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Ladrones de libros: El saqueo nazi de las bibliotecas europeas y la lucha por recuperar la herencia literaria
«Podemos ver las luces y las sombras, los esfuerzos de las víctimas y el poder apisonador de los victimarios, con los libros como campo de batalla y como tierra arrasada y como constelación superviviente». (Del prólogo de Jorge Carrión) Mientras Berlín se iluminaba fantasmagóricamente con las piras donde ardían libros prohibidos, los nazis llevaban a cabo un crimen cultural de proporciones aún mayores. A través de una pormenorizada investigación, Anders Rydell ha documentado el saqueo de bibliotecas, privadas y particulares, y librerías que, a lo largo y ancho de la Europa ocupada, llevaron a cabo las tropas alemanas. Los anaqueles de judíos, comunistas, políticos liberales, activistas por los derechos LGTB, católicos, masones y de cualquiera que entrara en la larga lista de enemigos del régimen, fueron expoliados y las obras que contenían esgrimidas como armas intelectuales contra sus dueños. Pero, en paralelo, esta es la historia cuasi detectivesca de cómo un heroico puñado de bibliotecarios, y con ellos el propio autor, han emprendido la tarea de devolver estos libros a sus dueños legítimos. Para ello, han peinado las bibliotecas públicas de Berlín con el fin de tratar de identificar los volúmenes robados y han intentado dar con los familiares de aquellos que fueron despojados. En muchos casos, estos libros son el único objeto que los descendientes de víctimas del Holocausto podrán tener entre las manos como un recuerdo. La Segunda Guerra Mundial fue también un conflicto cultural y el estudio y refutación de toda la literatura «degenerada» que los nazis expoliaron pretendía justificar el deseo de Alemania de dominar el mundo y derrotar a sus enemigos con la «ciencia», así como sentar las bases intelectuales sobre las que descansaría el Reich de los mil años. Un Reich que se levantaría no solo sobre sangre y piedra, sino también sobre palabras. Ganador del Foundation Bengt Janson’s Memorial Fund Prize Sweden Finalista del Kirkus Prize (no ficción)
376 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
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March 9, 2017
This is a moving account of the books plundered in tens of millions by the Nazi’s – from the Jewish community, but also from Communists, émigré libraries, Freemasons and others. As the Nazi party gained power, not only people, but libraries and book collections were scattered. I am, and have always been, a lover of books. To take books and burn them, as the Nazi’s famously did; to blacklist books and authors, is to try to control the history, and thoughts, of a population. The Nazi party instinctively realised the power of books, but there was opposition to this theft of literary culture and attempts to smuggle out important works – to hide them, or even to destroy them before they were stolen.
Much of this book centres on the attempts to catalogue the books that have been found since the war, when it was gradually realised that many of the books in public libraries in Europe had been stolen from libraries, or individuals. Inscriptions, letters, bookplates and any identifying marks are extensively researched to try to return the books to the relatives of the original owners.
Along the way, and intertwined with information about the immense job of both cataloguing the huge numbers of books found and reuniting them with the original owners, or relatives of these owners, we read of the history of these books and of Jewish literature. Of Amsterdam, the centre for Jewish literature during the 1600’s, of the Freemason’s Lodge in the Hague, of Rome, Greece, Berlin, Prague, Paris and Lithuania. When you read that those in the Jewish ghetto of Vilinius borrowed books by the thousands; as a reader, you understand the need for words to transport you to another place (the most borrowed book was “War and Peace,” as a matter of interest).
During this work, the author personally returns a book to the granddaughter of the man it once belonged to. There is something so touching about this event and of the author’s knowledge that the small volume he carries from one country to another is so precious. The recipient lives in Cannock, outside Birmingham and, at times, even she is unsure about why this means so much to her – to have a book, written in a language she cannot read, which belonged to a man she did not know. However, I am sure that her grandfather would have liked to have had something so personal to him in the hands of his relative, and that this object (and a book is an object like no other) will help her feel close to him. This really is a wonderful read, exploring all of the lost books – and lost lives – that still haunt the present.
Much of this book centres on the attempts to catalogue the books that have been found since the war, when it was gradually realised that many of the books in public libraries in Europe had been stolen from libraries, or individuals. Inscriptions, letters, bookplates and any identifying marks are extensively researched to try to return the books to the relatives of the original owners.
Along the way, and intertwined with information about the immense job of both cataloguing the huge numbers of books found and reuniting them with the original owners, or relatives of these owners, we read of the history of these books and of Jewish literature. Of Amsterdam, the centre for Jewish literature during the 1600’s, of the Freemason’s Lodge in the Hague, of Rome, Greece, Berlin, Prague, Paris and Lithuania. When you read that those in the Jewish ghetto of Vilinius borrowed books by the thousands; as a reader, you understand the need for words to transport you to another place (the most borrowed book was “War and Peace,” as a matter of interest).
During this work, the author personally returns a book to the granddaughter of the man it once belonged to. There is something so touching about this event and of the author’s knowledge that the small volume he carries from one country to another is so precious. The recipient lives in Cannock, outside Birmingham and, at times, even she is unsure about why this means so much to her – to have a book, written in a language she cannot read, which belonged to a man she did not know. However, I am sure that her grandfather would have liked to have had something so personal to him in the hands of his relative, and that this object (and a book is an object like no other) will help her feel close to him. This really is a wonderful read, exploring all of the lost books – and lost lives – that still haunt the present.
