This book is an authorative view of the actions in Africa during the First World War. It covers the actions in Togoland, the Cameroons, South-West Africa and East Africa, mainly the allied actions against German colonial holdings. It covers the strategies adopted by the warring nations, and the logistical difficulties of getting relatively small forces into position. The book is best used as a reference book, and I found it quite hard going for a number of reasons.

There are no pictures, other than the front cover. None of the commanders, troops, weapons or locations are illustrated with either prints or photos, old or new. This seems an odd omission.

There are some maps, about two per chapter, but they are not enough. The place names will be unfamiliar so you have to keep referring back to them to figure out what was going on. They typically only include borders, railways, rivers and lakes. Only a couple have land height marked on them. Consequently, it is not easy from the maps to find out if the actions are in jungles or grasslands. My  knowledge of African geography is poor. Maps with terrain and different dates to show clearly where different forces were would be mush more useful.

Overall, if this is your specialist interest, it is probably worth it for the extensive bibliography, but it is not for the casual reader.