NZ's Great War (an anthology of essays) that '[there is] a need for a general, popular history of 'our' Great War. we need a skilled writer in the mould of Sinclair, Oliver or King to give an overview and link the various elements into a coherent whole.' This is that book.

Author Biography

Stevan Eldred-Grigg's last history Diggers, hatters and whores has been acclaimed critically as well as selling very strongly. He won the $35,000 Copyright Licensing Limited scholarship to write that book. His first much-loved novel, Oracles and Miracles, was published in New Zealand in 1987. He has written eight other novels. His histories include A Southern Gentry, A New History of Canterbury, Pleasures of the Flesh, Working People, The Rich and Xin Xilan de Wenxue Lucheng. He has three grown sons.