Hitler (Ullrich books)
{{Short description|2-volume book collection by Volker Ullrich}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
File:Hitler (Ullrich books).jpg
Hitler is a collection of two volumes by Volker Ullrich. The book became a bestseller in Germany upon its publication. The Bodley Head bought the English publishing rights in 2013.{{cite web|author=Shaffi, Sarah|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/bodley-head-buys-hitler-biography|title=Bodley Head buys Hitler biography|work=The Bookseller|date=3 December 2013|accessdate=11 April 2020}} Jefferson Chase translated both volumes into English.
Contents
The books were originally published in German by S. Fischer Verlag. The first volume Hitler: Ascent, 1889-1939 ({{langx|de|link=no|Adolf Hitler: Die Jahre des Aufstiegs 1889-1939}}), published in German in 2013, was published in English in 2016 by The Bodley Head and covers up to 1939.{{cite web|author=Kakutani, Michiko|authorlink=Michiko Kakutani|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/books/hitler-ascent-volker-ullrich.html|title=In 'Hitler,' an Ascent From 'Dunderhead' to Demagogue|work=The New York Times|date=27 September 2016|accessdate=11 April 2020}}{{subscription required}} Volume I has 750 pages.{{cite web|author=Kampfner, John|authorlink=John Kampfner|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/mar/27/hitler-ascent-review-volker-ullrich-outstanding-study|title=Hitler: Ascent by Volker Ullrich review – 'an outstanding study' |website=TheGuardian.com|date=27 March 2016|accessdate=11 April 2020}}
The second volume Hitler Vol II: Downfall 1939-45 ({{langx|de|link=no|Adolf Hitler: Die Jahre des Untergangs 1939-1945}}) was published in English in 2020 by the same English publisher and covers the remainder of his biography.{{cite web|author=Heffer, Simon|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/hitlers-greatest-mistake-believing-publicity/?ICID=escenic-liftigniter_recommentation-widget&li_source=LI&li_medium=escenic-section|title=Hitler's greatest mistake? Believing his own publicity |work=The Daily Telegraph|date=11 April 2020|accessdate=11 April 2020}}
Reception
Simon Heffer of the Telegraph, gave the second volume four of five stars, praising its use of newly available historical material and concluding that it "is one of the most impressive Hitler biographies". Heffer argued that the book, particularly in regards to the genesis of the Holocaust, "regurgitates too much of the context of the war." Heffer also criticizes some editing choices, such as the usage of American English by a British publisher, and the decision to use the German edition's translation of the This was their finest hour speech, translated back into English, rather than using the original text.
Michiko Kakutani of The New York Times wrote that Volume I "offers a fascinating Shakespearean parable" regarding Adolf Hitler's rise to power and highlights how Hitler advanced his political career through "demagoguery, showmanship and nativist appeals to the masses." She stated that "there is little here that is substantially new".
Miranda Seymour of The Daily Telegraph stated that the author's portrayal of Hitler was "Janus-faced: an iron leader riddled with pitiful insecurity; a killer driven by the terror of personal oblivion."{{cite news|author=Seymour, Miranda|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/hitler-the-ascent-1889-1939-by-volker-ullrich-review-chilling-an/|title=Hitler: The Ascent (1889-1939) by Volker Ullrich, review: 'chilling and superb' |work=The Daily Telegraph|date=11 April 2020|accessdate=11 April 2020}} She gave the first volume five stars out of five. She described it as, "A superb biography". She credited "Ullrich’s refusal to buy into the idea – assiduously fostered by the Führer himself – that Hitler was invulnerable."
John Kampfner in The Observer wrote that it "is, by any measure, an outstanding study." Kampfner argued "the real strength of this book is in disentangling the personal story of man and monster."
See also
References
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External links
- [https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/109/1097959/hitler--volume-i/9780099590231.html Volume I Ascent] and [https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1097961/hitler--volume-ii/9781847922878.html Volume II: Downfall]'' - Penguin Books United Kingdom
- [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/243143/hitler-ascent-by-volker-ullrich/ Hitler: Ascent] and [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/243144/hitler-downfall-by-volker-ullrich/ Hitler: Downfall] - Penguin Random House
- [https://www.fischerverlage.de/rights/foreign_rights/book/volker_ullrich_adolf_hitler/9783100860057 Adolf Hitler: Die Jahre des Aufstiegs] - S. Fischer Verlag - [https://www.fischerverlage.de/buch/volker_ullrich_adolf_hitler/9783100860057 Page in German]
- [https://www.fischerverlage.de/rights/foreign_rights/book/volker_ullrich_adolf_hitler/9783103972801 Volume 2 page] - S. Fischer Verlag - [https://www.fischerverlage.de/buch/volker_ullrich_adolf_hitler/9783103972801 German page]
Category:2013 non-fiction books
Category:Books about Adolf Hitler
Category:S. Fischer Verlag books
Category:The Bodley Head books
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