I first learned about the first London blitz, spearheaded by a German fleet of zeppelins, in Ian Castle's The First Blitz in 100 Objects, also published by Pen & Sword. Now, I've gotten more insight into the German point of view in David Marks' The Zeppelin Offensive: A German Perspective in Pictures & Postcards.

As the title suggests, the book is largely visual. There's minimal text beyond photo captions, and that's just enough to put the illustrations into context. Accordingly, a reader will come away with a basic understanding of the zeppelin's role in World War I without going into a great deal of detail.

What makes this book enjoyable is paging through and examining the postcards that Germans used to tout the zeppelin's (exaggerated) might and the terror (also exaggerated) it brought to foes in England, France and elsewhere. It's an excellent examination of pop-culture propaganda -- promoting the war effort through collectibles. Where necessary, Marks provides translations of various German slogans and explains the meaning behind some of the more obscure illustrations.

The Zeppelin Offensive is a quick but interesting read that provides a peek inside the German mind during the Great War.