Hitler's Private Library
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A large portion of his library consists of French works on art and architecture, including magnificent bibliophilic publications in old, richly ornamented Moroccan volumes, numerous monographs about individual artists as well as special collections of old and new works on theater architecture. The volumes that are not bound are all uncut and show no trace of use. The entire French literature was obviously never even perused by Hitler. In addition, the architecture is represented by a large number of English works, which also show no signs of having been used. There are very few German books on art and architecture, with the exception of the few and very rather incomplete series of old newspapers.
When it comes to political literature, the library contains almost exclusively party writings; high-level politics is not represented, there are not even the works of Bismarck or other German statesmen, nor is there the extensive memoir literature about the First World War and the politics after 1918. The famous works of Wilson, Churchill, Poincaré, the great special collection of the Carnegie Foundation are also missing as are the works of the great statesmen of the past (Cromwell, Napoleon, Talleyrand, etc.). For Frederick the Great there are only four volumes from a large collective edition still packaged in their wrapping from the publisher.
Also completely missing from Hitler’s official Berlin library are the significant works on religion, philosophy, world history, the history of warfare, geography. There are no works on national economy and the history of economics (with the exception of [Gustav] Ruhland), nor are there any standard works from the national sciences and technology. There is not a single work in the library that reminds us that there was ever a German poet of world stature, for you cannot consider the novels that we do have, all from the Eher Verlag, as belonging to German literature. As said, while good German literature before 1933 is missing almost entirely, there are individual works by living authors who are represented with books dedicated to Hitler. [Edwin Erich] Dwinger, Hans Johst, Agnes Miegel, Hans Hienz Ewers (“Horst Wessel”), among others, attempt to outdo one another in superlatives and groveling.
The library contains a valuable series of the Leipziger Illustrierte Zeitung that is nearly complete. Of particular note is an annual report from 1940 for the Daimler Benz Company that consists of fifty-four (!) large parchment volumes with countless photographs from the factory. Based on this report, it is clear that the company’s entire economic life was infused by the Nazi Party and was misused for the party’s political purposes. Even the workers’ free time was stolen down to the last minute by party activities. In contrast, there is extensive pseudo-scientific literature represented that deals with the big questions of religion and philosophy in a dilettantish and unintentionally humorous manner. Among these are the so-called “How to Succeed” books by Schelbach, among others, or the quaintly presumptuous booklet “The Art of Becoming a Speaker in a Few Hours.”
A large number of photo albums, almost all of them tastelessly bound in leather or parchment, show the formation of various local organizations, [and] party festivities recall the opening celebrations of youth homes and similar things. A large number of architectural plans deal with the various party buildings on the Obersalzberg, in Berlin, Munich, Nuremberg, etc. There is not a single sketch or design or instructions to an architect in Hitler’s own hand! None of the books in the library contain numbers or any sort of catalogue number; only a few are decorated with the Hitler ex libris, a state symbol surrounded by an oak wreath. This library in no way reflects the state of German spiritual life or the sophisticated German book culture. There is not a single area of knowledge that is systematically represented, not even his hobby horses like architecture and art; even though he was “firmly convinced to eventually make a name for himself as an architect.” Hitler’s library is that of a man who never systematically sought to gain comprehensive knowledge and learning in any one area. That this library is completely lacking in those things which would be absolutely necessary to making the proper decisions in moments of important matters of state (world history, the history of warfare, economic geography, state politics, etc.) is characteristic of the basis of knowledge on which Hitler made his decisions.
APPENDIX D
“Report on the Adolph [sic] Hitler Collection and Recommendations Regarding
Its Arrangement,” by Arnold J. Jacobius, Intern, to Frederick R. Goff,
Chief, Rare Books Division, Library of Congress, January 9, 1952
The majority of the books in the Adolph [sic] Hitler Collection deal with, or are related to National Socialism, its leaders, history and ideological background. German classic and fictional writers, generally associated with German private libraries, are almost entirely lacking. There are a number of books on history and art dating back to periods preceding the Nazi era, but most of these, too, bear some relationship to Nazi ideologies.
Among the materials in the collection we can discern the following groups:
Books especially printed and/or bound for Hitler (100)
Books available to the public at the time they were incorporated into Hitler’s collection—many of them deluxe editions and dedication copies (1,400)
Scrolls, honor diplomas—on parchment or mounted and bound—dedicated to Hitler (100)
Photo albums, some of them containing short typewritten captions, descriptions and/or ornamented dedication pages (100)
Portfolios containing reproductions of works of art, photographs, etc. (50)
Miscellaneous items such as letters, clippings, mounted photographs, posters, memoirs, etc. (2 shelves)
Bound periodicals (150)
Spot checks revealed little in the way of marginal notes, autographs or other similar features of interest; indeed, it seems that most of the books have never been perused by their owner. In the majority of cases the books can be identified as having belonged to Hitler by his personal bookplate or by inscribed dedications. However, in a considerable number of items ownership cannot be established on the basis of direct evidence. Unfortunately it appears that in the process of transportation of Hitler’s books to their present location some extraneous materials have been intermixed with them, so that it is difficult to determine with certainty whether or not some books belonged to the Hitler library.
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