May 5 2015 date of publication, Peter Longerich's biography of Joseph Goebbels.
http://www.amazon.com/Goebbels-Biograph ... 457&sr=1-1
His Himmler book had mixed reviews here on AHF despite it's enormous detail.
New Goebbels Biography
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FrozenLady
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Re: New Goebbels Biography
Seems like an interesting book. Would definitely read it.
Re: New Goebbels Biography
Amazon.de have very negative reviews
Re: New Goebbels Biography
Having now completed reading the book, I think I can post a short review of this work.
In 800 or so pages Longerich says very little. The book is a real snooze and bore and although there is much of
Goebbels diary quotes within them, the story has been much better told previously going all the way back to Roger Manvell /Heinrich Fraenkel, Curt Reiss, Victor Reimann, and Helmut Heiber. Probably the best modern biography was the
one published in the 1990's by Ralf Reuth, Toby Thacker's being a close second in the 2000's. Longerich has the audacity to criticize the latter two in the last pages of his ponderous tome. We know Goebbels was a narcissist and we don't need Longerich to prove it to us in 800 pages. Any perusal of his diary entries can illustrate this point. Longerich tries with great pains to also prove to us that his deformed foot had nothing whatsoever to do with it. A wasted effort. I am thankful I had the patience to wait for this book to come to press and be placed on hold at my local public library rather than purchase this outright. A very disappointing book on just about every level. These acclaimed scholars have nothing really to say anymore that which has already been said better by previous writers lacking Phds, scholarly honors, and Knighthoods. They keep cranking these things out and telling us nothing new. I have a copy of his Himmler biography which has steadily collected dust on my shelves since publication (I have not taken the time to read it and I wonder if it's even worth investigating after wading through this awful Goebbels biography). Maybe I should trade it for a novel?
After obtaining Max William's excellent "Himmler" and having every older biographical book on the subject it's time to close the "Himmler File" come what may, although at the risk of sounding heretical I will probably coda it with David Irving, who we know will say plenty and positively certain to antagonize certain mentalities. I can do without Longerich....one is simply purchasing blank paper between two covers.
In 800 or so pages Longerich says very little. The book is a real snooze and bore and although there is much of
Goebbels diary quotes within them, the story has been much better told previously going all the way back to Roger Manvell /Heinrich Fraenkel, Curt Reiss, Victor Reimann, and Helmut Heiber. Probably the best modern biography was the
one published in the 1990's by Ralf Reuth, Toby Thacker's being a close second in the 2000's. Longerich has the audacity to criticize the latter two in the last pages of his ponderous tome. We know Goebbels was a narcissist and we don't need Longerich to prove it to us in 800 pages. Any perusal of his diary entries can illustrate this point. Longerich tries with great pains to also prove to us that his deformed foot had nothing whatsoever to do with it. A wasted effort. I am thankful I had the patience to wait for this book to come to press and be placed on hold at my local public library rather than purchase this outright. A very disappointing book on just about every level. These acclaimed scholars have nothing really to say anymore that which has already been said better by previous writers lacking Phds, scholarly honors, and Knighthoods. They keep cranking these things out and telling us nothing new. I have a copy of his Himmler biography which has steadily collected dust on my shelves since publication (I have not taken the time to read it and I wonder if it's even worth investigating after wading through this awful Goebbels biography). Maybe I should trade it for a novel?
After obtaining Max William's excellent "Himmler" and having every older biographical book on the subject it's time to close the "Himmler File" come what may, although at the risk of sounding heretical I will probably coda it with David Irving, who we know will say plenty and positively certain to antagonize certain mentalities. I can do without Longerich....one is simply purchasing blank paper between two covers.