An Adventure in 1914 | The True Story of an American Family's Journey on the Brink of WWI

Witness to the greatest train wreck in history…

In the summer of 1914, Thomas Tileston Wells,
a New York lawyer, traveled through Europe
with his wife and two children. But what began
as an idyllic summer vacation descended into a
nightmare as Europe’s armies began mobilizing
for the devastating First World War.

“A charming memoir of an American family holiday in Europe just as WWI breaks out. Beautifully edited & illustrated.”Andrew Roberts, Historian/Author 'Napoleon: A Life'

Relive the adventure

Wells’s memoir, published in full for the first time, immerses the reader in the bygone era of luxury cruise ships and first-class dining cars—and then bears witness to the shattering beginning of the “war to end all wars.” Wells’s memoir uncorks a century-old message in a bottle, with reports of assassination, financial crisis, and war that are startlingly familiar. . Order your copy today.

About the book

Edited and with an introduction and
photography by Christopher Kelly, coauthor
of America Invades and Italy Invades: How
Italians Conquered the World, and great-grandson
of Thomas Tileston Wells.

Witness to the greatest train wreck in history

In the summer of 1914, Thomas Tileston Wells, a New York lawyer, traveled through Europe with his wife and two children. But what began as an idyllic summer vacation descended into a nightmare as Europe’s armies began mobilizing for the devastating First World War.

Relive the adventure

Also available on e-book

“A charming memoir of an American family holiday in Europe just as WWI breaks out. Beautifully edited & illustrated.”Andrew Roberts, Historian/Author 'Napoleon: A Life'

Andrew Roberts, Historian/Author 'Napoleon: A Life'

About the book

Edited and with an introduction and photography by Christopher Kelly, coauthor of America Invades and Italy Invades: How Italians Conquered the World, and great-grandson of Thomas Tileston Wells.

Watch Chris on This Week In America

“An Adventure in 1914 is a true-life memoir as riveting as an Ernest Hemingway novel.”Midwest Book Review

The Journey

“The following night we had a dense fog and heard the fog horn of another vessel. The engine of our ship (the SS Canopic) was then stopped and many of the passengers were greatly alarmed, thinking that the other vessel might be a German cruiser….”

1914

The world can change fundamentally in a single day. It has done so many times. The world changed on September 11, 2001; it changed on December 7, 1941. Earlier in the twentieth century, the world was shaken to its foundations on June 28, 1914, with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo. Of course, it took longer than one day for World War I to erupt—it took a summer. My great-grandfather, Thomas Tileston Wells, was an eyewitness to that refulgent and transformative summer. An Adventure in 1914 is his testament .

At the Lido Palace Hotel

“On the way to Lake Garda we constantly passed trains full of soldiers and trains with cannons and other military supplies…

I was stopped by a man in a brown and rather dirty civilian suit who told me that the two other Russian spies had been caught and that all three of us would be shot that afternoon.”

Enjoy more books by Christopher Kelly

“Simultaneously readable and reference material, destined to become the go-to for those who want to understand America’s place–literally anywhere–in the world.“
— William Bernstein

” This book is packed with startling revelations, from the Roman Legionnaires … to Italian Eurofighter Typhoons. An amazing world tour.”
— 4-Star Gen. Barry McCaffrey, US Army, (Ret.)

“History But Entertaining”Gerard Richardson

WATCH MORE VIDEOS

“I found The Millionaires’ Unit a fascinating independent film — portraying amazing reenactments any history buff would admire.” Christopher Kelly, Author

In his own words – listen to our interview with the author on uncovering this never before published manuscript of his family’s history.

“It is by far my most personal book.”