The Russo-Japanese War, 1904-5 (8 Vols.)

Large numbers of British military and naval officers, journalists and diplomats observed the Russo-Japanese War from close quarters. Following so soon after the South African (Boer) war, this new war in the East was looked upon with special excitement around the world and those in search of adventure were eager to make their way to the front. Publishers were quick to recognize a potentially very lucrative sale to the general public for books about the war and, accordingly, published many accounts of the experiences of eye-witnesses in book form, releasing them at amazing speed to the book trade. In part supported by the new technology of telegraphy, the news frenzy that ensued generated enormous competition among publishers and would-be authors. This collection brings together some of the most significant and insightful of these contemporary accounts, including writings by Russian officers (Politovsky and Semenoff in this collection), the translations of which were funded by the British Foreign Office, as part of a growing intelligence operation. Each volume is set in context and reviewed in depth by Ian Nish in his critical introductory overview of the war and its outcomes.