Hitler

By: Joachim C. Fest

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

This masterful biography by one of Germany’s best known journalists was the leading nonfiction bestseller in Germany. Fest shows Hitler as the receptacle of the dreads and resentments of a shaken social order, gifted with an uncanny instinct for all that was hollow behind the appearance of power, at home and abroad. Though a warped human being, he was neither clown nor puppet, as many liked to think; Hitler appears here as an enormously astute politician, impressing and hypnotizing Germans and foreigners alike with the scope of his projects and the theatricality of their presentation. In the last analysis, however, Fest uncovers in Hitler a constantly destructive personality, which aimed at and achieved destruction on an unprecedented scale, not least because an insecure world gave him his opportunities.

©1973 Verlag Ullstein. Translation © 1974 by Harcourt, Inc. (P)1991 Classics on Tape

Critic reviews

“The best single volume available on the torturous life and savage reign of Adolph Hitler.”

(Time)

“An enormous mural of sorcery, conquest, war, and destruction.”

(Nation)

“The most comprehensive of all efforts [on Hitler]…An enormous mural of sorcery, conquest, war, and destruction.”

(Nation)

“Amid the glut of Hitleriana, this is an exceptional biography. It provides a first-rate history of the Fuhrer’s career and its psychological penetration is remarkable…An invaluable work—comparable to Shirer’s Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.”

(Kirkus Reviews)

Best book on Hitler and era

I have read several books about this era and about Hitler but this one was definitely the best by a good measure. 1 of the things that separates this from others is that he was far enough removed from that time enabling him to have an objectivity lacking in varying degrees in other books. The other thing this offers which I appreciated was to focus almost solely on the period before World War II as that has been covered almost to exhaustion at this point. People looking for a book on World War II or on his actions during the war should probably look elsewhere.

Who was Hitler?

Fest has explained, better than any other author I have read, Hitler the man. I came away with a far better understanding of one of the 20th century’s most influential, not for the better, persons.

The best biography

The best biography among multiple contenders. Beautifully written (and translated), deeply thoughtful, and captures the frightening, appalling time with a chilling immediacy. Read expertly by Davidson.

The best Hitler biography I’ve ev

Davidson is at his finest.

His narration lends a nigh comical touch to Hitlers unquenchable thirst for power and bloodshed.

Hitler is truly a RIDICULOUS person.

It’s like Game of Thrones, but with an all-male cast.

Should be part of high school education

should be part of h.s. curriculum. Very educational. Excellent narration. In depth and much appreciated.