The texts present some of the most compelling reportage of contemporary journalism while the A-Z format and the graphic design make accessible the complicated and often harrowing subject matter. As well as providing visual bookmarks, the photographs document the reality behind the words.

The heart of the law, and of the book, are the grave breaches or serious war crimes, delineated in the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the First Additional Protocol of 1977. The book gives an example of each breach and journalists - many of them award-winning - who were at the scene report on what they saw. There are also essay-length articles on major themes and complementing these case studies are experts' overviews of the applicable law.