'The ultimate purpose of the study (....) is a commentary on Tacitus taking cognizance of all the latest work on him. (...) To avoid the controversy on Tacitus' treatment of the personlaities of the emperors, Walser takes certain less central topics in which to discuss the manner of treatment, attitude of mind, and 'Glaubwürdigkeit' of the historian. There are three main divisions, each subdivided: (a) Tacitus' picture of Rome (i) as a city, and (ii) as an idea. (b) Tacitus' concept of the 'imperium Romanum' and its frontiers, with a discussion of his treatment of geographical and topographical information, followed by an examination of Rome's exercise of her imperial power as typified by the acts and operations of certain of her generals and governors who appear in Tacitus' narrative (...) (c) The third and most important section treats Tacitus' delineation of foreign peoples. (...) The work presents a valuable collection of material on subjects of the utmost importance. (...) The chief criticism to be made is that a general summary of the author's conclusions is lacking, though throughout the view is stressed and perhaps overstressed that Tacitus especially in his accounts of barbarian peoples lacks the objectivity which Walser seems to think he should show, and reflects strongly in narrative in speeches the rhetorical tendencies of his time. (... The book - ND) collects much useful detail, made readily available by three indexes.' (R.J. HOPPER in The Classical Review (New Series), 1953, pp.59-60).