This is a truly impressive work of history. It's history that only the most skilled and versatile historians can research and write. It explores the war crimes against civilians committed in Belgium and northern France by the German army in the summer of 1914 from several angles, including military history, social history, and intellectual history. Each angle is based on copious and meticulous research in a wide range of primary sources. The authors also do a great job of placing the the story they uncover in a larger context, including the history of armies' conduct with regard to civilians and international efforts at the turn of the twentieth century to place limits on acceptable conduct of armies. Although the tale the authors tell is gripping and tragic, they do so in a thoroughly analytic manner that lets the reader understand the complex causes and consequences of these events. ( )