September 21, 2017
This is a valuable addition to the collection of writing about Nazi looting and plundering throughout their sphere of influence as it addresses the taking of books and other written materials exclusively. It also ties this in to the creation of the Nazi's primary "myth": the Jew as the cause, not only of the war, but of a vast worldwide conspiracy in historical terms. In careful detail, the author, discusses the early philosophy behind National Socialism and the various men who had been proposing ideas that would eventually become part of The Third Reich and the planned One Thousand Years Reich. In addition to this, the author addresses the arduous, and often seemingly impossible, task of returning books to their owners, be they individuals, congregations or libraries. Of course a major problem is that so many of the owners and institutions are destroyed.
Naively, I thought that the Nazi war machine sought out books only to destroy them. This was sometimes their purpose but often not. They had special squads established before they had invaded other countries (having practiced well internally) whose job it was to locate libraries large and small of specific groups, i.e. Jews, Freemasons, Russian Emigrants, emigrants from other conquered nations considered "lesser" peoples, etc. Books and other written materials were gathered up for study as part of the plan for the future 1000 year Reich. And also as a form of justification for the current war. These books and written documents were to be used to somehow prove that the Jews were in a centuries-old plot to control the world...aided by the Freemasons (who happened to control Britain and the United States).
As anyone who has taken basic philosophy or statistics knows, people can force words to prove what they want to see.
There are details provided country by country, taking the route that the German army followed through Western then Eastern Europe. So much detail but also some very specific information on individuals.
This was a truly fascinating read for me as it opened my eyes to a side of Nazi-ism that I had never considered, and I feel I should have. As this "ism" continues to rear its ugly head again today, I believe it is important to know as much about its history as possible in order to be ready for its present.
I highly recommend this book for any interested in the history of ideas.
4.5*
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Naively, I thought that the Nazi war machine sought out books only to destroy them. This was sometimes their purpose but often not. They had special squads established before they had invaded other countries (having practiced well internally) whose job it was to locate libraries large and small of specific groups, i.e. Jews, Freemasons, Russian Emigrants, emigrants from other conquered nations considered "lesser" peoples, etc. Books and other written materials were gathered up for study as part of the plan for the future 1000 year Reich. And also as a form of justification for the current war. These books and written documents were to be used to somehow prove that the Jews were in a centuries-old plot to control the world...aided by the Freemasons (who happened to control Britain and the United States).
As anyone who has taken basic philosophy or statistics knows, people can force words to prove what they want to see.
There are details provided country by country, taking the route that the German army followed through Western then Eastern Europe. So much detail but also some very specific information on individuals.
This was a truly fascinating read for me as it opened my eyes to a side of Nazi-ism that I had never considered, and I feel I should have. As this "ism" continues to rear its ugly head again today, I believe it is important to know as much about its history as possible in order to be ready for its present.
I highly recommend this book for any interested in the history of ideas.
4.5*
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
February 7, 2017
Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.
Recently, I attended the 2017 MLA conference. There were several panels, more like hundreds and while some of them were a little dull, many of the ones I attended were awesome. One of the best was a panel about the destruction or taking of the libraries those a nation conquers. The focus was largely on the Israel/Palestine question in terms of those libraries (and the panel had to be hastily resembled apparently), but the points raised are good ones. Want to control or destroy a people, want to control a narrative? You must control the literature to do this. You must control access and literary as well.
It’s like art, and after all, literature is part of the arts.
Over the past several years, there have been various movies and books about the Nazis obsession with art. Usually that definition of art has been defined as the visual arts – paintings, sculptures - yet some writers, such as Lynn H. Nicholas do mention and go into some detail about the Nazis confiscating of the Torah. Outside of this, mention of the destruction of Jewish books, there has been little in general history, and perhaps just English, about the Nazis derive to get books, to raid libraries. Anders Rydell’s book, The Book Thieves, addresses this.
Rydell looks at the Nazi’s looting, not just of Jewish libraries, but of city and country libraries and archives. He also looks at those libraries that gained volumes, sometimes huge collections because of the circumstances of invasion and looting. The story starts as many book stories do – with a book that is at its heart a mystery. Any buyer or reader of a previously owned or used book, there sometimes is a mystery about the previous owner – an inscription, a bookplate, underlining – something that is a clue about the before. Rydell is part of returning this book to a descendant of the original owner.
The book itself traces not only the vanishing of private libraries but the battle to save and smuggle books to safety. The books in danger include religious works, fiction, and old manuscripts. The stories are at times inspiring - as the German librarians who are determined to trace the owners or their descendants of books that the library gain though less than moral means. At times the stories are depressing, such as the Italian library that lost its treasures and has yet to find them. There are the Dutch who brave death to save works.
Rydell’s book adds another and important layer to the history of the Nazi attack on culture.
