About BC Books Online
BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
A quick tip: When reviewing the "Browse by Category" listings, please note that these are based on standardized BISAC Subject Codes supplied by the books' publishers. You will find additional selections, grouped by theme or region, in our "BC Reading Lists."
Description
In September 1914, twenty-five of Britain’s most distinguished authors met with the war propaganda bureau to discuss how they could defend civilization against the savagery of the invading “Huns”. In The Great War of Words Peter Buitenhuis tells the hitherto unknown story of the secret collaboration between the government and leading writers of the time, including H.G. Wells, John Buchan and John Galsworthy. The book also chronicles their disillusionment with the Allied propaganda machine after the war – and how this changed the course of literary history in the 20th century.
Contributor Notes
Peter Buitenhuis was a Professor in the English department at Simon Fraser University.
Editorial Reviews
Buitenhuis’s book shows us how even writers can deceive themselves not only into celebrating but also into advertising and even lying about war.
— Canadian Literature
A useful overview of an important, and strangely neglected, chapter in the history of modern literature.
— The Journal of Modern Literature
The Great War of Words is a fascinating account of how a war is fought as much in the mind as on the battlefield, and by fiction writers as much as by generals and soldiers…the book serves as a useful reminder of the power of words, and dangers in a democracy of those words being used to serve an end other than the truth.
— Canadian Ethnic Studies
