The German-Japanese War was a key, yet often neglected, episode in the opening phase of World War I. Charles Stephenson's account makes fascinating reading. The siege of Tsingtau by the Japanese, with token British participation, forms the core of his story. The author draws on Japanese and German primary sources to describe the defenses, the landings, the course of the siege, and eventual German surrender. His study is absorbing reading for anyone interested in the campaigns of the war outside of Europe, in German colonial expansion, and the rise to power of Japan.