Pope Stephen - Dictionary of the First World War

The Dictionary has been designed and written to enable ease of access and interconnection. Its widest-ranging essays cover fronts, theatres or broad generic terms, and major home fronts are treated as theatres of war intrinsic to the broad picture.

Entries for EASTERN FRONT, AERIAL WARFARE, FRANCE or TRENCH WARFARE (for instance) present a general picture and refer readers to important areas within the subject. A second level covers major offensives, political movements, tactics, forces and weapons systems, including among many the SERBIAN ARMY, BREAKTHROUGH TACTICS, SOVIETS, the EAST AFRICAN CAMPAIGN, DESTROYERS and ALCOHOL. Detail entries covering the individual actions, leaders, weapons and events of the period (SOPWITH CAMEL, ENVER PASHA, FOUR-MINUTE MEN, TRENCH FOOT) are signalled wherever they are relevant, and refer readers back up the chain to the big picture.

Apart from this simple pyramid, the dictionary and cross-reference format offers some sense of the three-dimensional nature of global affairs, making lateral connections with indirect or simultaneous influences elsewhere and allowing the reader to investigate their full spectrum at leisure.

Following the paths marked by cross-referencing, in any order, should eventually build a comprehensive and rounded picture of the First World War, but most entries are also intended to stand on their own as reference material. The exceptions are one-line or simple-definition entries, that exist to cover potential confusions of nomenclature and to provide the maximum number of access points for lay readers.

Technical data attached to entries describing aircraft, ships and TANKS is intended as a rough guide to performance. That the information is less complete or precise than similar material contained in the authors Dictionary of the Second World War reflects contemporary weakness of measurement methods rather than any editorial decision.

The maps have been designed primarily to help readers find their way around the text, rather than as alternative illustrations of the action, with the emphasis on orientation above military movements. Front maps in particular are a quick reference guide to locations rather than armies. The chronology table is similarly planned to provide a global snapshot as well as a ready war diary.