In modern terminology Bean would be considered an "embedded journalist" and as the official war historian he was in the middle of the action during the involvement of Australian troops in the battles in the Somme in WW1.

He has a poetic writing style that paints a clear picture and he does not sugar coat anything.

Having recently returned from a tour of the Somme gave this book an emotional connection for me and I still find it hard to equate the green fields I saw with the mud and destruction described by Bean.

Read this and then hunt down Bean's other books, especially his writings about Gallipoli.