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 big-wigs, 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 recognised 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 faade which a stream of publications such as this book sought to create and maintain.

本書は、ナチスが絶頂期に構築した偶像崇拝の極致であり、政治が「演出」へと昇華された瞬間を捉えた恐るべき記録です。ハインリヒ・ホフマンによる卓越した写真と幹部たちの言葉が織りなす旋律は、一人の男を救世主へと変貌させるプロパガンダの魔力を生々しく伝えます。読者は、民衆が熱狂の中で理性を手放していく、当時の張り詰めた空気感を肌で感じることになるでしょう。 特筆すべきは、ヒトラー自身が自らのイメージを冷徹に選別し、メディアを支配した点です。これは単なる写真集ではなく、視覚情報がいかに大衆の心理を侵食し、国家規模の熱狂を捏造し得るかという、現代にも通じるメディア論的な警告でもあります。美しさと不気味さが同居するこの一冊は、歴史の闇を直視しようとする者にとって、避けては通れない鮮烈な劇薬なのです。