Three thick volumes, nearly 2700 pages: Thomas Nipperdey's "German History 1800 - 1918" is widely regarded as one of the great works of historiography. But how and why does such a book come into being? What exactly makes it a masterpiece? Paul Nolte, in this biography of a book, writes an engaging archaeology of scholarly work while simultaneously making a wonderful case for the irreplaceable uniqueness of books. Based on an unusually rich source material, Paul Nolte reconstructs in this book about a book its creation, from the very first idea through the writing and the history of its impact, to its attainment of canonical status as a masterpiece and the gradual forgetting that followed. His dense description offers fascinating insights into the intertwining of life and work, and the scholarly world.