When I found a book that seemed to indicate that it was an introduction to the lives of these people, I was curious.  However, I need to look more carefully at book descriptions and titles, apparently.  But I don't blame me entirely - the back cover begins with "Meet the Christians who have influenced the history of the Church in this collection of biographies that spans thousands of years."  And when a book claims to span thousands of years in less than 300 pages, pay attention.

One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism: Christians Through the Centuries is a rather curious book published by CPH, the LCMS' publishing arm.  It reads very similarly to Foxe's Book of Martyrs, or a more recent reworking and expansion, Foxe: Voice of the Martyrs.  Although One Lord is not exclusively dedicated to martyrs, there are martyrs included.  The language of this book is similar to martyr books in that it doesn't spend very much time on any given individual (perhaps because of a relative scarcity of information in some cases), and the biography reads uncritically.  Von Hagel, the author of One Lord writes in a style that expresses great devotion and gratitude to these individuals - which is undoubtedly appropriate.  But if you're looking for more detailed information on them, this is not the resource for you.

Beginning with Biblical figures and moving chronologically, Von Hagel provides brief (1-2 pages) biographies of a variety of Christian figures.  Some are well known, and others are obscure.  Little specific information is given, and details are not dealt with in a manner that suggests a more than cursory examination of the data.

If you're looking for an easy and quick read that emphasizes the devotional aspects of influential Christians through the ages, this is a book that might interest you.  If you're looking for anything more detailed or academic, this probably won't be of much interest.