This book covers historical chess games since Philidor and up to Karpov. As such, it is a fantastic resource and you can expect to find here the gems of all players within this period. For each great player you have two-three of their best games; for less known players you get one game. There are biographical notes and comments. The analysis of games is good enough to point main variations, without delving into too much detail away from the main line of play. There is a fine balance here, of course: more detail could be provided on each player and their games, but then that would eliminate the possibility of including so many masters and games. I think this book strikes a great balance and should be in everyone's chess library - it was actually the first Dover chess book I purchased and then I got hooked on their lineup of classical chess literature.
Yes, the notation is descriptive, and if you are unfamiliar with it, you may make frequent mistakes initially. Don't let that deter you from enjoying this book though. Descriptive notation is easy to learn and with a bit of practice you'll read it as easy as algebraic.
If you are interested in a nice history of chess interspersed with beauty prize winning games, you will love this book.