The power of the visual image cannot be under estimated. When that image is beautifully presented and conveys an important message you can only wonder at the skill of the artist. These posters are perfect examples of how to get your meaning over to a vast audience are infulence their thoughts and behaviour. They are in themselves works of art but also a great historical importance.

'World War One Posters: An Anniversary Collection' by Dover Publications Inc. is a collection of 100 posters from the World War I era. The description states that the book has detailed captions, but I wished there had been just a bit more detail.

The book primarily has examples from the US, but there are posters from some of the other countries in the conflict as well. There are calls for service, and calls to invest in war funds. The most famous image of the era included is that of Uncle Sam pointing at the viewer and demanding their enlistment. Where artists are known, they are given as well as the printing company. The dates of the poster are given and the country it's from.

This sort of thing is of great interest to me. The era of the First World War is less known to me since the US joined the war late, but these posters show an actively engaged country seeking assistance to fight. They can be viewed as propaganda as some, but I feel they are appeals to the public consciousness. The art is of the era, and I really had a great time looking over these posters.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Calla Editions, Dover Publications, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

This book provided an interesting look at the war artists of the generation - how governments used their art to get people to support wars, as well as the some of the propaganda that was used, and even to promote things like victory bonds. These posters also tried to promote patriotism and influence behaviour. This was an interesting look at history and an introduction to a lot of the posters that may now be considered famous.

World War One Posters: An Anniversary Collection by Dover Publications, Inc. is a great collection of war propaganda posters. It shows a range of the posters that were created at the time and how art plays a role in history. My only complaint is that I wish there were descriptions/history of each piece.

RATING: 4 STARS
(Review Not on Blog/GoodReads)

A great poster book on WWI propaganda and patriotism.

This book would have been perfect if it had commentary on the posters. I adored the global perspective and see immense value in remembering the lengths we go to to keep ourselves pumped up for war.

These vibrant reproductions of World War I posters include examples from both Europe and The U.S. They cover a variety of propaganda issues from justification of the ongoing war, to urging young men to enlist, to the patriotic duties of those on the home front, and pretty much anything in between.

I enjoyed this book (my review copy was an eBook). The images are striking and fill one with a sense of nostalgia for a "simpler time" when the world - the line between good and bad, right and wrong, just and unjust - had fewer gray (or grey) areas. When we all pulled together to do our part for the common good.

Of course, those things may or may not have been true (they are, after all, propaganda posters) but looking back now, seeing these posters a century removed from their time, it's easy to believe it was all so much clearer and simpler. It's just fun to see!

My only complaint is a little nitpicky. I wish there would have been more text to accompany these great images. The reactions of the public towards specific images, maybe a bit of trivia relating to the general zeitgeist that produced them, that sort of thing.

A great collection of posters of the period. Recommend to anyone with an interest in art, propaganda, World War I history.

***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

The posters in this book are wonderful but I do wish there was more text about the posters. The collection is varied. I enjoyed seeing the posters from Europe. The text does include translations for those posters. There are recruitment posters and posters for homeland. Enjoy the illustrations.

Cool collection but it is not as comprehensive as I expected from a centenary edition. I read a digital ARC and was disappointed that the caption for many of the posters written in foreign languages did not have a translation.

I got access to excerpt of this book. The century old pictures is fantastic. I wished to have access to the full book to provide a more deep review.

Many thanks go to Dover Publications for the free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review. 3.5 stars I would have appreciated some sort of written introduction to the posters. Explain the philosophy of each country or the availability of materials, etc. I think my favorite may have been the French ones. The artistry of those posters was supreme especially compared to the German ones, which were pretty plain. The British seemed fairly moralistic, sailers saving nurses and whatnot. America just really wants you to buy a war bond now please! I’ve never seen any of these posters except good ole Uncle Sam, and it makes me wonder what they’d look like if made today. It’s been 100 years. Great memorial piece.

Hmmmm. I requested an ARC of this compilation because I've been interested in art and WWI for the longest time now, and I've read up on the history of the early 20th century a lot, both in school and privately. What I always enjoyed best about my normaly quite snobbish highschool teacher's history lessons was his ambition to show us how to analyze, question and criticize paintings, caricatures, and, yes, posters, against the background of historical events. And that was absolutely not what this book focused on, even though god knows there would have been enough space for more text.

