This is the story of the first few days of Kaiserschlacht, the period when the Germans drove the Allied Armies back for a distance hitherto only fantasised about by the Allied commanders, nearly separated the British from the French, and brought them to within almost an inch of defeat.
The book is written by a professional writer who might also be described as an amateur military historian - perhaps following in the path first trodden by Martin Middlebrook, also - like Reid - a farmer.
As it was Middlebrook's book about the first day on The Somme which started The Collection, we mean these comments as high praise for the book.