A brilliantly original exploration of some of the formative influences in Hitler’s life—the books he most revered, and how they shaped ...
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Jan 29, 2012
Mariam
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You could judge a collector by his collection! Hitler was a man better known for burning books than collecting them and yet by the time he died, he owned an estimated 16,000 volumes - Ironic eh?! [He read voraciously].
Walter Banjamin once said that you could tell a lot about a man by the books he keeps - his tastes, his interests, his habits. The books we retain and those we discard, those we read as well as those we decode not to, all say something about who we are. Quoting Hegel, Benjamin More...
Walter Banjamin once said that you could tell a lot about a man by the books he keeps - his tastes, his interests, his habits. The books we retain and those we discard, those we read as well as those we decode not to, all say something about who we are. Quoting Hegel, Benjamin More...
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Jun 13, 2009
Esteban
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What can a person's library tell you about him or her?
After reading this book, I still don't know; but this is an interesting examination of one of history's most infamous bibliophiles. (And sometimes downright creepy -- at one point, the author was examining a book from Hitler's library and discovered "tucked in the crease...a wiry inch-long black hair that appears to be from a moustache.")
Although only a small portion of Hitler's library survives, the relative More...
After reading this book, I still don't know; but this is an interesting examination of one of history's most infamous bibliophiles. (And sometimes downright creepy -- at one point, the author was examining a book from Hitler's library and discovered "tucked in the crease...a wiry inch-long black hair that appears to be from a moustache.")
Although only a small portion of Hitler's library survives, the relative More...
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Mar 21, 2011
Tony
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Ryback, Timothy W. HITLER’S PRIVATE LIBRARY: The Books That Shaped His Life. (2008). ***. To make up for his lack of formal education, Hitler was a great reader. At one time, he had amassed over 16,000 books. The author discovered several troves of his books, one of which (several hundred) was in the Rare Book Storage at our Library of Comgress, another at Brown University. Through a study of the penciled notes in the margins, he was able to trace the origins of many of Hitler’s ideas fo
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Nov 29, 2008
Angel
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I managed to finish this one. In terms of pacing, it is a bit slow and dry at times. However, it does give a pretty good glimpse of the kinds of books Hitler collected. What I found fascinating is how the author looks at Hitler's markings and notes in order to get a sense of what Hitler may have been thinking or paying attention to at the time. The book covers a selection of items from Hitler's personal library as a way to look at his life. I certainly recommend it but plan on taking some time t
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Jan 02, 2012
Treus
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A very interesting look at Hitler's reading material and in some instances how it influenced him. Hitler was certainly the most autodidactic and widely-read of world leaders of the time (although some rather narrow-minded people disparage his sometime practice of quickly scanning and evaluating introductions and conclusions, and his passing familiarity with many subjects. In one sense this is 'shallow' but in another it's just being familiar with the fundamentals of a broad range of things).
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Jan 14, 2009
Maryellen
rated it: 
Ryback takes Walter Benjamin's quote about "you can tell alot by a man by the books he reads" and systematically goes through Hitler's library
examining their influence on his political and military views and self perception. Along the way you see how Hitler perverted texts and was drawn to psuedo-science. I found it very informative and creepy. It's well-written with appendexes that include other opinions of the contents of his library.
examining their influence on his political and military views and self perception. Along the way you see how Hitler perverted texts and was drawn to psuedo-science. I found it very informative and creepy. It's well-written with appendexes that include other opinions of the contents of his library.
Feb 24, 2009
Peter
rated it:
A truly fascinating examination of what we can know about Hitler's Private Library and how he was influenced by what books. Ryback is an articulate historian with a keen eye for the contradiction as well as the coincidental. A true pleasure to read as well as a thought provoking examination of the role of books in the evolution of an individual's thought.
Apr 12, 2009
Steven
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Interesting book looking at the books known to be in Hitler's libraries; not a hagiography or a psychological analysis but more a look at what the books added to Hitler's "dilettantish" self-education and what he gleaned from them (via looking at his marginalia or lack thereof). A good, quick read.
Mar 18, 2009
Vince
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Wow!! A top notch book. After the war the Allies were able to cart up many of Hitler's possessions and take them away. The author has tracked down chunks of his library and uses them to get a read on what made Hitler tick. Well read books, annotated books etc. all add to this jigsaw puzzle.
Nov 29, 2009
Kimberly
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This inspires a disturbing tenderness for the man. If you are to argue that his dilettantish reading, his weird recall, his childlike faith in the occult, and his insecurity about an incomplete education and average parents made Hitler who he was, then I could be Hitler.
Mar 03, 2009
Todd
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This book is incredibly interesting. The author tracks down books that were owned by Hitler in an attempt to better understand the man by looking at what he read. The most interesting parts are the discussions of Hitler's marginal commentary, underlining, etc.
Mar 24, 2009
Rick K.
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Moderately interesting, but focused and from a book collector's perspective. I recommend this only for people with an academic interest in the subject.
Jun 24, 2011
John
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Interesting insight into Hitler, Nazism and how the Nazi Party was formed. The way that the book has been written certainly made me think differently about books and the effect they can have on the reader.
I wouldn't mind reading this again at some point although some parts of it were difficult to follow.
I wouldn't mind reading this again at some point although some parts of it were difficult to follow.
May 19, 2010
Ed
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Interesting reading biography of one of history's most evil and infamous figures.
Apr 26, 2010
Michael
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Such a good read. Lots of treasure to be found. Read it in 3 hours on a plane.
Jun 04, 2009
Katie
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very intriguing analysis of HItler from another view. Really found Hitler's suicide and mental process connection to Peer Gynt very interesting. It really helps explain how Hitler thought about death and why he felt no remorse. Very scary, also.
Jun 06, 2009
Morgan
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I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in WWII or bibliophilia. It is a very interesting look at some of the books Hitler read and how he selectively used the information therein to bolster his preexisting world view.
Jan 29, 2012
Alison
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This book really combined my two current obsessions - Hitler and books. It's weird to think that he was so influenced by the books around him, like most of us were. For a man who did such horrible things and that there were books with that information in them that influenced him is quite scary. I can't imagine him sitting there reading Shakespeare - it doesn't seem right.
Jul 12, 2009
Brian
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It was slow to start, but a fascinating and unique perspective of Hitler. Ryback's analysis actually stems from the exact pages Hitler underlines!
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Mar 22, 2011
This book is incredibly unique, a really interesting look at Hitler from a completely different perspective than one's used to.
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