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The Zimmermann Telegram
Barbara Tuchman
Introduced by Margaret MacMillan
‘A fine exciting book told with intense drama.
A thriller of real life’
observer
‘We propose to begin on 1 February unrestricted submarine warfare … ’
There was nothing immediately to distinguish it from the material
that arrived for routine decoding at British Naval Intelligence. But on
17 January 1917, a young publisher and a priest – part of the team of
civilians who pored over hundreds of telegram intercepts each day
– unravelled a message sent by the German foreign minister, Arthur
Zimmermann. Their discovery would change the course of 20thcentury history, supplying evidence both of the deadliest peril that
could befall the Allies, and their greatest hope of salvation.
The fascinating story behind the Zimmermann telegram is one of
espionage and counter-intelligence. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian
Barbara Tuchman takes us into the emotionally charged atmosphere of
Room 40, Whitehall, the nerve centre of the code-breaking operation,
and into the secret negotiations that underpinned German policy.
Above all she details the frenzied diplomatic activity that brought
the United States into more than just an international conflict, but an
‘unwilled wedlock to the rest of the world’.
This edition from The Folio Society features an introduction from
historian Margaret MacMillan which examines what made Tuchman
such an accessible and successful writer, pointing to her gift for
storytelling and her ‘fascination with history as a record of human
behaviour’. It includes a frontispiece and 16 pages of black and white
plates, including images of the infamous telegram itself.
Product information
Quarter-bound in cloth with printed paper sides. Set in Sabon with Kabel Heavy display.
248 pages. Frontispiece and 16 pages of black & white plates. Slipcase. 9½˝ x 6¼˝.
UK £34.95 US $57.95 Can $72.95 Aus $72.95
For nearly 70 years, The Folio Society has been publishing beautiful illustrated editions of
the world’s greatest books. It believes that the literary content of a book should be matched
by its physical form. With specially researched images or newly commissioned illustrations,
many of its editions are further enhanced with introductions written by leading figures in
their fields: novelists, journalists, academics, scientists and artists. Exceptional in content and
craftsmanship, and maintaining the very highest standards of fine book production,
Folio Society editions last for generations.
For media enquiries please contact:
UK & ROW Nicola Handley, Cherish PR
020 3865 0810
[email protected]
USA & Canada Cathleen P. Williamson
(617 ) 435-5505
[email protected]
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