1913: The World before the Great War

‘If Downton Abbey still colours your impression of what Britain was like on the cusp of the First World War, 1913 could be a useful corrective.’ – Scotsman

2018 marks the centenary of the end of the Great War. What was the year before the war really like?

1913 is often seen as little more than the antechamber to apocalypse. Our images of the time are too often dominated by:

• Last summers of upper-class indulgence
• A world rushing headlong into the abyss of an inevitable war

However, 1913: The World before the Great War offers a strikingly different portrait.

A Panoramic View of a World on the Brink

Told through the stories of twenty-three cities, Charles Emmerson paints a vivid picture of a world alive with possibilities:

• Europe’s capitals at the height of their global reach
• The emerging metropolises of America
• The imperial cities of Asia and Africa
• The boomtowns of Australia and the Americas

From St Petersburg to Shanghai and Los Angeles to Jerusalem, the book explores a rich and complex world, more familiar than we might expect—connected as never before and poised on the brink of transformative events that would change the course of global history.

‘A masterful, comprehensive portrait of the world at that last moment in its history…’ – Spectator