Commandant of Auschwitz : The Autobiography of Rudolf Hoess [Paperback]

Constantine Fitzgibbon (Author), Rudolf Hoess (Author), Joachim Neugroschel (Author), Primo Levi (Introduction), Rudolph Hoess (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2000 | Series: Phoenix Press

A self-portrait, composed by one of the greatest monsters of all time: Rudolf Hoess, the Commandant at Auschwitz, and the man who knew more than almost anyone about how Nazi Germany implemented the Final Solution. Captured by the British after the war, tried, and sentenced to death, he was ordered to write his autobiography in the weeks between his trial and his execution (which fittingly took place in Auschwitz itself). Hoess apparently enjoyed the task, and the most careful checking by researchers showed he took great pains to tell the truth. The result: a vivid and unforgettable picture of the 20th century's defining and most horrific event. Royalties from this book go to the fund to help the few survivors of Auschwitz.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

About the Author

Rudolf Hoess was the Commandant of Auschwitz during the war. He was executed in Poland upon concluding these memoirs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 252 pages
• Publisher: Phoenix (September 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1842120247
• ISBN-13: 978-1842120248
• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 5.8 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #92,210 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #53 in Books > History > Europe > Poland

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Death Within, October 19, 2000

By 

James W. Hull (Tarrytown, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Commandant of Auschwitz : The Autobiography of Rudolf Hoess (Paperback)

Worth reading if you're interested in what goes on inside a person engaged in socially-sanctioned mass murder. Full of details about the actual operation of Auschwitz that only he would have known. Balancing this preoccupation with the details of running the camp is ... nothing. No inner life, no emotional depth, no soul. A man who seems to have died long before his victims.

23 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Why Read This?, December 14, 2001

By 

thewahlmighty (Hanoi) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Commandant of Auschwitz : The Autobiography of Rudolf Hoess (Paperback)

The autobiography of Rudolf Hoess is the story of a man who would ultimately be in charge of the huge extermination camp at Auschwitz where millions of Jews were systematically murdered.

In its pages you will find an accurate account of the means that were used to isolate those victims, of the political principle that was used to justify the victims' elimination from public life, and of the mental state needed to carry out the order for their deaths. Consequently "this book," as Primo Levi states in his introduction, "is filled with evil."

Even so, the book ought to be read--and read carefully--because an understanding of the ideas that drove Rudolf Hoess to do what he did are a major step towards ensuring that the horrors of Nazi Germany will never happen again.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating & Disturbing, July 14, 2006

By 

William J. Kane II (Honolulu, HI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Commandant of Auschwitz : The Autobiography of Rudolf Hoess (Paperback)

This book was very disturbing on so many levels. Yet it was also fascinating to see the progression of this semi-average person, into a person who was responsible for the deaths of millions. Read the intro by Primo Levi first to get yourself in the right frame of mind.