There are few textbooks in print that cover the history of Germany since Napoleon. This one is serviceable. It is extremely condensed. In barely 400 pages of text Williamson tries to cover all the standard topics of German history over the last 200 years. It assumes a cultural and linguistic sophistication many American undergraduates do not possess. Williamson uses such terms as Grunderjahre and fait accompli without any explanation. And American students will have to be told that when the author uses the word "corn", he means grain, not just American maize. Occasionally there are questionable interpretations or even factual errors. Unlike some authors, Williamson avoids any errors concerning the frequently misunderstood Prussian Three Class Voting System, but he is mistaken to refer to Ernst August as the "elector" of Hanover. The Electorship (Kurfuerstentum) of Hanover died with the death of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806. When Ernst August went to Hanover in 1837 he was crowned "King" or Koenig. The translated excerpts from documents do not add much owing to their brevity. There are two misprinted dates. In the middle of p. 10, "French forces were driven beyond the Rhine in late 1812" should be 1813. In the box at the top of page 215, von Papen served as chancellor May-November, 1932, not 1931. Yet, overall, this is an acceptable textbook that will nonetheless require an American instructor to provide quite a bit of additional background and explanation. ( )