The Missing of the Somme

I seem to remember an introduction by Somerset Maugham to one of his nonfiction books in which he said he might not be qualified to write what followed, having read only one hundred or so books on the subject. Geoff Dyer, in this short book on how the Great War is remembered, as with his other nonfiction, gives the impression of having read everything necessary on the subject. His talent is to incorporate, synthesize, and, especially, intensify. Part travelogue, part literary essay, part architectural history — Dyer defies pat genres and displays a gorgeous prose style.