{"product_id":"9781101616208","title":"The Abyss: World War I and the End of the First Age of Globalization--A Selection from TheWar of the World (Penguin Tracks)","description":"Excerpted from Niall Ferguson’s sprawling bestseller \u003ci\u003eThe War of the World\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Abyss\u003c\/i\u003e  now stands on its own as one of the most thrilling short histories of  World War I ever written. This is not a conventional military history  about battles and generals. Rather, \u003ci\u003eThe Abyss\u003c\/i\u003e examines how  World War I saw the birth of total war—fought between societies as much  as armies—and must therefore be understood in terms of the financial  crises it unleashed, the multinational empires it destroyed, and the  hateful ideas it propagated.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe most remarkable thing about the war, Ferguson  shows us, is how shockingly unexpected it was. At a time when economic  integration and technology seemed to be rendering war between great  powers impossible, World War I was the moment when that process went  into reverse and the lethal forces of ethnic disintegration took over.  Now, on the cusp of the 100th anniversary of its outbreak, we can see  World War I as much more than just four years of industrialized  slaughter. Weaving together the economics of empire and the ideology of  race—and featuring an original preface by the author as well a teaser  from his new paperback \u003ci\u003eCivilization\u003c\/i\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Abyss\u003c\/i\u003e is world history at its finest.","brand":"Penguin Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47134104060144,"sku":"9781101616208","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781101616208_p0.jpg?v=1763759008","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781101616208","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}