Each slender volume in the Great Escapes in History series (8 titles) presents four short accounts of people who fled from difficult, dangerous, or deadly circumstances and, in most cases, succeeded. After an opening page listing some basic facts and figures related to the topic, individual chapters plunge into particular cases, describing the escapees' plans, their actions, and the outcomes. The many illustrations, in color when appropriate, include archival photos and period prints. The lack of introductory or concluding remarks is felt more keenly in volumes such as Escaping Hitler?, where four stories seem inadequate to represent the enormity and complexity of the topic, than in Escaping Alcatraz, with its narrower focus. Escaping Alcatraz relates accounts of breakouts from the famous penitentiary. Despite their ingenious strategies, most escapees were quickly recaptured or killed. Though little historical context is offered for the narratives, their inherent drama will attract readers.