Recently, I attended the 2017 MLA conference. There were several panels, more like hundreds and while some of them were a little dull, many of the ones I attended were awesome. One of the best was a panel about the destruction or taking of the libraries those a nation conquers. The focus was largely on the Israel/Palestine question in terms of those libraries (and the panel had to be hastily resembled apparently), but the points raised are good ones. Want to control or destroy a people, want to control a narrative? You must control the literature to do this. You must control access and literary as well.
It’s like art, and after all, literature is part of the arts.
Over the past several years, there have been various movies and books about the Nazis obsession with art. Usually that definition of art has been defined as the visual arts – paintings, sculptures - yet some writers, such as Lynn H. Nicholas do mention and go into some detail about the Nazis confiscating of the Torah. Outside of this, mention of the destruction of Jewish books, there has been little in general history, and perhaps just English, about the Nazis derive to get books, to raid libraries. Anders Rydell’s book, The Book Thieves, addresses this.
Rydell looks at the Nazi’s looting, not just of Jewish libraries, but of city and country libraries and archives. He also looks at those libraries that gained volumes, sometimes huge collections because of the circumstances of invasion and looting. The story starts as many book stories do – with a book that is at its heart a mystery. Any buyer or reader of a previously owned or used book, there sometimes is a mystery about the previous owner – an inscription, a bookplate, underlining – something that is a clue about the before. Rydell is part of returning this book to a descendant of the original owner.
The book itself traces not only the vanishing of private libraries but the battle to save and smuggle books to safety. The books in danger include religious works, fiction, and old manuscripts. The stories are at times inspiring - as the German librarians who are determined to trace the owners or their descendants of books that the library gain though less than moral means. At times the stories are depressing, such as the Italian library that lost its treasures and has yet to find them. There are the Dutch who brave death to save works.
Rydell’s book adds another and important layer to the history of the Nazi attack on culture.
April 3, 2021
Я ніколи не любила бібліотечних книжок.
Для мене у них завжди було надто багато пилу, старості та ще чогось невловимого. Мені не хотілось читати видання, що комусь належало, хоча я не могла сказати, що саме мене в цьому тривожить.
Книга «Книжкові злодії» Андерса Ріделла нарешті дала мені цю відповідь: з бібліотечним примірником важко знати напевне, хто, де і як читав його до мене. А у випадку розвідки Ріделла, до цього переліку додається ще й таке: як ця книга опинилась у бібліотеці?
«Книжкові злодії» - це потужний нонфікшн, який розповідає про розграбування нацистами бібліотек Європи. Мільйони книжок - коштовні, старовинні, дешеві та щойно надруковані - за час існування Третього рейху усі вони стали заручниками ідеології.
Найбільше, звісно, постраждали книги, що належали євреям - про це Ріделл розповідає особливо детально. Але серед інших жертвами нацистського режиму стали також емігрантські книгозбірні, зокрема паризька бібліотека Симона Петлюри.
Зізнаюсь, читання «Книжкових злодіїв» далось мені важко: попри цікаву тему і загалом непоганий стиль автора, на мене тисли історичні відомості. В якийсь момент я думала здатись і не дочитати, але особисті історії, які проглядали між фактами і датами, не дали мені цього зробити.
Ось - група єврейських вчених із гето, яка під пильним наглядом нацистів каталогізує єврейські книги. День у день вони рятують по кілька видань, аби зберегти свою історію, мову та пам’ять, і хоча б на якийсь час заховати книги у бункері. А потім, один за одним, вони вантажаться у потяги, які відвезуть їх до концтаборів. А ось - бідні євреї з гето, які сідають у поїзди в один кінець, але попри все беруть із собою одну-дві улюблені книжки. Коли читаєш про це, то розумієш, наскільки важливою зброєю була і є книга, і чому нацистська Німеччина так фанатично збирала книжки.
Ця книга не стане легким читанням і вона не призначена на широкий загал. Але якщо ви цікавитесь історією часів Другої світової війни, єврейським питанням та незвичними історіями про книги - щиро рекомендую.
Для мене у них завжди було надто багато пилу, старості та ще чогось невловимого. Мені не хотілось читати видання, що комусь належало, хоча я не могла сказати, що саме мене в цьому тривожить.
Книга «Книжкові злодії» Андерса Ріделла нарешті дала мені цю відповідь: з бібліотечним примірником важко знати напевне, хто, де і як читав його до мене. А у випадку розвідки Ріделла, до цього переліку додається ще й таке: як ця книга опинилась у бібліотеці?
«Книжкові злодії» - це потужний нонфікшн, який розповідає про розграбування нацистами бібліотек Європи. Мільйони книжок - коштовні, старовинні, дешеві та щойно надруковані - за час існування Третього рейху усі вони стали заручниками ідеології.
Найбільше, звісно, постраждали книги, що належали євреям - про це Ріделл розповідає особливо детально. Але серед інших жертвами нацистського режиму стали також емігрантські книгозбірні, зокрема паризька бібліотека Симона Петлюри.
Зізнаюсь, читання «Книжкових злодіїв» далось мені важко: попри цікаву тему і загалом непоганий стиль автора, на мене тисли історичні відомості. В якийсь момент я думала здатись і не дочитати, але особисті історії, які проглядали між фактами і датами, не дали мені цього зробити.
