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Alfred von Schlieffen's Military Writings. Translated and edited by Robert T. Foley. Portland, Oreg.: Frank Gass, 2003. ISBN 0-7146-4999-6. Pho-tographs. Appendixes. Notes. Select bibliography. Index. Pp. xxix, 280. $54.50.
Translations are always difficult. One can always quibble over the meaning of this or that phrase, particularly when translating German into English. With a language as multivalent as German, much depends on context. Paradoxically, context has no clearly definable limit. That notwithstanding, Robert Foley has produced a worthwhile translation of several of Count Alfred von Schlieffen's key texts. The book is organized into three parts. Part I (Wargames) includes five of Sehlieffen's general staff rides (1894, 1897, 1899, 1901, 1903), four of his tactical-strategic problems (1892, 1896, 1903, 1905), and his important 1905 Kriegsspiel. Part II (Memoranda) contains four of his official memoranda: the 1905 Report on the Russian army; the Memorandum of 1905, referred to as...