"Germany: Memories of a Nation" is an interesting attempt to summarise concisely something as diverse and complex as the history of the German state. I have always been puzzled about the acts that led to the amalgamation of seemingly separate cities into a single entity and hoped this text would put such that foundation into context with the history of modern Germany.

Neil MacGregor does attempt to communicate the key events that resulted in the founding of Germany and the following events that shaped it through the use of artefacts and paintings that are all inevitably related to those found at the British Museum. It is because of this, MacGregor's work feels scatter-shot, incomplete, and very much a British view of German history. In particular, he relies too heavily on quotes and opinions from his mates in the British Museum (where he was curator), to the point many of the "expert" opinions read fatuously and vacuously. On a positive note, the work does not focus too much on the 1930s to 1989, which are often the main focus of any historian writing about the history of Germany. So if you want a world-wind tour of German history, with only 5-minutes to look around at each stop along the way, this is your text. However, if you are looking for something more substantial, you will have to look elsewhere.