The Great War Reporter

The well-traveled and photogenic Richard Harding Davis represented all that was edgy and glamorous about the new breed of American journalist: foreign correspondent. Fearlessly tramping by rail, road and horseback to the front lines of the "Great War," he sent back colorful dispatches on the murderous trench warfare in France, shocking German atrocities in Belgium, and the convoluted fighting in the Balkan mountains, where tribal loyalties and murky national rivalries created a confusing strategic chessboard. While pulling down a hefty annual retainer of $32,000 for the Wheeler Syndicate, Davis ran serious risks to his life and freedom; on one nearly fatal day he was arrested by the Germans as a British spy, and managed to turn the incident into one of the most famous newspaper stories of the entire war. His reports landed on the front pages of the leading New York papers, including the Herald, the Times, and the Tribune, and also earning him a spotlight in the Sunday supplements, where his descriptions of civilians, political figures and combat veterans revealed the war’s many fascinating backstories. The Great War: Journalism 1914 – 1916, the first compilation of Davis’ original reporting in history, is a publishing landmark that will help students, historians and casual readers understand the most important single event of the 20th century.