Ось - група єврейських вчених із гето, яка під пильним наглядом нацистів каталогізує єврейські книги. День у день вони рятують по кілька видань, аби зберегти свою історію, мову та пам’ять, і хоча б на якийсь час заховати книги у бункері. А потім, один за одним, вони вантажаться у потяги, які відвезуть їх до концтаборів. А ось - бідні євреї з гето, які сідають у поїзди в один кінець, але попри все беруть із собою одну-дві улюблені книжки. Коли читаєш про це, то розумієш, наскільки важливою зброєю була і є книга, і чому нацистська Німеччина так фанатично збирала книжки.
Ця книга не стане легким читанням і вона не призначена на широкий загал. Але якщо ви цікавитесь історією часів Другої світової війни, єврейським питанням та незвичними історіями про книги - щиро рекомендую.
August 24, 2021
Дуже цікава книга про розкрадання великих бібліотек розпочата райхом впродовж всієї Другої Світової війни та продовжена радянцями під час "звільнення" Європи. Зазвичай говорячи про крадіжки під час Другої Світової увагу більш приділяють витворам мистецтва, але масштабні крадіжки мали відношення і до книг
October 12, 2021
Я не ходжу в бібліотеки. В школі ходила, в університеті теж, але це було рідко та лише з потреби. Я люблю купувати книги, збирати їх. За останні 4-5 років я купила більше 200 книг і зупинятись не збираюсь ( та і вдома кількість книг в бібліотеці вже перевалила за 1000). А ось бібліотеки мені подобаються лиш атмосферою, бо книги тут чужі. Чиїсь... Цікаво коли виникло це відчуття?
Андерс Ріделл задумав і здійснив дуже амбітне дослідження: дослідив шляхи розграбування бібліотек та приватних колекцій по всій Європі та чи повернулись вони власникам.
Розділи поділені за містами, основними "центрами розграбування" книг: Берлін, Веймар, Мюнхен, Вільнюс, Париж, Салоніки, Рим, Амстердам. Ці міста та їхні колекції найбільше постраждали від пожадливості верхівки Вермахту. Гітлер, Гіммлер, Розенберг "роздирали" книги між собою. Що вважали, за нецікаве та непотрібне рейху спалювалось або йшло на переробку. Сотні, тисячі, мільйони книг було вивезено, скільки ж, а то і більше було знищено.
Нацисти систематично та вправно вивозили бібліотеки євреїв, як суспільні, так і особисті. Але не лише туди вони потягнули свої загрубущі руки. Російська емігрантська бібліотека Тургенєва, українська бібліотека імені Симона Петлюри, польська емігрантська бібліотека в Парижі були розтягнуті і практично зникли з лиця Землі.
Детально на історичному тлі автор описує весь жах розграбувань. Від найжахливіших деталей та смертей в концтаборі. Автор навіть пише про бібліотеку в концтаборі "Терезієнштанд" - і це жахливо.
Викрадення, використання, переховування, зберігання - все це лиш половина історії. У 1945 році війна закінчилась і шлях повторився знову. Розграбування, втрати, знищення і закриті стіни.
Неймовірна книга.
Андерс Ріделл задумав і здійснив дуже амбітне дослідження: дослідив шляхи розграбування бібліотек та приватних колекцій по всій Європі та чи повернулись вони власникам.
Розділи поділені за містами, основними "центрами розграбування" книг: Берлін, Веймар, Мюнхен, Вільнюс, Париж, Салоніки, Рим, Амстердам. Ці міста та їхні колекції найбільше постраждали від пожадливості верхівки Вермахту. Гітлер, Гіммлер, Розенберг "роздирали" книги між собою. Що вважали, за нецікаве та непотрібне рейху спалювалось або йшло на переробку. Сотні, тисячі, мільйони книг було вивезено, скільки ж, а то і більше було знищено.
Нацисти систематично та вправно вивозили бібліотеки євреїв, як суспільні, так і особисті. Але не лише туди вони потягнули свої загрубущі руки. Російська емігрантська бібліотека Тургенєва, українська бібліотека імені Симона Петлюри, польська емігрантська бібліотека в Парижі були розтягнуті і практично зникли з лиця Землі.
Детально на історичному тлі автор описує весь жах розграбувань. Від найжахливіших деталей та смертей в концтаборі. Автор навіть пише про бібліотеку в концтаборі "Терезієнштанд" - і це жахливо.
Викрадення, використання, переховування, зберігання - все це лиш половина історії. У 1945 році війна закінчилась і шлях повторився знову. Розграбування, втрати, знищення і закриті стіни.
Неймовірна книга.
December 11, 2017
I am really in the minority as far as this book is concerned. After reading The Monuments Men which was an excellent adventure of the discovery and return of many of the art treasures plundered by the Nazis, I thought that this book would a great follow-up. Unfortunately, it did no live up to my expectations.
The burning of books was one of the Nazi's favorite pastimes......anything by Jewish authors or books that contained subjects that took issue with Nazi thinking went into the bonfires. Libraries, both public and private were destroyed or plundered and irreplaceable books were lost. After the war, a group of dedicated librarian and bibliophiles began searching through library collections in an attempt to find some of these plundered tomes and the work continues into the present day.
