The First World War in Colour Hardcover – September 5, 2014

Over the years, I have purchased many photo histories of the Great War. The ones published during the War and soon after tend to be the very best books. With the centenary of the war's commencement many new volumes are being published. "The First World War in Colour" is unique in that it is the only the photo history that I am aware of that features original colored photographs.Most people are not aware that the first colored photos were taken in the Nineteenth Century. By the beginning of the Twentieth Century, a new process known as autochrome was being pioneered in Europe. The great proponent of autochrome photography was the French banker Albert Kahn who commissioned teams of photographers to document the world's quickly modernizing cultures. When the Great War began, there were well established photographers throughout Europe who were experienced in producing color photos.The author Peter Walther has scoured the world's great photo archives to bring the surviving autochromes into one photo history. The resulting collection of over 320 photos is simply stunning. For me, the Great War has always been a black and white war. Black and white photos can be intense and fascinating but the lack of color detracts from their real world immediacy. The color photos in this wonderfully produced Taschen volume bring the Great War to life in a way black and white photos can never approach. This is a great book and I highly recommend it!

Amazing real color pictures from the First World War. There's not a lot of reading, enough to lay out how autochrome came into being and how it worked, then chapter introductions for the sets of images.I found the discussion of the early war uniforms very interesting, how the various armies used the traditional 19th century colors, stripes, etc, until it became apparent the uniforms made the soldiers more visible to machine gunners. On to the drab, mono-color uniforms.Worth your time if you're interested in WWI or just interested in early color photography.

T’s Rating System0 to 5 with 0 the lowest score and 5 the highest and NA for not applicable:Books (nonfiction) Content 4 Coverage of topic 5 Adequacy of descriptions 5 Detail 5 Accuracy 5 References 5 Illustrations 5 Size 5 Detail 5 Captions 5 Sufficient Maps NA Sufficient Drawings NA Sufficient Photos 5 Product worth the price - Yes, 4Unique collection of early color photography. The book is rather expensive, but offers something different.

In some ways The Great War is always outshone by all that followed - not here. Tragic. Beautiful. To not own one - I nearly passed - would have been a shame.

Good compilation. Important work.Yes the french soldiers pants were red ....therefore flagging themselves to enemy fire ...

Another winner from Taschen! Autochromes galore in vivid colors; the first book of 'true' color photos from 'The War to End War'. Add it to your WWI library today.

Really amazing images. These aren't colorized b&w photos. It's a forgotten color process called autochrome.

Great photos I haven't seen before.

My husband (who is very interested in the two 20th Century World Wars, absolutely loves this book. I am planning on getting him the "War Diaries" book for his 74th Birthday at the end of February. I see these publications advertised and therefore know what their published price is so it's a real help that Amazon's prices are so very reasonable in comparison.

You would not know that the British Expeditionary Force and allies were involved. Great photos but from the FrenchJourney only.

AAA+++

I wasn't aware any colour photos existed from this period.A fascinating look in to a vanished world

If you are into the first world war this book for you great pictures and reference