Verdun, with its 300 nights and days of ceaseless fighting, remains the symbol of the First World War. The moonscape of the battlefield, the suffering faces of exhausted soldiers coming back from hell, the rows of lorries on the Voie Sacrée, the rain of shells pouring on forts, lost and regained thanks to extraordinary efforts : these are the images generally conveyed when the name of Verdun is uttered. This historical and tourist guide provides the reader with all the keys for a thorough understanding of this terrifying battle. It also deals with less famous battles which took place in the sur-

roundings of the fortified area of Verdun, as early as 1914: the Argonne, Vauquois, Woëvre plain, the Éparges ridge, Saint-Mihiel, without forgetting the American offensives in autumn 1918. The historical part is composed of 80 illustrated pages with pictures of the time. The tourist part offers itineraries and colour pictures of the places today. It all amounts to 130 illustrations, including 80 contemporary pictures, more than 35 colour pictures, and a dozen of maps.