This being said, the Dover Publications collection certainly lacks
a) the inclusion of quite a few iconic WWI posters
b) information on at least some of the artists who created them
c) translations of part of the non-English captions (though I'm happy to see those were included at all)
d) more thorough explanations about the historical context of the posters and the propaganda (!!!) behind them, for those readers who bought the book to educate themselves about the atrocities of the war and take away valuable lessons about society and politics. There goes my mid-tweens history revision dream.

This is a very colourful walk back into history. The Posters would have been a real reminder of the First World War and times to many, if they were still living. We of the current generation can only marvel at the artwork and the marketing done in this period. It is hard to understand how effective these posters were, and to comprehend the magnitude of the patriotism of the times.
A wonderful glimpse into time and war long past.

Five stars for this pictorial history book. This compendium of posters includes art of the allies as well as art of the enemy. The ubiquitous image of Uncle Sam summoning recruits is just one of the many U.S Posters of this era calling for citizen support. Savings stamps, "Order Coal Now," appeals to collect socks for Soldiers, the U.S. School Garden Army. the Treasure and Trinket Fund, as well as posters from England, Scotland, and other allies are included. "Stenographers, Washington Needs You." Who knew?

I love posters. When I requested this book for review I knew they wouldn’t be the kind of art I am attracted to, but these posters are a unique piece of history and I really enjoyed it.

We always tend to associate propaganda with the extreme regimes, communism and so on, but propaganda is everywhere. “Fight alongside your friends” is just another way to pull you in. The movement of the figures in these posters, or the rhythm created by the soldiers marching (even if it’s just a drawing) have a way to attract you.

And one of the great thing about this is to notice how different the posters are from country to country. This is a good collection for anyone interested in history or posters. There are 100 posters in this collection, so make yourself a cup of tea and enjoy.

Come On, Join Now by Richard Fayerweather is one of my favourites, of course.

A fascinating look at WWI propaganda posters from all sides. My history nerd side AND my art geek side loved it! What captivated me the most (and made me read the book twice!) was how different a large portion of the posters looked from my expectations. Uncle Sam was in the mix, yes, but so were hints of psychedelic colors and designs way ahead of their time. Would definitely recommend!

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Summary: It's posters from World War One. Contains information on who created it or paid for it, what country, and what year. Describes each poster.


Great for: History buffs, nerds or whatever you call them or yourself.


Why I requested this on Netgalley: I honestly don't remember requesting this! The person who accepts requests was probably like, "Sure why not" but confused as this is not related to anything I review.


Purchase: Came out February 28, 2018 hardcover!

Downloaded through Netgalley to read for an honest review.

Recommend? Yes, interesting and many I've never seen before! Some awe-inspiring while others use guilt or a various tender emotional response of joining the military for this cause.

The first World War is a century in the past, and it's hard for people alive today to grasp what life was like during the war. Calla Editions's book World War One Posters: An Anniversary Collection give a glimpse into that era. We are all familiar with the famous Uncle Sam "I want YOU for U.S. Army" recruiting poster. Calla includes this and ninety-nine others.



Besides recruiting posters, which must have been compelling for young men looking to serve their country, there may be just as many posters for those not signing up. Posters implore people to buy war bonds, war stamps, join the "school garden army," or knit socks for soldiers. Only about half the posters are American. They have included British posters, as well as posters in French and German.



This is in interesting collection, and certainly will trigger interest in the stories behind the posters. But I wish Calla would have provided more than the title and artist of the poster. They do include a very brief visual description of each, but no context, no historical background, just the poster. I would be interested in the timing and distribution of the poster, how many copies were made and where they were posted, specific events that may have triggered a poster's theme, the results of the posting (for instance, how many pairs of socks did Americans knit and send overseas?).



So view this as what the title says it is: a collection of posters. It's a window to history that doesn't tell a lot of history, but it's a window worth looking through regardless.





Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

Throw out all your conceptions of the very primitive and even silly poster campaigns of World War One. This collection is selected to show the art and subtle messages that inspired people in that war. This is not something you can approach as a simple subject and the book has a wide selection to show how across the combatant nations used the art of persuasion. This was a campaign that was highly developed and employed extensive talent. I highly recommend this book if you are either interested in the art of posters or of this historical period.