Brandenburg's book is the accepted authoritative account of German policy from the time of Bismarck's fall to the outbreak of the war, and for detachment and scholarly impartiality out-ranks any other book on war origins. The author has made full use of the German documents, and has made use of them in a sane way, combining the information they contain with an unrivalled knowledge of the other material available. The book is a masterpiece of its kind.