Goldberg's approach is contained and balanced. The book is not the first biography, if it can be called biography, but it is a much needed reinterpretation of earlier, chiefly German works. The overall organization of the book is biographical, though Goldberg avoids that term. I agree with Goldberg that this is a valid approach which makes a valuable companion to thematic studies. Goldberg unabashedly admits the work is narrative and chronological, rather than thematic. The introduction and rest of the book synthesizes secondary scholarship on the Carolingians but it is also liberally sprinkled with fresh insights derived from careful attention to detail, such as Goldberg's use of Louis' itineraries on page 224.

One of the many strengths of the book is not only Goldberg's mastery and close reading of textual sources, but his willingness to incorporate architecture, numismatics, ritual studies, archaeology, art, etc. Even so, more explicit, albeit brief, discussion of the biases of the other texts when pertinent might have been helpful. Goldberg draws from a greater variety of sources than previous historians, citing in particular the pitfalls of relying too heavily on the biased Annals of Fulda. The introduction is historiographical, situating the book within Carolingian scholarship. Goldberg argues that Louis' goals, ambitions, and self-image were that of a Western Carolingian Emperor like his grandfather Charlemagne. Goldberg believes the name has contributed to a fundamental misunderstanding about Louis who is often dismissed and overlooked particularly in much non-German scholarship.

Louis became known as 'the German' because he was awarded the Eastern territories of the Carolingian Empire upon his father's death. Louis the German was the grandson of Charlemagne and the son of Louis the Pious. However, the book is also substantial with lots of grist for the specialist's mill. Such qualities as readability and attractiveness will, I think, help make a relatively inaccessible period of German history more accessible to a much wider audience of students and non- specialists. Less eye-catching but very useful are a preface explaining terminology and names and appendices of maps of pertinent regions and detailed genealogies. Included are photographs of art work, manuscripts, buildings, and models of forts and complexes from Louis' reign drawn from a variety of, sometimes not well known, European museums and archives which enhance and support Goldberg's argument. The book's presentation is also quite attractive. The book is clear, engaging, and sensibly organized. It is a deeper and broader work of scholarship which draws from research done for the 1998 thesis and later articles. Eric Goldberg's Struggle for Empire: Kingship and Conflict under Louis the German, 817-876 is not a published dissertation.

Goldberg theme