Peace at Last Paperback

Peace at Last was published in paperback in December 2022.

 

A vivid, original, and intimate hour-by-hour account of Armistice Day 1918

In this rich portrait of Armistice Day, which ranges from midnight to midnight, Guy Cuthbertson brings together news reports, literature, memoirs, and letters to show how the crowds in the streets, as well as soldiers and prominent figures, from royalty and politicians to writers and artists, experienced a strange, singular day of great joy, relief, and optimism.

‘Absorbing and well‑researched… a pleasure to read and full of fascinating tidbits.’—Brendan Simms, Wall Street Journal

‘[a] brilliant portrayal of Britain on the day that peace broke out […] He weaves a wonderful tapestry of the mood and events across the country […] It is accessible history at its best.’—Robert Fox, Evening Standard (‘Book of the Week’)

 

 

‘[a] brilliant portrayal of Britain on the day that peace broke out; when people could believe there was an end to the war to end all wars. He weaves a wonderful tapestry of the mood and events across the country, drawing on a wide range of local and regional newspapers. It is accessible history at its best.’ (The Evening Standard, 8 November)

‘In his absorbing and well-researched study, Mr. Cuthbertson, a professor of literature at Liverpool Hope University, shows how a day of spontaneity was tamed over time, as celebration morphed into commemoration. […] “Peace at Last,” despite its sometimes grim subject, is a pleasure to read and is full of fascinating tidbits.’ (The Wall Street Journal, 12 November)

‘Guy Cuthbertson’s superbly researched and exhaustive survey of the day the Great War ended […] One of the strengths of this fine book is that the reader has the sensation that he or she actually took part in what, at the time, was regarded as the greatest day in the history of the world […] this is as definitive a work as one could wish for about the day that saw the end of what was supposedly the war to end all wars.’ (The Literary Review, November 2018)