Berlin Then & Now [Hardcover]

Tony Le Tissier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 1992

Chronicling the history of Berlin, this book charts the Communist-Nazi struggle of the Weimar Republic; the "Thousand Year Reich" with its penchant for show and architectural grandeur which transformed the city; and its consequent battering by the Allies and the Soviets by air and land respectively. The city's position as the central point of the Cold War is examined, focusing on the partition, and eventual reunion, of East and West.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 472 pages
• Publisher: After the Battle (December 31, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 090091372X
• ISBN-13: 978-0900913723
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 8.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,183,245 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pricy but fascinating look at wartime locations in the modern Berlin, November 27, 2008

By 

Michael "Michael" (Hamburg, Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Berlin Then & Now (Hardcover)

Looking at modern Berlin today after looking at these wartime pictures it's hard to believe it's the same city. One looks down Oranienburger Strasse today and sees lots of smiling happy tourists and locals eating, drinking and enjoying themselves. Then one looks at a black and white picture of the same place in May 1945, one or two buildings clearly recognizable as the original structures, the street strewn with the bodies of several soldiers and a burnt-out armoured car, men from the Waffen SS Division Nordland who were apparently mowed down as they attempted to escape from the vehicle. Over 60 years ago, long-forgotten life and death struggles were taking place right here in the midst of what is now a tourist paradise. The contrast is just incredible. And walking along Vosstrasse looking at the apartment blocks now built over the former Führerbunker and Reich Chancellory, who can help wondering what the residents think of living over what was once the centre of the Third Reich, and how many of them aren't even aware of the fact.

Tony Le Tissier did a good job in locating some of these places in the modern Berlin, as so much was subsequently bombed after many of the pictures were taken, and many buildings having been rebuilt or having undergone major renovations. Here and there the pockmarks of bullet-holes or shrapnel on the sides of buildings are still evident, and in some outlying suburbs there are still deserted buildings which still show signs of the heavy fighting, but much has been renewed in the new Berlin since the fall of the Wall, the Socialist authorities not having done much since the war in the way of renovation. My first flat, in the old East Berlin, still had on old half-burnt down building behind it, not in use and overgrown with plants as no-one had the funds for renovation. These are now being cleaned up, but history is disappearing, despite the efforts of German archaeologists to preserve some evidence of Berlin's recent history. I noticed that when the major railway station and sidings at Yorckstrasse were rebuilt a few years ago, the heavily pockmarked lower part of the concrete wall facing the main street was deliberately left as is instead of being replaced too. Interesting even if you never visit Berlin, if you do you'll find the book makes a walk around the city a lot more interesting.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very worthwhile, November 26, 2009

By 

Historicus "Historicus" (Pennsylvania USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Berlin Then & Now (Hardcover)

An expensive volume, but entirely worth it. It is not merely a 'then and now' set of comparison photos, though there are many hundreds of these, most quite fascinating; it also contains a lot of well-researched text on the city through the Nazi era. It is great for armchair travelers interested in the subject, as well as for those who want to take it with them to Berlin, as I did. If the book has one flaw, it is that it's a bit dated now. This does not impact the text or 1930s-1940s pics, but many of the "now" photos are from the early 1990s and Berlin has changed a lot since then. Still, a valuable, high-quality addition to anyone interested in Berlin or WW2.

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative but confusing, May 17, 2010

By 

C. Paterson (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Berlin Then & Now (Hardcover)

Lots of information, which I like. However, I found the layout of the pictures and captions quite confusing. A good book, but not sure if I'd drop as much cash as I did for this book again.