With the individuals included ranging from the British air ace, Albert Ball, to the German foreign secretary, Richard von Kuhlmann; from David Llyod George to Rasputin; from the British war poet Siegfreid Sassoon to Serbian assassin Trifko Grabez and the Emperor Wilhem II, this book's breadth of coverage makes it the definitive biographical guide to the First World War.

Each entry provides biographical data and basic factual information about its subject's role in the Great War, and in the case of major figures there is also an assessment of their reputation in light of the latest scholarship.

Maps, cross-referencing, a list of military ranks, a guide to further reading and a thorough introduction complete what is at once a comprehensive work of reference and a fascinating overview of an important period in twentieth-century history.