Vaggeryds bibliotek

In 1945, amidst the ruins of a bomb-damaged German home a tattered book, Deutschland Erwache, was recovered as a souvenir by a British soldier. This rare and invaluable primary resource now forms the basis of The Rise of Hitler Illustrated, which is a photographic record of Hitlers' rise to power from when he was born in 1889, as he took over the hearts and minds of the German people, and his eventual arrival at the top.

The original book is typical of the propaganda of the time, with the obvious non-critical acceptance of everything that Adolf Hitler was and what he stood for. It attempts to present him as a peace–loving man, who wanted nothing other than quiet in his 'beloved Alps', who dearly loved children and was kind to all. But as we all know, the truth was completely different. He was a man who, despite his unbounded evilness, was able to assert limitless power over a nation before creating maximum misery for millions.

When found, the original book was divest of its cover and all the worse for wear, but Trevor Salisbury has gone to every effort to salvage some of the images, the result – a fresh and new perspective that sheds light on Hitler's control of Germany. It is a welcome addition to Pen & Sword's highly acclaimed Images of War series.