Commandant of Auschwitz : The Autobiography of Rudolf Hoess (Paperback)

~ Constantine Fitzgibbon (Author), Rudolf Hoess (Author), Joachim Neugroschel (Author), Primo Levi (Introduction), or better, höss rudolph hoess (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

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.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

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Product Details Paperback: 252 pages Publisher: Phoenix (September 2000) Language: English ISBN-10: 1842120247 ISBN-13: 978-1842120248 Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #360,429 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	75% buy the item featured on this page: Commandant of Auschwitz : The Autobiography of Rudolf Hoess 3.4 out of 5 stars (16) $11.53
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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews 5 star:  (4) 4 star:  (4) 3 star:  (5) 2 star:  (1) 1 star:  (2)           Average Customer Review 3.4 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 13 of 14 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 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. 5 of 6 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 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. 16 of 23 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Why Read This?, December 14, 2001 By  thewahlmighty (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews 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.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars Commandant Of Auschwitz Commandant Of Auschwitz is a look into a man without a conscience. Hoess tries to portray himself as just another S.S. officer following orders. Read more Published 9 months ago by M. Wright 4.0 out of 5 stars IMPORTANT MEMOIR FOR NEUTRALIZING HOLOCAUST DENIAL In his autobiography, Rudolf Hoess openly writes that he was personally responsible for the gassing murder of 2-1/2 million Jews at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Read more Published 9 months ago by F. Sweet 5.0 out of 5 stars Banality of evil 'The banality of evil 'is what comes to mind. This concept was developed by Anna Harendt at trial of criminal Nazi Eichmann in Israel in 1961 - 1962. Read more Published 14 months ago by Latour07 2.0 out of 5 stars I should have known I have always been facinated by what makes people do the horrible things they do to each other. So, thinking (hoping actually) that by reading this SS officer's biography I would... Read more Published 14 months ago by Michael R. Payne 3.0 out of 5 stars An Interview with Rudolf Hoess' Mistress After Dachau was liberated, Army intelligence interviewed a woman at the camp who claimed to have been Rudolf Hoess' mistress while at Auschwitz. Read more Published on October 14, 2006 by Michael W. Perry 3.0 out of 5 stars A Mistress of Rudolf Hoess Interviewed After Dachau was liberated, Army intelligence interviewed a woman at the camp who claimed to have been Rudolf Hoess' mistress while at Auschwitz. Read more Published on October 14, 2006 by Michael W. Perry 1.0 out of 5 stars An Easily Debunked Fraud This so-called "autobiography" is fiction, written, coached, and co-authored under the extreme duress of a Stalinist prison, and it shows in it's shoddy attention to the detail of... Read more Published on April 26, 2006 by Larry Petersen 1.0 out of 5 stars UNRELIABLE TESTIMONY Rudolf Hoess was the Allies' most important witness to the "Holocaust." His affidavit and his testimony were quoted extensively both by the prosecution and in the judgment... Read more Published on April 14, 2006 by mactans 5.0 out of 5 stars A Lone Wolf Writing His Diabolical Story in Prison This is an eerie book. I suppose I expected to find a monster leering at me from page one, but the book has more layers to the story than that. Read more Published on December 11, 2004 by Milli Thornton 3.0 out of 5 stars Is this the truth or not? I'm no revisionist, but the crucial question remains: was this confession faked? The Nuremberg trials were conducted under the auspices of the Allies entirely, and the possibility... Read more Published on January 25, 2003 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 252 pages
• Publisher: Phoenix (September 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1842120247
• ISBN-13: 978-1842120248
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #360,429 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 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

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.

5 of 6 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 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.

16 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	thewahlmighty (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

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.