This exceptional source is probably the best of the contemporary
accounts of Hitler in power, albeit from a heavily pro-Nazi stance. The
testimonies collected together were based on interviews conducted by
Heinz A. Heinz in 1933 and 1934, shortly after Hitler had taken power.
Millions of ordinary Germans fell under Hitler's spell and this book is
a creation of those emotions. It is very much a product of its time.
Written by the party bigwigs, such as Goering, Speer and Goebbels, and
published in 1935 under the title Adolf Hitler Bilder Aus Dem Leben Des
Furhers, it appeared at a time when they were at the height of their
unrivaled powers. This fascinating volume encompasses the superb
photography of Heinrich Hoffman, the Munich photographer who was ever
present on Hitler's journeys and who grew fabulously wealthy as a result
of his intimate access to Hitler.
Hitler had an innate understanding of what we would now call public
relations. He recognized the excellence of Hoffman's photography and
maintained control of his image by limiting the access of other
photographers. He also strictly controlled Hoffmann's activities and
personally selected the portraits that were allowed to go into
circulation.
The book incorporates sections on Hitler and the German people, Hitler
and the German workers, Hitler and public works and so on, all
accompanied by a series of excellent photographs which form a remarkable
record of the public face of a man during his brief spell of absolute
power. The Nazis were the first party who harnessed the full power of
the media in a coherent and all-embracing manner.
This is a classic example of the strength of their presentation skills.
It is a compelling time-capsule which conveys vividly in almost visceral
way the zeitgeist of the thirties in Nazi-Germany. By 1935 the bulk of
the German people had fallen in behind Adolf Hitler, and with documents
as persuasive as this, it is not too difficult to comprehend the allure
of the glittering façade which a stream of publications such as this
book sought to create and maintain.