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

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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.

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.

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.

Having read dozens of books about Hitler, and hundreds on Nazism and WWII I did not expect to learn much new from this little book. Much to my surprise I learned a lot. Especially about American influences on Hitler's thinking. If you've never heard of Madison Grant, you ought to read this book.

I maintain that one of the best ways to get inside a person's head is to know what they read. Now, in truth, most of us read things we disagree with as much as things with which we have a great deal of sympathy and agreement. At least, the most intelligent of us. And, I think we can all agree that for all of his horrible deeds and mad mind, Hitler was intelligent.

Timothy Ryback discovered a priceless collection of Hitler's books that ended up in a hard-to-find section of the Library of Congress. Many books were seized by U.S. officers. But The Soviet army took the lion's share of the Hitler books. They were seen once, briefly, then disappeared forever.

The author neatly uses Hitler's reading habits to give us a vivid view and understanding of his political career and how it evolved. The reading must have taught him and encouraged him. For example, he read the anti-Semite work of Henry Ford. The author even tells us about the books he read and wrote in, making copious notes, while he wrote "Mein Kampf".

Ryback has a superb knowledge of German literature. Moreover, he understands the Nazi era politics. This helps make the book especially telling. Hitler was an avid reader who underlined passages that were especially meaningful to him. A cold, vivid example of that is in Paul de Lagarde's "German Essays". Underlined is: "Each and every irksome Jew is a serious affront to the authenticity and veracity of our German identity."

Hitler had a magpie mind, according to the author. He was a speed-reader and searched for especially meaningful passages and information -- information which would be useful to him. Hitler would discard what wasn't useful to him. Ryback says this was the essence of Hitler: "Not a profound, unfathomable distillation of the philosophies of Schopenhauer or Nietzsche, but instead a dime-store theory cobbled together from cheap tendentious paperbacks and esoteric hardcovers, which gave rise to a thin, calculating, bullying mendacity."

I found one item in the book mildly unsettling. Going through a copy of an architectural history of Berlin Hitler bought in 1915, was found, "a wiry inch-long black hair that appears to be from a mustache".

Highly recommended.

- Susanna K. Hutcheson

There is more than the description of a library to this book. Ryback goes into a fair amount of assessment of the thought of Hitler. He tells us when and how he acquired various books, and speculates about what Hitler got out of them from the marginal notes or markings. Ryback considers the occasion and the giver of some volumes, and thus speculates about Hitler's personal relationships. On the whole this book adds something to our understanding of Hitler. How did this uneducated man, who never himself killed any person, manage to organize a following among Germans and people from most European countries to murder 6 million Jews, plus millions of others. What was he thinking, and how did he answer friends who remonstrated with him about the mistreatment of specific Jews?

I wonder how careful the author has been in checking his facts and translations. Surely, Christian Morgenstern (p. 42) wasn't Jewish, would a Jew have that first name. The title of Ernst Junger's book is Fire and Blood (cf illustration p. 81) not Blood and Steel (p. 80). While there is some question where Horst Wessel was shot, it definitely was not a bar room brawl (p. 103). The racist writer's name was Moeller van (not von) den Bruck (p. 112) as the illustration on the next page clearly shows. And Ryback is aware of the difference between the Dutch van (from) and the German aristocratic von, because he comments on it in connection with Sven Hedin (p. 196); and Hedin did earn a doctorate, Halle 1892, presumably in geography. The Austrian chancellor's name is spelled Schuschnigg not Schussnig (p. 152).

This book gives a good general overview of some of the 16,000 books in Hitler's private library. I had hoped it would have also concentrated onto the FEW that really influenced Hitler. (not just the books slightly read on Hitlers shelves). The book titled, "Propaganda" written by Bernays is not mentioned, as is also books on the subject of Eugenics. Darwins works are slightly mentioned... and all certainly influenced Hitler. However, this book gives other insights making this book rather interesting. The book also contains about 45 b&w pictures and drawings that add interest to the other 273 pages.

The value of this reading lies not in some cause and effect relationship between what Hitler read and how it affected his behavior--this would be impossible to substantiate, regardless of who is under examination. Rather it gives the reader a look at just who the "crackpot" sources were that Hitler drew from for inspiration and validation. That many of these were non-German, but American, British and French is perhaps the greatest insight the book offers for discussion and soul searching. In many ways, the book is a cautionary tale for everyone, not just Germans.

*This book will allow you to peer somewhat into Hitler's head!

*You'll learn the books he read, those he wrote, those he received as gifts but didn't open, and so on.

*Lots of surprising information, like the heavy influence of some american books on the dictator's mind.

*Truly fascinating.

There is no shortage of books about Adolf Hitler and each year new views of his life appear in print. Author Timothy Ryback uses a novel technique to unravel the source of Hitler's obsessive philosophies by a careful examination of the books of this complex and troubled man read.

Ryback spent nearly ten years researching the various book collections that starting as a young man Hitler had accumulated, ending during his final days as Reichkansler of Germany. Hitler, was by all accounts, a voracious reader, who eventually created libraries in each of the locations that he lived or worked in. His holdings were said to exceed 17,000 volumes.

Ryback bases most of his research on the 1200 volumes resting in the rare book section of the US Library of Congress. These books were seized by US Army forces at the close of the war. The author has carefully gone through all of the relevant books searching for marginal notes that give some hint of Hitler's particular interest and his acceptance or repudiation of theses put forward by the various writers. Books to Hitler represented a "Pierian spring, that metaphorical source of knowledge and inspiration" that quelled "his intellectual insecurities and nourished his fanatic ambitions." An outstanding feature of this book is that while you are taken through the analysis of his literary holdings, Ryback also provides the reader with a history of Hitler's life, his struggle to become a writer and the people that were most influential in shaping his view of the world. Men such as Max Osborne, the art critic, playwright Dietrich Eckart, who was seen as Hitler's mentor, Schopenhauer, Ernst Junger, and the US racist author MadisonGrant.

The Chapter entitled "The Book Wars" provides details of his battle with the Catholic Church, a battle that Hitler wished to avoid. Conversations between Hitler and Archbishop of Munich Michael Faulhaber provide an intimate view of the personal dialogue between senior church officials and Hitler.

Near the end of the war Hitler clung to his belief of a "miraculous salvation" of Germany, a belief rooted in his readings of Frederick the Great, who was saved from defeat at the last moment by the death of the Russian Tsarina Elizabeth, ending the Seven Years War. Hitler saw the death of Roosevelt as another salvation for Germany, but this time it did not occur.

Rybacks careful examination if the marginalia in Hitler's books is thorough; commenting on the color, the accentuation, and the depth of the comments provides him the basis for his interesting conclusions as to what made Hitler click.

This book is a must read for students of WWII, and Hitler in particular.

John E Bragg