The author should be commended for the quality and amount of research done for this book but I hate to say it but I found it dry as dust. The reader is led through one library/learning institution after another and shown books that appear to have been stolen by the Nazis and then returned to collections without identification as to the original owners. That approach begin to become so repetitive that I found myself scanning forward and realized that maybe I should put the book aside and try it another time. It just did not hold my interest which surprised me as I thought I would find it fascinating.
The burning of books was one of the Nazi's favorite pastimes......anything by Jewish authors or books that contained subjects that took issue with Nazi thinking went into the bonfires. Libraries, both public and private were destroyed or plundered and irreplaceable books were lost. After the war, a group of dedicated librarian and bibliophiles began searching through library collections in an attempt to find some of these plundered tomes and the work continues into the present day.
The author should be commended for the quality and amount of research done for this book but I hate to say it but I found it dry as dust. The reader is led through one library/learning institution after another and shown books that appear to have been stolen by the Nazis and then returned to collections without identification as to the original owners. That approach begin to become so repetitive that I found myself scanning forward and realized that maybe I should put the book aside and try it another time. It just did not hold my interest which surprised me as I thought I would find it fascinating.
February 6, 2017
I have lived in the midwestern United States for all of my life. Much of my physical travel has not included areas outside the borders of it, either. However, books have always provided me a glimpse of other nations and other cultures--ways of life that have expanded my esoteric understanding of the world.
This limitation of my own reality is one of the reasons I get pretty bent out of shape when censorship is brought up. My personal belief system centers around free thought, even when—especially when—one's ideas differ from my own. I want to know other views! How boring is life if everyone agrees all of the time?! Also, a limitation on free thought manifests into a ban on freedom of speech, which eventually includes a ban of public protest and journalism in addition to fiction and non fiction writing. Inevitably, censorship sets off a thunderous dynamo effect in my mind that schematically ends somewhere near book burning.
“The Book Thieves” by Anders Rydell seeks to explore the nature of how this existential and literal ban on the word came to be, including the Nazi looting of Europe's libraries. “The theft of their culture was,” Rydell notes, “a way of robbing [the people] of their history, their humanity, and, in the final analysis, any posibility of remembrance.” This book is imperative not only in content but also in hope: let us not forget from whence we came so we for certain do not return.
The book begins with a look at Berlin, specifically the genesis of book burning. The books “were stolen not for honor and not only out of greed either—but rather for...the most important ideologues of the Third Reich... the targets of this plunder were the ideological enemies of the movement—Jews, Communists, Freemasons, Catholics...” (Foreward). Readers are asked to remember, right away, that the theft of books was not just physical property theft but also ideas; oppositional ideaologies were purloined to quell uprising.
As the book continues, several areas of Europe are addressed, including: Weimar, Munich, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, and Prague, among others. There is a section or chapter for every book lover, historically inclined or otherwise. Without knowledge of what has happened to our books--our loves--then what will keep us from noticing perilous admonitions in the future? As the Edmund Burke (Santayana too) adage says, “Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.”
As an educator, I highly recommend this book for secondary history courses or upper elective or required literature courses. The chapters are approachable, a mix of present-day research and citations of historical statistics. The current text sits at approximately 300 pages, which is very doable for a high school classroom or a general ed. required college course. Approximately 7% of the book is notes or citations for where the historical statistics and references can be found, which could provide an interesting research query project all on its own.
Overall I found the book to be an interesting and well rounded review of one of the worst atrocities to the written word from the 21st century. I feel it is an imperative educational apex, and I hope that educators (and all citizens with respect for the written word) review this book for what it is: a catalog, a counsel, and a caution.
I received an advanced copy of this text via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This limitation of my own reality is one of the reasons I get pretty bent out of shape when censorship is brought up. My personal belief system centers around free thought, even when—especially when—one's ideas differ from my own. I want to know other views! How boring is life if everyone agrees all of the time?! Also, a limitation on free thought manifests into a ban on freedom of speech, which eventually includes a ban of public protest and journalism in addition to fiction and non fiction writing. Inevitably, censorship sets off a thunderous dynamo effect in my mind that schematically ends somewhere near book burning.
“The Book Thieves” by Anders Rydell seeks to explore the nature of how this existential and literal ban on the word came to be, including the Nazi looting of Europe's libraries. “The theft of their culture was,” Rydell notes, “a way of robbing [the people] of their history, their humanity, and, in the final analysis, any posibility of remembrance.” This book is imperative not only in content but also in hope: let us not forget from whence we came so we for certain do not return.
The book begins with a look at Berlin, specifically the genesis of book burning. The books “were stolen not for honor and not only out of greed either—but rather for...the most important ideologues of the Third Reich... the targets of this plunder were the ideological enemies of the movement—Jews, Communists, Freemasons, Catholics...” (Foreward). Readers are asked to remember, right away, that the theft of books was not just physical property theft but also ideas; oppositional ideaologies were purloined to quell uprising.
As the book continues, several areas of Europe are addressed, including: Weimar, Munich, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, and Prague, among others. There is a section or chapter for every book lover, historically inclined or otherwise. Without knowledge of what has happened to our books--our loves--then what will keep us from noticing perilous admonitions in the future? As the Edmund Burke (Santayana too) adage says, “Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.”
