Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Life in Pictures [Hardcover]

Renate Bethge (Editor), Christian Gremmels (Editor), Brian McNeil (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2005

First published in English in 1987 by Fortress Press, this new edition includes new photographs, design and a new translation. The book now has more than 200 photographs, including many portraits of Bonhoeffer's ancestors and family gatherings, some never before published. Also included are press photos of contemporary events, maps, postcards, newspaper accounts, and posters that set events in his family life against the tumultuous events in church, state, and the international scene.

For those who know Dietrich Bonhoeffer (February 6, 1906—April 9, 1945) through his writings or even films about him, this centenary edition will introduce Bonhoeffer the man and circle of family and friends who together with him faced fateful choices.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The 100th anniversary of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's birth occasions this revised edition of a 1987 Fortress Press book, updated and expanded with never-before-published photographs of the German theologian and his family. The book offers a helpful introduction to Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) through word and image: his ancestors, his childhood and education, his work as a pastor and professor, and the conflict with the Nazi regime that culminated in Bonhoeffer's 1945 execution. Brian McNeil's translation from the German uses formal, even somewhat stilted, language, but the real joy here is in the book's rare photographs. There are childhood photos of Bonhoeffer with his twin sister, Sabine, who died in 1999; facsimiles of family letters; copies of minutes from meetings of the Christian resistance in London and Germany in the 1930s; and arresting images of the prisons and camps where Bonhoeffer spent his final days. Some of the photos reveal one of the editor's ties to the subject: Renate Bethge is the niece of Bonhoeffer and the wife of his friend and biographer, Eberhard Bethge. Bonhoeffer missed their May 1943 wedding because he had been imprisoned the month before. This substantive coffeetable offering makes a fine presentation of Bonhoeffer's life and work.
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From the Publisher

Endorsements: "These images are described and excerpted in ways that helpfully illumine the political and ecclesiastical contexts of Bonhoeffer's life, as well as the personal relationships that meant so much to him. Think of this book as a companion volume to Eberhard Bethge's biography. No serious student of Bonhoeffer should be without either." — Stephen Haynes, author of The Bonhoeffer Legacy and The Bonhoeffer Phenomenon

"It is remarkable how much of the life and the life-world of Bonhoeffer has been distilled in these pages. The century of his birth — and the character and influence of his person — is beautifully served by this handsome volume." — Larry Rasmussen, Union Theological Seminary, New York City

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Fortress Press; Centenary ed edition (December 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800638115
• ISBN-13: 978-0800638115
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #222,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tribute to his courage, morals, high ideals, and honor, March 14, 2006

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Life in Pictures (Hardcover)

Now in a new edition with additional photographs and a new design, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Life In Pictures is a biography of pastor, theologian, and resister Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-45), featuring more than 200 vintage black-and-white photographs, including portraits of Bonhoeffer's ancestors and family gatherings, press photos of contemporary events, maps, postcards, newspaper accounts, and more. The chronicle of the chapters of Bonhoeffer's life tells of his passionate faith, his resistance against the totalitarian and genocidal Nazi regime, Germany, his detention by the state, and execution. A passionately faithful Christian up until the last moments of his life, Dietrich Bonhoeffer's story is a tribute to his courage, morals, high ideals, and honor. Highly recommended.