Hitler's private library : the books that shaped his life

A brilliantly original exploration of some of the formative influences in Hitler’s life—the books he most revered, and how they shaped the man and his thinking.Hitler’s education and worldview were formed largely from the books in his private library. Recently, hundreds of those books were discovered in the Library of Congress by Timothy Ryback, complete with Hitler’s marginalia on their pages—underlines, question marks, exclamation points, scrawled comments. Ryback traces the path of the key phrases and ideas that Hitler incorporated into his writing, speeches, conversations, self-definition, and actions.We watch him embrace __Don____Quixote, Robinson Crusoe,__ and the works of Shakespeare. We see how an obscure treatise inspired his political career and a particular interpretation of Ibsen’s epic poem __Peer Gynt__ helped mold his ruthless ambition. He admires Henry Ford’s anti-Semitic tract, __The International Jew,__ and declares it required reading for fellow party members__.__ We learn how hisextensive readings on religion and the occult provide the blueprint for his notion of divine providence, how the words of Nietzsche and Schopenhauer are reborn as infamous Nazi catchphrases, and, finally, how a biography of Frederick the Great fired the destructive fanaticism that compelled Hitler to continue fighting World War II when all hope of victory was lost.__Hitler’s Private Library,__ a landmark in the study of the Third Reich, offers a remarkable view into Hitler’s intellectual world and personal evolution. It demonstrates the ability of books to preserve in vivid ways the lives of their collectors, underscoring the importance of the tactile in the era of the digital.

a washington Post notable Book
 
with A New Chapter On Eugenicist Madison Grant’s the Passing Of The Great Race

in This Brilliant And Original Exploration Of Some Of The Formative Influences In Adolf Hitler’s Life, Timothy Ryback Examines The Books That Shaped The Man And His Thinking.

hitler Was Better Known For Burning Books Than Collecting Them But, As Ryback Vividly Shows Us, Books Were Hitler’s Constant Companions Throughout His Life. They Accompanied Him From His Years As A Frontline Corporal During The First World War To His Final Days Before His Suicide In Berlin. With Remarkable Attention To Detail, Ryback Examines The Surviving Volumes From Hitler’s Private Book Collection, Revealing The Ideas And Obsessions That Occupied Hitler In His Most Private Hours And The Consequences They Had For Our World.

a Feat Of Scholarly Detective Work, And A Captivating Biographical Portrait, hitler’s Private Library Is One Of The Most Intimate And Chilling Works On Hitler Yet Written.

the Washington Post - Michael Dirda

…gripes Aside, hitler's Private Library Is Still Fascinating—and Unnerving. Hitler, Ryback Shows Us, Remained A Serious Reader All His Life, Spending Much Of His Disposable Income On Books During The 1920s And Regularly Passing Quiet Evenings In His Library During The 1930s And '40s, No Matter How Dreadful The Orders He'd Been Giving During The Day. Of Course, He Was Often Studying—studying!—such Ranting Works As Madison Grant's the Passing Of The Great Race, And Yet He Also Dreamt Over Volumes Devoted To Art And Architecture, Read His Adventure Novels And World Classics. So The Mystery Remains: Just How Does A Man Who Appreciates don Quixote, Hamlet And uncle Tom's Cabin Grow So Monstrous?

A brilliantly original exploration of some of the formative influences in Hitler's life--the books he most revered, and how they shaped the man and his thinking. Hitler's education and worldview were formed largely from the books in his private library. Recently, hundreds of those books were discovered in the Library of Congress by Timothy Ryback, complete with Hitler's marginalia on their pages--underlines, question marks, exclamation points, scrawled comments. Ryback traces the path of the key phrases and ideas that Hitler incorporated into his writing, speeches, conversations, self-definition, and actions. We watch him embrace *Don Quixote*, *Robinson Crusoe*, and the works of Shakespeare. We see how an obscure treatise inspired his political career and a particular interpretation of Ibsen's epic poem *Peer Gynt* helped mold his ruthless ambition. He admires Henry Ford's anti-Semitic tract, *The International Jew*, and declares it required reading for fellow party members. We learn how his extensive readings on religion and the occult provide the blueprint for his notion of divine providence, how the words of Nietzsche and Schopenhauer are reborn as infamous Nazi catchphrases, and, finally, how a biography of Frederick the Great fired the destructive fanaticism that compelled Hitler to continue fighting World War II when all hope of victory was lost. *Hitler's Private Library*, a landmark in the study of the Third Reich, offers a remarkable view into Hitler's intellectual world and personal evolution. It demonstrates the ability of books to preserve in vivid ways the lives of their collectors, underscoring the importance of the tactile in the era of the digital. From the Hardcover edition. From the Publisher: A brilliantly original exploration of some of the formative influences in Hitler's life-the books he most revered, and how they shaped the man and his thinking. Hitler's education and worldview were formed largely from the books in his private library. Recently, hundreds of those books were discovered in the Library of Congress by Timothy Ryback, complete with Hitler's marginalia on their pages-underlines, question marks, exclamation points, scrawled comments. Ryback traces the path of the key phrases and ideas that Hitler incorporated into his writing, speeches, conversations, self-definition, and actions. We watch him embrace Don Quixote, Robinson Crusoe, and the works of Shakespeare. We see how an obscure treatise inspired his political career and a particular interpretation of Ibsen's epic poem Peer Gynt helped mold his ruthless ambition. He admires Henry Ford's anti-Semitic tract, The International Jew, and declares it required reading for fellow party members. We learn how his extensive readings on religion and the occult provide the blueprint for his notion of divine providence, how the words of Nietzsche and Schopenhauer are reborn as infamous Nazi catchphrases, and, finally, how a biography of Frederick the Great fired the destructive fanaticism that compelled Hitler to continue fighting World War II when all hope of victory was lost. Hitler's Private Library, a landmark in the study of the Third Reich, offers a remarkable view into Hitler's intellectual world and personal evolution. It demonstrates the ability of books to preserve in vivid ways the lives of their collectors, underscoring the importance of the tactile in the era of the digital. A Washington Post Notable Book With a new chapter on eugenicist Madison Grant's The Passing of the Great RaceIn this brilliant and original exploration of some of the formative influences in Adolf Hitler's life, Timothy Ryback examines the books that shaped the man and his thinking.Hitler was better known for burning books than collecting them but, as Ryback vividly shows us, books were Hitler's constant companions throughout his life. They accompanied him from his years as a frontline corporal during the First World War to his final days before his suicide in Berlin. With remarkable attention to detail, Ryback examines the surviving volumes from Hitler's private book collection, revealing the ideas and obsessions that occupied Hitler in his most private hours and the consequences they had for our world.A feat of scholarly detective work, and a captivating biographical portrait, Hitler's Private Library is one of the most intimate and chilling works on Hitler yet written. An original exploration of some of the formative influences in Hitler's life--the books he most revered, and how they shaped the man and his thinking. Hitler's education and worldview were formed largely from the books in his private library. Recently, hundreds of those books were discovered in the Library of Congress by Timothy Ryback, complete with Hitler's marginalia on their pages--underlines, question marks, exclamation points, scrawled comments. Ryback traces the path of the key phrases and ideas that Hitler incorporated into his writing, speeches, conversations, self-definition, and actions. In the process, he demonstrates the ability of books to preserve in vivid ways the lives of their collectors.--From publisher description A study of Hitler's emotional and intellectual world traces the evolution of his political philosophy, analyzing key phrases and ideas from his personal books as revealed in his own writings, speeches, conversations, and actions.