Hitler's Private Library: The Books That Shaped His Life (Hardcover)

by Timothy W. Ryback (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Hitler's personal library of over 16,000 volumes was picked clean by American troops. But Ryback found 1,200 of Hitler's volumes in the Library of Congress and other caches scattered through the U.S. and Europe. By looking at the books Hitler read (sometimes obsessively, judging from marginalia and other signs of wear and tear), Ryback paints an unusually vivid and nuanced portrait of the dictator. Among the authors and works Hitler was most interested in were Shakespeare (in translation), whose grand historical subjects, Hitler felt, made him superior to Schiller and Goethe; Henry Ford's anti-Semitic The International Jew; adventure novelist Karl May; Dietrich Eckart's interpretation of Ibsen's Peer Gynt; works of the occult and esoterica; and Thomas Carlyle, particularly his biography of Frederick the Great. Ryback (The Last Survivor: Legacies of Dachau) offers a unique view of Hitler's intellectual life. 47 photos. (Oct. 22)
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From The New Yorker
Hitler was a voracious reader, finishing a book every night, either at his desk or in his armchair, always with a cup of tea in his hand. His library at one time contained more than sixteen thousand books, of which some twelve hundred survive in various archives. Ryback�s analysis covers books Hitler wrote (including speculation on the content of his missing war memoir), books he read (with extensive comments on marginalia), and books he was given (a copy of the bizarrely titled autobiography �G�ring, What Were You Thinking! A Sketch from a Life� was presented to Hitler by his self-absorbed deputy). Ryback relies heavily on Walter Benjamin�s idea of the private library as a map of its owner�s character, but Hitler�s reading yields few new insights, and some of what Ryback dredges up is merely peculiar: between the pages of an early acquisition, a guidebook to Berlin, is �a wiry inch-long black hair that appears to be from a moustache.�
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 1 edition (October 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400042046
• ISBN-13: 978-1400042043
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #39,452 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating read, and not just for Hitler specialists, October 26, 2008

By	spinoza (North Shore, MA United States) - See all my reviews

How better to understand the mind of a significant historical personality than through his private library! Ryback literally happened upon a large portion of Hitler's library while doing research at the Library of Congress. This is a well written and fascinating approach to the mind that unleashed fascism in what was arguably the most civilized country in the world at the time. Indeed, "Hitler's library" comes across as an oxymoron; we've so demonized Hitler that one would think from Hitler's anti-intellectual reputation there would be little one could say about his reading interests. Ryback's book goes far in dispelling this popular representation. As August Kubizek is quoted as saying, "Books, always more books! I can never remember Adolf without books."

The author brings out a number of nuances in Hitler's mind and personality by looking at what Hitler read. Rather than 'humanizing' Hitler in this manner, Ryback demonstrates how Hitler arose from the same Weimar intellectual milieu as a Thomas Mann or a Heidegger, how a Hitler could occur from the same intellectual crisis that deeply swept through early 20th century Germany. From a study of his library we learn that Hitler highly valued Don Quixote, Robinson Crusoe, and Shakespeare (even more than Goethe and Schiller!). We also learn, not surprisingly perhaps, that he was intensely interested in religion, the occult, and the nature of divine providence.

After reading Ryback's book, it's hard to believe that, after the dozens and dozens of books written about Hitler, no one has yet taken the time to analyze his library. This is not only a must read for specialists concentrating on WWII, but it is also a valuable and fascinating study for those interested in general European history.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much More than a Listing of Hitler's Books, December 5, 2008

By	Ronald H. Clark (WASHINGTON, DC USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The title of this excellent volume is a bit misleading, since it contains a far richer tapestry of material than merely telling us what books Hitler owned and read. Rather, proceeding chronologically, the author has written a series of interconnected essays which take their theme from various of Hitler's books. And make no mistake about it, as a reading of "Hitler's Table Talk" confirms, the man was a great reader, knocking out in midnight reading sessions as much as a book a night. It seems Hitler was always surrounded by books, whether in Berlin, Munich, his mountain retreat, or at the battlefront.

The book begins with Hitler during the first war and his acquisition of a tourist guide to Berlin, which he employed on several trips to the city while on leave. We learn a bit about what Hitler actually did in the first war and why he was proud of his service. Sometimes, a chapter springs from the dedication in a gift book to Hitler, such as that from his early mentor Dietrich Eckart in the 1920's. This leads to a valuable discussion of Hitler's successful quashing of a competing leader for his party, one Otto Kickel, who had written "Resurgence of the West," and who almost displaced Hitler from party leadership. A third very interesting chapter looks at Hitler's own writings--much more than I was aware of. In addition to "Mein Kampf," there was a second volume devoted to Hitler's view of the future of Germany, a partial volume of war reminiscences, and a third volume of "Main Kampf" devoted to foreign policy issues that resided in a bank vault for decades after the war. The author's discussion of how Hitler wrote, and improved as a published author, is quite helpful.

Other chapters look at Hitler's philosophical reading, including a set of Fichte gifted on him as a peace offering by Leni Riefenstahl (whom the author interviewed), as well as other gifts from Julius Friedrich Lehmann, a successful publisher who was the guru of Nazi biological racism. A chapter is devoted to a "book war" between Nazi theorist Alfred Rosenberg and the Vatican, that raised tensions substantially. Spiritual and occult readings are the focus of another interesting discussion. Two final chapters are particularly instructive: one deals with Hitler's identification with Frederick the Great who came back from terrible defeats to grab victory--Hitler thought he was another Frederick, especially when FDR died; the second traces what happened to Hitler's various collections of books after the war (quite a bunch ended up in the Library of Congress for example). The book contains wonderful illustrations, 16 pages of helpful notes, a solid index, and several valuable appendices. It is a Knopf book, so the quality of the paper and typography make it a pleasure to read. This is one those rare books where the reader receives a far great dividend than might be anticipated from the title.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An unusually valuable contribution, January 10, 2009

By	Frank D (Johannesburg, South Africa) - See all my reviews

If one wants to penetrate beyond a plodding rehash of Hitler and his life, this thoughtful book offers an original perspective filled with many genuine nuggets.....

Given what seems an uninspiring title and subject, Ryback has created an entertaining book which is both clever and polished.

Be warned though, the perfunctory and probably - given our age - obligatory censures and condemnations do appear with necessary regularity.

Still, a book of genuine worth and insight. Recommended.