As an educator, I highly recommend this book for secondary history courses or upper elective or required literature courses. The chapters are approachable, a mix of present-day research and citations of historical statistics. The current text sits at approximately 300 pages, which is very doable for a high school classroom or a general ed. required college course. Approximately 7% of the book is notes or citations for where the historical statistics and references can be found, which could provide an interesting research query project all on its own.
Overall I found the book to be an interesting and well rounded review of one of the worst atrocities to the written word from the 21st century. I feel it is an imperative educational apex, and I hope that educators (and all citizens with respect for the written word) review this book for what it is: a catalog, a counsel, and a caution.
I received an advanced copy of this text via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 20, 2020
"Більшість книжок мовчать; вони майже нічого не кажуть про своїх власників. У найкращому разі — якийсь уривочок, нотатка, можливо iм'я. Часом ім'я надто поширене, а жертв було занадто багато. Усе, що можуть зробити Фінстервальдер та його колеги, це занести деталі до бази даних і чекати. Тут нудяться в очікуванні тисячі книжок, усі вони перебувають у розшуку, немов павутиння, яке чекає на когось, щоб упіймати. Час від часу надходить емейл, і книжку відкривають".
October 13, 2022
Це книжка на дуже цікаву тему - як німці (а потім ще трошки радянці) грабували бібліотеки перед та під час WWII. Тут є цікавий екскурс в історію ставлення нацистського режиму, і зокрема кількох його очільників (Гімилера та Розенберга) до книжок та архівів, огляд політики третього рейху щодо експропрійованих бібліотек (особистих, інституційних та публічних).
Окремо дуже цікаві (хоча й коротенькі) екскурси в історію єврейських громад у різних куточках Європи (особливо цікаво було дізнатися про євреїв у Салоніках, які були по суті єврейським містом і центром освіти та друкарства), а також те, наскільки багато зусиль нацисти приділяли "дослідженню" (бо це було не дуже науково) своїх ворогів і жертв - євреїв, масонів, більшовиків, що існували цілі інститути, які мали їх вивчати.
Але як на мій смак, книжки дещо бракує цілісності - через надмір цифр і фактів вона врешті починає розсипатися на окремі фрагменти - а такій бібліотеці було стільки-то книжок, її викидали такі-то німецькі інституції, очолювані таким-то, вивезли стільки-то вагонів книжок туди-то.
Але головна проблема - це кошмарний переклад. Я не згрішу проти правди, якщо скажу, що це один з найгірших перекладів українською, з яким я мала справу, і він перетворив процес читання цієї книжки на тортури((( дуже обідно
Окремо дуже цікаві (хоча й коротенькі) екскурси в історію єврейських громад у різних куточках Європи (особливо цікаво було дізнатися про євреїв у Салоніках, які були по суті єврейським містом і центром освіти та друкарства), а також те, наскільки багато зусиль нацисти приділяли "дослідженню" (бо це було не дуже науково) своїх ворогів і жертв - євреїв, масонів, більшовиків, що існували цілі інститути, які мали їх вивчати.
Але як на мій смак, книжки дещо бракує цілісності - через надмір цифр і фактів вона врешті починає розсипатися на окремі фрагменти - а такій бібліотеці було стільки-то книжок, її викидали такі-то німецькі інституції, очолювані таким-то, вивезли стільки-то вагонів книжок туди-то.
Але головна проблема - це кошмарний переклад. Я не згрішу проти правди, якщо скажу, що це один з найгірших перекладів українською, з яким я мала справу, і він перетворив процес читання цієї книжки на тортури((( дуже обідно
September 28, 2016
A fascinating story of ordinary people performing extraordinary acts to protect literature from being lost. Flipping between modern day and WWII, the author takes us through a Europe ravaged by Nazi oppression and Jewish segregation. However, this book has messages of hope throughout.
The story follows people who tried to protect Jewish literature (or books written by Jews) from being confiscated and destroyed by Nazis. There's some pretty clever stories about how books were smuggled to safety and some heartbreaking ones of people who weren't safe. There's also a beautiful focus on the power of books and their role in people's identities. Several anecdotes discussed how some survivors were able to find closure after the discovery of a long-lost tome.
I recommend this for anyone who appreciates the power of literature or those who want to read a less discussed topic on WWII.
The story follows people who tried to protect Jewish literature (or books written by Jews) from being confiscated and destroyed by Nazis. There's some pretty clever stories about how books were smuggled to safety and some heartbreaking ones of people who weren't safe. There's also a beautiful focus on the power of books and their role in people's identities. Several anecdotes discussed how some survivors were able to find closure after the discovery of a long-lost tome.
I recommend this for anyone who appreciates the power of literature or those who want to read a less discussed topic on WWII.
