Books about Martin Luther abound, but good ones such as this one do not. For Luther's biography, one has the exhaustive work of Brecht or the challenging work of Oberman. For Luther's theology there are works by Ebeling, Althaus and Lohse. But Kolb succeeds here, within the very strict confines of the Oxford series Christian Theology in Context, in sketching both the core of Luther's life experience and the central aspects of his theology. The first chapter provides an overview of the different ways in which history and historians have assessed Luther's life and work. A second gives a handy overview of Luther's life and career to 1519. Kolb then tackles some central themes in Luther research: his relation to medieval theology (throughout Kolb demonstrates Luther's dependence on and distance from late medieval nominalism), the development of his law/Gospel hermeneutic and his emergence as a church reformer. Theological categories, always set within historical contexts, dominate the remainder of the book, with chapters on anthropology, Christology (justification and atonement), Word and sacraments, ecclesiology and ethics. Written in a succinct style and reflecting not only the latest contributions to Luther studies but also the classics of the past fifty years, Kolb pours a career of studying Reformation themes (especially using Luther's neglected Genesis lectures) into this small book. For the less experienced reader, one would have wished that the publisher had allowed for a time line and a glossary of critical theological terms and historical persons. Nevertheless, this volume offers a splendid overview of Luther for all those interested in Reformation thought.