Had the subtitle of this been "A collection of essays about the world before The Great War" it would have rated 3 or possibly 4 stars, with individual essays ranging from 2 to 5 stars. Alas, instead of a portrait, we are given a paint-by-numbers which remains undone. Unsatisfying.

These were essays, previously published, and some are quite good - they just aren't connected. I really enjoyed essays on the Anarchist movement and the Dreyfus affair, and the last chapter on Jean Jaures and Socialism is also well done. The essay about the Hague conferences of 1899 and 1907 was interesting, and I learned a lot about Thomas Reed and his struggle to keep America from becoming a colonial power. Two essays focus on Great Britain (Lord Salisbury and the House of Lords in general) were not my cup of tea (as it were), and the essay about Strauss operas didn't work at all.

The bibliography and references are extensive, as with each of her histories. The Guns of August took me a month to read in depth; this took longer than a month and was often a chore. I plan to read other focused histories - such as Zimmerman or Stillwell - but will probably avoid other essay collections by this author. My suggestion for interested friends - pick a topic and read the essay related to it, but don't try to read this one cover to cover.