Promotional Information

Also available in hardback, 9781859739839 GBP50.00 (July, 1998)

Table of Contents

Introduction 1. The Composition of a National Cult 2. A Commemorative Tradition and its Application in War 3. Talking About War Memorials 4. The Choice of a Memorial 5. The War Memorial Business 6. War Memorial Imagery 7. The Canonisation of Common People 8. Moral Obligation and Politics in the Commemoration of the Dead 9. Sacred Union Conclusion Bibliography Index

About the Author

Alex King is a Research Associate at Cambridge University Library, UK.

Reviews

'Alex King ...has written a book which transforms our understanding of the circumstances in which the memorials were erected during the war itself... He has also shrewdly detected in newspaper reports, and in the copious proceedings of numerous memorial committees, evidence of priorities and expectations, and, of course, the occasional significant quarrel. He is aware that there was a political dimension to this commemorative activity, and also an urgent need to mitigate, or at least to control, the grief of a community, but he justly concludes that something else was also involved.' Times Literary Supplement 'King has written the first thoroughly professional book on British war memorials, a work exemplary both as empirical history and for its reading of the literature on symbolism and ritual.' The Journal of Modern History 'King is very good on the new, intense feeling of moral obligation which memorials of the Great War imposed... H(l/c)ere for the first time is an account which begins to encompass not only the myriad forms that they took but also the roles that they played in the life of particular communities. Clearly written and supported by a mass of wonderfully suggestive evidence, Alex King's book represents a significant contribution both to the study of material culture and to the social history of the inter-war period.' Journal of Design History Through a close examination ... King usefully extends knowledge of how different localities throughout Britain sought to give permanent expression to the nation's gratitude to those who had sacrificed their lives in its defense.' Choice 'A book that anyone interested in war memorials and the act of 'remembrance' should read.' The Western Front Association Bulletin 'There is a lot in this book for those interested in the social history of the 1914-18 War.' Church Times 'King's study makes a fine addition to the excellent series on "The Legacy of the Great War" published by Berg Press. Once again, the editors have produced a marvelously researched and carefully argued work that, like many of the other splendid contributions to that series, adds a wealth of detail to our knowledge of the cultural and social history of the Great War.' Albion 'The chapters on the aesthetics of war memorials and on the businesses that constructed them are valuable.' Journal of Strategic Studies 'Arefreshingly original and interesting inquiry into the making and meaning of British memorials of World War I'. Ethnic and Racial Studies 'Primaril an excellent empirical study of one, greatly under-researched area of local politics and the exercise of elite power, this book has a place on reading lists for courses on the impact of the Great War, the histories of architecture, design or planning and the emerging courses dealing with aspects of history and memory.' History