“America’s centennial book on World War I”
“Lest We Forget: The Great War” book now available
By Chris Isleib
Director of Public Affairs, United States World War One Centennial Commission
Chicago’s Pritzker Military Museum & Library (PMML) has published what it hopes to be “America’s book on World War I,” in partnership with the United States World War One Centennial Commission. Lest We Forget: The Great War, with an introduction by Sir Hew Strachan and history by Michael W. Robbins, uses prints, photographs, and scholarship to tell the complex story of World War I. It is a wonderful resource for anyone who wants to learn about World War One.
A companion exhibit at the PMML will run through mid-2019 that can be viewed in person or online here.
Half of net proceeds from the book will go toward building the National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The story of this epic struggle is told through many means, including the powerful and memorable art it spawned--the posters from all nations; a taut narrative account of the war's significant events; its major personalities, and it's tragic consequences; and the timely period photographs that illustrate the awful realities of this revolutionary conflict.
Most importantly, this book is a tribute to those who served: the Doughboys and sailors and the allies they fought beside to defeat collectively a resourceful and implacable enemy. it also serves as a lasting reminder that our world ignores the history of World War I at its peril--lest we forget.
“The 166 print reproductions and 180 photos and maps in this book represent only a small percentage of the PMML’s WWI collection,” says Kenneth Clarke, who served as Executive Editor and Creative Director for the book. “In the case of World War I, the prints tell an incredible story about how each government communicated with its people, its allies, and its enemies. They represent the first time that this kind of propaganda played a significant role in a war.”
Sir Hew Strachan speaking at the Pritzker Military Museum and Library in 2016.In his introduction to the book, WWI historian Sir Hew Strachan writes of the importance of posters in the war effort. They “provide more than stock images,” he explains. “Because they were tools of propaganda, they tell us what the war was about. They reflect back to us why and for what people thought they were fighting. They simplified the message, they conveyed it pictorially, and they provided evidence of national differences and state priorities.”
“More than a book of posters, though, Lest We Forget is meant to be America’s centennial book on World War I,” says Clarke. “It includes a taut narrative of the history of World War I from 1914 to the aftermath in the early 1920’s, detailing the story of this epic struggle through the art it spawned and through its signal events, major personalities, and tragic consequences.
"The book is a direct result of the PMML’s deep engagement with the World War One Centennial Commission as its Founding Sponsor.”
Lest We Forget contains expanded information about the prints, including how they can be accessed online, as well as a robust resources section on important WWI topics.
The Pritzker Military Museum & Library is a living memorial to those who serve. Its world-class collection, including tens of thousands of books and veterans resources on military history and affairs, is available to the public onsite and through interlibrary loan. It uses artifacts, many donated by service members or their families, to create physical and online exhibits that tell the stories of service. It broadcasts the experiences and insights of authors, military leaders, scholars, and veterans through podcasts, television shows, and video to millions.
Lest We Forget, a beautiful “must get” souvenir of the Centennial, is available in bookstores nationwide, but the easiest place to get it is in the Commission’s Merchandise shop.