Over the Top - Softcover

Empey, Arthur Guy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1940771390 ISBN 13: 9781940771397

Publisher: University of North Georgia, 2017

Synopsis

Arthur Guy Empey served as an American in the British Army in the early days of World War I. After fighting in the trenches, Empey began writing short stories of his overseas military experience. Wounded in the line of duty and discharged soon after, Empey returned to America and compiled his stories into one volume entitled Over the Top. Published in 1917 only weeks after the United States declared war on Germany and the Central Powers, Over the Top quickly became a bestseller, bringing fame and notoriety to the previously unknown author. An estimated one million copies were printed from May 1917 through November 1918. To date, Empey's American point of view of fighting as a British soldier makes Over the Top the most readable and engaging introduction to the experience of trench fighting in print. The novel offered American readers a glimpse of what their own American Expeditionary Force members might face in this new Modern War. While most books that appeared before the Armistice focused on military strategy and politics, Over the Top provided a rare glimpse into the life of the common soldier in World War I. An overnight sensation, Empey's candid and readable style made this book a "must read" book of its time. Here, almost 100 years later, we hope that modern readers will appreciate Over the Top as much as did the original audience.

About this title

About the Author

David Scott Stieghan is the United States Army Infantry Branch Historian at Fort Benning, Georgia. After a training accident while on active duty in Germany resulted in a permanent disability, Stieghan was honorably discharged from the United States Army as a Captain in 1992. He then taught history at colleges in Texas, Tennessee, and Georgia. Stieghan returned to government service in 2001, as the Military History Instructor for the U.S. Army Infantry. Since 1999, Stieghan has worked on twenty-eight Armed Forces Radio and Television Service Military Heritage Spots, eight shows for the History Channel shows, nine for the Outdoor Channel, and twenty-one shows for the Military Channel as a technical advisor and Subject Matter Expert. He also served as technical advisor for the mini-series "Truman" on HBO and "Rough Riders" on TNT.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of North Georgia
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1940771390
• ISBN 13: 9781940771397
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 202
• Editor: Stieghan David