Klaus Schatz's book is a comprehensive biography of the Jesuit Alexandre de Rhodes in Vietnam. As in Peter C. Phan's Mission and catechesis: Alexandre de Rhodes and inculturation in seventeenth-century Vietnam (Maryknoll 1998), the author acknowledges de Rhodes's prominence among the major exponents of Jesuit inculturation in Asia, next to Matteo Ricci in China and Roberto de Nobili in southern India. However, he places particular emphasis on de Rhodes's crucial role in the Vietnam mission in its transition from its subjection to the Portuguese Padroado – with the right to appoint bishops in their missions overseas, among others – to the new missionary policies established in Asia by the Congregation for the Propagation of Faith (Propaganda Fide), which attempted to create in Vietnam a local Church with a native clergy. De Rhodes is here portrayed as the bridge between these two forces, and a key figure in the successful endeavour of sending bishops to Vietnam to ordain native clergy. In the introduction, the author depicts a first stage of Jesuit global expansionism, briefly reviewing the missions under the Portuguese Padroado and the Spanish Patronato – China, Japan, Brazil, Ethiopia, Peru, Paraguay etc. – when, in his view, Jesuit inculturation took its final form. Barring a few exceptions, one would wish the author had used a more updated bibliography to build this global scenario. The first chapter focuses on de Rhodes's life in Avignon, his home town, his studies at the Roman College, a sojourn in Goa (1619–22) and his arrival in Macau in 1623. The second chapter offers an overview of the religious context in Vietnam, stressing the Chinese influence through the introduction of Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism, then describes the local religions, concluding with the introduction of Christianity into Vietnam by Spanish Franciscans, Dominicans and Augustinians prior to the arrival of the Society of Jesus. Chapter iii analyses de Rhodes's first years in Cochinchina (1624–6), where he started to study Vietnamese, leaving in 1626 to return fourteen years later. Chapter iv explores de Rhodes’ next destination, Tonkin, where he stayed from 1627 to 1630. The number of conversions in Tonkin aroused opposition among Buddhist monks, this being one of the reasons why Trinh Trang – the local ruler acquainted with the Jesuits – finally expelled the missionaries. De Rhodes abandoned Tonkin for good, leaving behind nearly 5,000 Christians. Chapter v focuses on de Rhodes's ten-year interlude in Macau (1630–40), reviewing different scholars’ hypotheses about this long sojourn: his attempts to adapt certain Vietnamese customs to Catholic liturgy, and his expulsion by Trinh Trang as possible explanations for his superiors’ decision to keep him in Macau. Chapter vi examines de Rhodes's return to Cochinchina (1640–5), a stay that involved four trips in southern Vietnam; again expelled, he headed to Macau. Here the author describes the execution of the catechist Andrew in 1644 – the first martyr in Vietnam – a dramatic episode that had a strong impact on de Rhodes. In Chapter vii, the specificities of the Vietnam mission are analysed against the background of the Jesuit missions in China and South India. This allows Schatz to consider some major differences between them. The author emphasises how, unlike Matteo Ricci in China, de Rhodes in Vietnam did not mingle with and become part of the intellectual elite. This is a long chapter that touches on diverse themes: de Rhodes's own description of the Vietnamese land, people and religions in his work, Divers voyages et missions, his view on the ‘false religions’ and polygamy, his creations, like his catechism and the Quoc Ngu, i.e. the Romanised script of the Vietnamese language that de Rhodes improved and popularised. The author describes at length the ‘Catechism in eight days’ for preparation for baptism, also examining some of de Rhodes's translations of Christian terminology. Lastly, he addresses the thorny issue of the worship of ancestors as it is examined in the Jesuit's writings. Chapter viii focuses on de Rhodes's adventurous return trip to Europe in 1645: his arrival in Malacca, his imprisonment in Jakarta, a journey across Turkish territories of the Ottoman Empire, finally reaching Rome in 1649, where he started negotiations for establishing a hierarchy in Vietnam. A considerable part of this chapter studies the origins of the Congregation for the Propagation of Faith in 1622, assuming the general directions of the missions overseas, with the powerful drive of the first secretary, Francesco Ingoli, all changes that generated clashes with a Portuguese Asian Empire in decline. Schatz focuses on one of his main points of interest, i.e. de Rhodes as a figure who shaped a missionary plan directed by the Propaganda Fide aiming to create a Vietnamese native clergy. In Paris, in the years 1652–4, the Jesuit's plans received full endorsement and financial support for the establishment of the Paris Foreign Missions Society (MEP). He met with secular priests like Francois Pallu and Pierre Lambert de la Motte, the first members of the MEP, who years later would be sent to Asia as apostolic vicars of Tonkin and Cochinchina respectively. De Rhodes's dream of a hierarchy for Vietnam was realised shortly before his death, in 1659. The last chapter begins with de Rhodes's mission to Isfahan, Persia, in 1655, where he died in 1660, and concludes with a reflection on the historical meaning of a figure like de Rhodes. Eight years after his death Bishop Lambert de la Motte ordained the first four Vietnamese priests, an achievement without precedent in the context of the early global missions, de Rhodes being one of its main promoters. Again, Matteo Ricci in China and Roberto de Nobili in Southern India serve as a counterpoint to analyse the Vietnam mission as it was shaped by de Rhodes. The author stresses the fact that de Rhodes's attempts to implant Christianity were not, unlike Ricci's, rooted in the intellectual elites. Moreover he was forging a mission that was not exclusively related to his own persona, nor related to the Society of Jesus, but with a life of its own. However, these statements must consider the different stages of the Jesuit missions to Asia as well as the challenges that they presented. Only after years of failed attempts did Matteo Ricci win the favour of the influential literati who would allow missionaries both to stay and to expand in China. Written for a German readership, extremely rich in details, this book might be more useful for specialists than for the curious, non-specialist reader.