There is now a 3rd edition of Raul Hilberg's

"The Destruction of the European Jews"

Reviews of earlier editions

"[Hilberg's narrative] reveals, methodically, fully, and clearly, the development of both the technical and psychological process; the machinery and mentality whereby one whole society sought to isolate and destroy another, which, for centuries, had lived in its midst."

-- H. R. Trevor-Roper, Commentary

The Destruction of the European Jews is widely considered the landmark study of the Holocaust. First published in 1961, Raul Hilberg's comprehensive account of how Germany annihilated the Jewish community of Europe spurred discussion, galvanized further research, and shaped the entire field of Holocaust studies. This revised and expanded edition of Hilberg's classic work extends the scope of his study and includes 80,000 words of new material, particularly from recently opened archives in eastern Europe, added over a lifetime of research. It is the work of a scholar who has devoted more than fifty years to exploring and analyzing the realities of the Holocaust.

Spanning the twelve-year period of anti-Jewish actions from 1933 to 1945, Hilberg's study encompasses Germany and all the territories under German rule or influence. Its principal focus is on the large number of perpetrators -- civil servants, military personnel, Nazi party functionaries, SS men, and representatives of private enterprises -- in the machinery of death.

Raul Hilberg is professor emeritus of political science at the University of Vermont.

Reviews

This is a revised and expanded edition of Raul Hilberg's classic account of how Germany annihilated the Jewish community of Europe from 1933 to 1945. This edition extends the scope of his study and includes much new material, particularly from recently opened archives in eastern Europe.

"This is a monumental work. Through his careful research Hilberg has made an enduring contribution to Holocaust scholarship." -- Nechama Tec, author of Defiance: The Bielski Partisans and In the Lion's Den: The Life of Oswald Rufeisen

"The completion of this monumental new edition, a landmark in the history of the Holocaust, is a tribute to its author's determination, investigatory skill and ability to make sense of it all. . . . Extensively rewritten, this new edition seems certain to set the framework for reflection on its subject for decades to come. . . . No other work gives such a complete and awesome sense of the Nazis' Final Solution. . . . No single book has contributed more, even to its critics, to an understanding of Nazi genocide. In its originality, scope and seriousness of theme, this is one of the great historical works of our time." -- Michael R. Marrus, Times Literary Supplement (on the second edition)