Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, The - Illustrated and Abridged

William L. Shirer’s The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is the classic history of Hitler’s Germany. Hitler’s regime and his own life ended amid the blasted ruins of Berlin only twelve years after he came to power, but in that brief period Hitler’s evil genius and perverted ideology brutalized many of his countrymen and inspired the dreadful conflict of World War II.

Mr. Shirer was uniquely placed to tell the story of Nazi Germany. As a correspondent in Berlin, he witnessed many of the events he describes; he saw Hiter’s speech to the Reichstag the day the way began, and he reported at first hand the growing persecution of the Jews in Germany. After the war, Mr. Shirer attended the Nuremberg trials and later was given special access to the full range of captured German documents. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich therefore combines the insights of a brilliant on-the-spot reporter within the authoritative researches of a talented historian.

When first produced, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich instantly became an international bestseller. In this abridged and illustrated edition, William L. Shirer’s definitive account is enhanced and complemented for the first time by nearly 400 carefully selected illustrations, a wealth of pictorial material that can only confirm The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich as essential reading for anyone who is fascinated by this turbulent era.