War by Timetable (Unabridged‪)‬

The First World War had begun - imposed on the statesmen of Europe by railway timetables. It was an unexpected climax to the railway age. 

War by Timetable is a history of the mobilization of the armies of the Great Powers in 1914. Taylor not only argues that the circumstances were already set for a general war, he also examines the flaws in the war plans of the Great Powers. The timetables and limited resources that were meant to serve as a deterrent to war instead relentlessly drove the powers into a conflict that engulfed the world. War by Timetable is a must-listen for anyone interested in the origins of the First World War. 

A.J.P. Taylor (1906-1990) was one of the most controversial historians of the 20th century. He served as a lecturer at the Universities of Manchester, Oxford, and London. Taylor was significant both for the controversy his work on Germany and the Second World War engendered and for his role in the development of history on television.