This authoritative account of the history of the SS will be invaluable to anyone interested in collecting militaria. Robin Lumsden takes us through each of the uniforms worn by the various divisions and explains the significance of all the symbols and accessories from the obscure Totenkopfring der SS to the more familiar yet equally abhorrent flags and banners. By revealing the source of such accountrements as The Death's Head Ring the author unveils the roots of Nazi ideology, in this case pagan German mythology. This book goes on to take a closer look at the symbolism which inspired the SS battle hymn SS Wir Alle which includes the line - We all stand ready for battle, inspired by runes and death's head- "The 'rune' ", Lumsden tells us "derives from the Old Norse 'run' meaning 'secret script' ". The Hakenkreuz or swastika was originally a runic symbol it was the Germanic sign of Donner (or Thor),the god of adventures, being the main badge of the Nazi party it obviously, featured on SS uniforms and remains the symbol most closely associated with Nazis. Although obviously written for a particular market this book could appeal to anyone who is interested in the history of World War 2.