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"Over the Top" by Arthur Guy Empey
Much of the literature from the war shows the tragedy of life in the trenches, from the poems of Siegfried Sassoon to the paintings of Claggett Wilson. The book Over the Top by Arthur Guy Empey (published in 1917 by G. P. Putnam's Sons) is different in that it retains an overall positive tone while still successfully describing the horrors of trench warfare.
Empey was a larger-than-life figure who served in the U.S.Cavalry, the Pennsylvania National Guard, and the British Army from 1915. He served in Europe with the 56th (London) Infantry Division and was severly wounded at the front.
When Empey returned to the United States he wrote the first person account of his own service in Europe called Over the Top, which became an instant best seller. The book is a good read for understanding life in the trenches, and although it depends on a certian amount of propaganda that is not normal for first person accounts, it is a clean and easy to understand work.
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