May 12, 2021
"Dort, wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man am Ende auch Menschen." ("Kur tiek dedzinātas grāmatas, beigās tiks dedzināti arī cilvēki"). Šis H.Heines izteikums perfekti izsaka grāmatas būtību. 2PK nacistu režīma nodarījumu - simtiem tūkstošiem konfiscētu, aizliegtu un sadedzinātu grāmatu. Un tas notika ne tikai pašā Vācijā, bet arī okupētajās teritorijās, piemēram, no Rīgas arī tika izvesti vairāki tūkstoši "aizliegto" grāmatu. Pēc kara beigām jau tā izpostītās bibliotēkas un grāmatu kolekcijas izzaga arī Sarkanās armijas "Trofeju brigādes". Arī musdienās vēl joprojām tiek apzinātas šīs te zaudētās bibliotēkas un, ja iespējams, tiek meklēti grāmatu īpašnieki vai viņu pēcteči.
October 17, 2021
Це книжка не тільки про нацистські розкрадання бібліотек, але й про радянські також (хоч про останні відомостей і досі мало. Причини цього очевидні, та розповідь про спроби повернути щось із вкраденого вражає).
Сумна історія людей і книжок, деякі з яких на сьогодні лишилися єдиними свідченнями життя тих людей.
Сумна історія людей і книжок, деякі з яких на сьогодні лишилися єдиними свідченнями життя тих людей.
February 1, 2021
Перфектне історичне дослідження,
детальний аналіз подій, цікава форма викладу і прекрасний переклад
детальний аналіз подій, цікава форма викладу і прекрасний переклад
August 2, 2022
Дослідження про розкрадання бібліотек та трофейні загарбання (чи "визволення" як це називають в росії) ніколи не втратить актуальності, на жаль.
Тим, хто цікавиться історією, точно сподобається.
Тим, хто цікавиться історією, точно сподобається.
March 9, 2017
I expected more information, didn't learn much from this book. Maybe you will feel differently. Enjoy!
April 27, 2017
Review title: Out of the fire
The Nazi regime in Germany is most commonly associated with burning books, not collecting them, and indeed they did organize ritual book burning in the 30s as the Nazis expressed their ideology in the form of symbolic destruction of books by and about Jews, communists, and other enemies of the state. But books, since Gutenberg and movable type, are printed and sold in quantities which make the complete destruction of a printed idea by fire or other means a difficult proposition. You might capture most of the print run of a book to put on your book pyre, but there will always be one you don't find because it is carefully hidden or carelessly lost and that idea you tried to destroy will eventually find the light of day again and reignite the fire of the idea in new words and new printed books.
So Rydell's history unveils the tale of how the Nazi government came to understand and embrace this truth about books and moved from burning books to capturing them. While the story of Nazi looting of Europe's artistic heritage and its recovery by the Monuments Men (told in a mediocre movie based on the much better book) is well known, this parallel effort to capture books is less well known. As Rydell argues, while the Nazis stole art to adopt the European heritage and show how they fulfilled its perfection, they captured books for a much more devious and dangerous purpose: by doing so they could silence their enemies, bury their ideas, and write them out of history while proving the power of the Aryan dream of racial superiority and wiping out the sources of any effective counter argument. They could, in the case of the Jews, the primary enemy of the Nazi worldview, "write Jewish studies without Jews:"
So, as Rydell documents, the German government organized teams, under the leadership of chief Nazi theorist Rosenberg, to plunder public and private libraries in captured territories and bring the books back to Germany. The sheer number of books is daunting and unknown, numbering in the millions, possibly 10s of millions (compared to thousands of art and cultural objects stolen and recaptured by the Monuments Men). Unlike art which is unique and closely documented and provenanced, books are not unique and not as closely tracked. Hence, as Rydell sets chapters in various locations on both the Eastern and Western fronts, he very often is only able to offer approximate counts of books taken, and even less sure guesses of the number of books that survived. Because many if not most book collections were broken up and sent to different locations within German territory under different government agencies, efforts to reassemble and repatriate books to the source country and collection have returned pitiably small percentages of the plundered material.
As a former librarian, I can sympathize when he describes the extremely slow (and expensive in time and money) and painful effort to identify the original source of individual books. He talks to librarians in some German libraries who are realizing that there is a moral imperative to try to find which books on their shelves may have made their way there through the undocumented acquisition of a book or subset of books from a plundered collection. He also describes how these efforts are being hampered or abandoned because of the expense and by political arguments that "enough has been done" to make restitution, a common argument in Russia, which after a brief burst of book returns during the glasnost era has found restitution to the bitter German enemy who killed millions of Russians in the war an untenable political position.
While not as riveting and dramatic as the Monuments Men tales, Rydell counters with the argument that politically and philosophically the book thefts were of greater impact when placed in the context of the Nazi plans for racial dominance in a fascist world after a victorious end to the war. He could have helped his argument along by including a map of the location of the sources of the collections he describes in his chapters, and the transport routes and resting places for the plundered books. And while numbers are sketchy at best and often unknown, a table showing counts of books taken by country and collection, the disposition of those books (destroyed, saved, lost), and how many have been returned would have been interesting to see. The problem of the unknown limits Rydell's precision and haunts us with the uncertainty of how much has been lost. Some of the collected materials were priceless one of a kind manuscripts that when lost must snuff out that author's ideas for ever.
