1913: The World Before the Great War

The year 1913 is generally seen as nothing more than the prelude to an apocalypse. That was not how it felt at the time. This majestic account presents that year as it appeared to contemporaries. Through the stories of 28 cities, from London to New York, Vienna to St Petersburg, and Constantinople to Beijing, it presents a panorama of a world alive with potential, wealthy as never before, intoxicated by technological progress, and oblivious to the catastrophe that lay ahead.