11 h 20 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 11 h 20 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Europe’s armies stand ready, its trains wait, and the next great war exists only on the page.
The Great War of 189— imagines a European conflict and tells it as if it were history. Published in 1892, this early work of future war fiction brings together soldiers, journalists and military thinkers. Philip Howard Colomb, Archibald Forbes and John Frederick Maurice help turn firsthand knowledge into a forecast of how war might begin, spread and be fought.
Rival powers face one another across a Europe bound by treaties and old suspicions. Reserves must be called up, trains loaded and troops sent to the frontiers. At sea, fleets bring trade, coasts and ports into the struggle. Each contributor follows the field he knows best, making organisation and strategy—not a single hero—the centre of the story.
What you’ll discover
- War through expert eyes See how soldiers, naval writers and correspondents imagine a conflict still to come.
- Alliances under strain Explore a political map where treaties and old suspicions shape the prospect of war.
- The race to mobilise Follow the practical demands of calling up reserves and moving armies by rail.
- Beyond the land battle Discover how fleets and control of the seas draw ports and trade into conflict.
- An early imagined future Encounter future war fiction rooted in the weapons, armies and fears of its age.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who enjoy military history, naval strategy and the early days of modern warfare. It also rewards anyone curious how writers of the 1890s pictured the next great war, and who likes eyewitness voices and lively crowd scenes.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A dagger at Samakoff lights the fuse
- Balkan fighting draws in Austria and Russia
- Berlin mobilizes and the Emperor rides east
- France and Italy honor their treaties
- German armies win the first battles in Poland
- Britain takes Antwerp and the fleets stand down
- Sardinia and Machault test the new war
- Treaties turn local quarrels into continental war
- New weapons meet old habits and unready armies
- A war told in dispatches, letters and speeches
Who’s who
- Prince Ferdinand of BulgariaRuler of Bulgaria, he is wounded in Samakoff, and his country moves toward war while he recovers.
- M. StambuloffThe Bulgarian minister who is named regent after the attack and inspects the troops on the frontier.
- The German EmperorSupreme War Lord, who loyally rides east to help Austria and then hurries west when France declares war.
- Charles LoweA correspondent in Berlin and with the German armies, who describes mobilization and battle with eager historical comparisons.
- President CarnotThe French president, who tells the crowds in Paris that France will honor its commitments to its ally.
- Sir George TryonAdmiral of the British Mediterranean fleet, who prepares a daring plan against a larger French force.
- Admiral ColombAn observer in a yacht, who watches fleets meet in the Baltic and North Sea and is amazed by what he sees.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 13 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
The Great War of 189—
An attack on a Bulgarian prince sets Europe's armies marching, and reporters on every front tell the war.
Challenging10–20 hours to readEnglish
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
A prince rides through a Bulgarian mountain town, and a man dressed as a priest raises a pistol. The cartridge fails to fire.
The Great War of 189— at a glance
- Reading time
- About 6 h 15 min5 h fast, 7 h 30 min slow
- Length
- 89,500 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- 1892by Philip Howard Colomb; Archibald Forbes; Charles Lowe; Frederic Natusch Maude; John Frederick Maurice; David Christie Murray; Frank Scudamore
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A dagger at Samakoff lights the fuse
The book opens with a telegram from Constantinople. Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria has been attacked in Samakoff, a mining town south of Sofia. He lies wounded in the house of an American missionary, far from good surgeons.
Francis Scudamore gives the full scene. The Prince drives into town to visit the American mission school. A man dressed as an Orthodox priest steps from the crowd and aims a revolver. The cartridge fails to fire. As the Prince tries to save his attacker from the mob, a second man drives a broad Circassian dagger into his chest. The blade turns against a rib and misses the heart by a hair. The gunman is caught with a Russian passport, but the stabber escapes.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 13 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1892
- Language
- English
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Colomb, Philip Howard, et al. The Great War of 189—. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-great-war-of-189.
Colomb, P. H., Forbes, A., Lowe, C., Maude, F. N., Maurice, J. F., Murray, D. C., & Scudamore, F. (2026). The great war of 189—. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-great-war-of-189 (Original work published 1892)
Colomb, Philip Howard, Archibald Forbes, Charles Lowe, Frederic Natusch Maude, John Frederick Maurice, David Christie Murray, and Frank Scudamore. The Great War of 189—. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-great-war-of-189.
@book{colomb2026great,
author = {Colomb, Philip Howard and Forbes, Archibald and Lowe, Charles and Maude, Frederic Natusch and Maurice, John Frederick and Murray, David Christie and Scudamore, Frank},
title = {The Great War of 189—},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-great-war-of-189},
note = {First published 1892}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about The Great War of 189—
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Great War of 189 about?
It imagines a European war that begins when Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria is attacked. Alliances pull Russia, Austria, Germany, France, Italy and Britain into fighting, and the story is told through newspaper dispatches from correspondents at the fronts.
Who wrote The Great War of 189?
Seven authors wrote it: Rear Admiral Philip Colomb, Colonel John Maurice, Captain Frederick Maude, and the journalists Archibald Forbes, Charles Lowe, David Christie Murray and Francis Scudamore. Soldiers, sailors and reporters each supplied their own kind of knowledge.
Is The Great War of 189 a true story?
No. It is a forecast written in the early 1890s, presented as real news reports. The war, battles and many details are invented, although real leaders such as the German Emperor and President Carnot appear as characters.
The author
Philip Howard Colomb
British admiral and naval writer
Philip Howard Colomb (1831–1899) was a British naval officer and writer. He was born in Scotland and served in the Royal Navy. His books included Naval Warfare (1891). He also contributed to The Great War of 189—, published in 1892. He died in Hampshire, England.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
