Collection

Looking Back 100 Years Through Words and Pictures

Car Hit by Shell, June 1918

While often in the shadow of the war that would follow, World War I saw conflict on a global scale: 17 million people were killed and large swaths of Europe’s landscape still bears visible scars.

The Great War saw the end of empires, and birthed the modern age, and at the end, it marked the entrance of the United States as a major player on the world stage. The crucible of World War I not only forged military leaders who would make their name in the next war, but also a generation of writers now firmly enshrined in the English-language canon.

Events at the Library

• Wednesday, June 21 – “America and the Great War” – Author talk with Margaret Wagner
• Thursday, Sept. 14 – “War Against War” – Author talk with Michael Kazin

Explore the Library Collection

There can be no way to showcase all of this history in a single booklist, so we’ve started with a World War I Overview, mixing fiction and nonfiction, and covering broad topics, trends and regions in order to present the best introduction our collection can offer.

But these titles are just a small selection of the Library’s collection on World War I. You can find more of our lists in the catalog by searching “World War I Collection Spotlight.”

You can also explore World War I in pictures and letters through our featured exhibit in the Center for Local History’s online Community Archive.

We will add more booklist topics throughout the year as we continue to commemorate and remember the war’s 100th anniversary.

Homepage image from the Center for Local History, 230-6659 Car Hit by Shell, June 1918.

As librarians, we often receive emails from friends and family members, looking for specific book suggestions…

This email arrived over the holidays:

My dad’s been reading to a class of 3rd graders, and the assignment (instead of being a month) may last until the end of next academic year. I’d given him Neil Gaiman’s “Fortunately, the Milk” — which he and one of the groups liked — but he’s done with it.

I was thinking “Pippi Longstocking,” but it’s hard to know if that would be interesting to kids today. What do you suggest? Something to get them excited about reading.

We love a question like this!

Our Youth Services librarians came up with a short list of fun books to read out loud to 3rd graders, which the writer’s dad took to his school librarian. He wrote back, saying that he quickly found two books that looked perfect for his class.

So if you’re looking for ideas about what to read next, don’t forget to ask your librarian! 

We always recommend that adult readers preview read-aloud suggestions, to find the best fit for their listeners.