WarpDrive's Reviews > The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany

This is a classic. A very detailed, almost day-by-day account of this momentous period of World history. Relevant primary sources, including documents used in Nuremberg, are persuasively referenced throughout the account.
The book is an important reference to whoever is interested in the period; however there are a few issues with it:
- you can see that the author was a journalist writing as though he were a historian. On the positive side, this makes for a fresh, vivid and compelling narrative, but on the negative side there is, in parts of the book, a substantial lack of depth and of nuance, and the underlying complex background of economic, cultural, social aspects is not explored at a level that a professional historian would naturally go down to. Thus, rather than a "history" of Nazism, this should probably be described as a "chronicle" of Nazism
- the lack of accompanying maps is really frustrating at times. This is especially relevant when describing particular military events such as the invasion of Norway and of Belgium/Holland/France, where, without the support of an accompanying map, it is close to impossible to gain a real appreciation of the developments of the war.

Overall, however, it is an interesting book recommended to whoever is interested in this period. It might not be the most rewarding book for readers interested in deep historical analysis, but it provides a very interesting, vivid account of this period.