This study seeks to establish a pivotal moment in the formation of early German Protestantism, beginning with the onset of the Schmalkadic War in 1546 and ending with the lifting of the siege of Magdeburg, a lone anti-imperial bastion, in 1551. Rein has examined 228 German-language pamphlets published in Magdeburg during this period, finding ‘a remarkable consistency of purpose and theme’, particularly on the subjects of the traditional freedoms of the German estates, the unfairness of the Augsburg Interim and the meaning of Luther's teaching in a civic context. This unity is hardly surprising, given that Rein detects a well-financed and carefully-orchestrated propaganda campaign at work, with at least half of the works written by the same four authors and virtually all published by two Magdeburg printing presses. Though the details of this organised effort remain hidden, the indirect evidence is compelling, somewhat undermining Rein's conclusion that a broad-based shaping of Protestant identity was underway. On the other hand, his arguments about the close interweaving of political and religious topoi (he phrases them as maxims) – particularly simplicity, providentialism, German exceptionalism and fidelity – are exceptionally thought-provoking and convincing. The result is a type of ‘Lutheran resistance theory’, based on defending the Gospel against the emperor, who acts as the pope's hireling. Throughout the work, Rein attempts to steer a middle course between socio-economic reductionist and purely theological approaches, for the most part succeeding. The concluding chapter, on religion and the ‘Magdeburg worldview’, is an especially valuable contribution to the study of confessional identity formation before the Formula of Concord. It is regrettable that more illustrations were not possible in an approach clearly influenced by Bob Scribner's visual approach to Reformation pamphlets but that is a minor flaw in an otherwise rigorous and well-written monograph.