The Krupp family, which over the course of centuries created one of the most powerful corporations in the world, reached the peak of its power at the end of the 19th century. Having come to Germany along with the Black Death, the family of gunsmiths lost their influence only after 1945. The Krupps always loved Death, and Death loved the Krupps. In the book of Doctor of Philology, Professor E.V. Zharinova collected and analyzed materials that allow him to paint a collective portrait of one of the most powerful families in Europe, which played an exceptional role in the development of the German steel industry and at the same time in starting several wars. The author managed to masterfully recreate the characters of representatives of different generations of the famous German dynasty of “steel kings”. Much attention in the book is paid to the formation of the mentality of the German nation. Nation and steel are the leitmotif of the book, allowing us to connect its diverse, often sensational material into a single whole.