But books and ideas will have their revenge. Books in the printing press era are by definition mass produced and widely distributed to the limits of literacy, cost, and transportation methods. Even if only a few copies were printed, and if most were lost or destroyed, there may still be that one copy, in a barn (some looted books were stored or dumped in barns and discovered there years later, Rydell reports) or a warehouse or forgotten on a library shelf, with an idea that will speak and change the world when found and shared again. If World War II proved one thing positive and positively, it is that ideas and peoples can't be burned or gassed out of existence. Rydell's tale is both one of caution and of cause for hope.
The Nazi regime in Germany is most commonly associated with burning books, not collecting them, and indeed they did organize ritual book burning in the 30s as the Nazis expressed their ideology in the form of symbolic destruction of books by and about Jews, communists, and other enemies of the state. But books, since Gutenberg and movable type, are printed and sold in quantities which make the complete destruction of a printed idea by fire or other means a difficult proposition. You might capture most of the print run of a book to put on your book pyre, but there will always be one you don't find because it is carefully hidden or carelessly lost and that idea you tried to destroy will eventually find the light of day again and reignite the fire of the idea in new words and new printed books.
So Rydell's history unveils the tale of how the Nazi government came to understand and embrace this truth about books and moved from burning books to capturing them. While the story of Nazi looting of Europe's artistic heritage and its recovery by the Monuments Men (told in a mediocre movie based on the much better book) is well known, this parallel effort to capture books is less well known. As Rydell argues, while the Nazis stole art to adopt the European heritage and show how they fulfilled its perfection, they captured books for a much more devious and dangerous purpose: by doing so they could silence their enemies, bury their ideas, and write them out of history while proving the power of the Aryan dream of racial superiority and wiping out the sources of any effective counter argument. They could, in the case of the Jews, the primary enemy of the Nazi worldview, "write Jewish studies without Jews:"
But it was not solely a war of physical extermination, it was also a battle for memory and history. And in this Alfred Rosenberg's project played a leading role. The plundering of libraries and archives went to the very core of this battle for control of memory. This was also what set the book thefts apart from other kinds of looting, such as that of art....Works of art were trophies that glorified leaders and the nation....But the actual ideology would be underpinned by books and archives. The future would be built by a control of memory and history, on the basis of the written word. (p. 240)
So, as Rydell documents, the German government organized teams, under the leadership of chief Nazi theorist Rosenberg, to plunder public and private libraries in captured territories and bring the books back to Germany. The sheer number of books is daunting and unknown, numbering in the millions, possibly 10s of millions (compared to thousands of art and cultural objects stolen and recaptured by the Monuments Men). Unlike art which is unique and closely documented and provenanced, books are not unique and not as closely tracked. Hence, as Rydell sets chapters in various locations on both the Eastern and Western fronts, he very often is only able to offer approximate counts of books taken, and even less sure guesses of the number of books that survived. Because many if not most book collections were broken up and sent to different locations within German territory under different government agencies, efforts to reassemble and repatriate books to the source country and collection have returned pitiably small percentages of the plundered material.
As a former librarian, I can sympathize when he describes the extremely slow (and expensive in time and money) and painful effort to identify the original source of individual books. He talks to librarians in some German libraries who are realizing that there is a moral imperative to try to find which books on their shelves may have made their way there through the undocumented acquisition of a book or subset of books from a plundered collection. He also describes how these efforts are being hampered or abandoned because of the expense and by political arguments that "enough has been done" to make restitution, a common argument in Russia, which after a brief burst of book returns during the glasnost era has found restitution to the bitter German enemy who killed millions of Russians in the war an untenable political position.
While not as riveting and dramatic as the Monuments Men tales, Rydell counters with the argument that politically and philosophically the book thefts were of greater impact when placed in the context of the Nazi plans for racial dominance in a fascist world after a victorious end to the war. He could have helped his argument along by including a map of the location of the sources of the collections he describes in his chapters, and the transport routes and resting places for the plundered books. And while numbers are sketchy at best and often unknown, a table showing counts of books taken by country and collection, the disposition of those books (destroyed, saved, lost), and how many have been returned would have been interesting to see. The problem of the unknown limits Rydell's precision and haunts us with the uncertainty of how much has been lost. Some of the collected materials were priceless one of a kind manuscripts that when lost must snuff out that author's ideas for ever.
But books and ideas will have their revenge. Books in the printing press era are by definition mass produced and widely distributed to the limits of literacy, cost, and transportation methods. Even if only a few copies were printed, and if most were lost or destroyed, there may still be that one copy, in a barn (some looted books were stored or dumped in barns and discovered there years later, Rydell reports) or a warehouse or forgotten on a library shelf, with an idea that will speak and change the world when found and shared again. If World War II proved one thing positive and positively, it is that ideas and peoples can't be burned or gassed out of existence. Rydell's tale is both one of caution and of cause for hope.
February 21, 2017
SUMMARY
THE BOOK THIEVES is much more than the story of the Nazi pillaging of Europe's libraries. Anders Rydell explores the evolution of the Nazi ideology and the men behind the destruction of the literary culture of the Third Reich's "internal enemies". Rydell explores how and why the German mandate shifted from destruction to the confiscation of valuable books for the purpose of ideological research and evaluation.
"What is more frightening, a totalitarian regimes destruction of knowledge or it's hankering for it?"
THE BOOK THIEVES gives us a glimpse into some of the treasures of the greatest library collections of Poland, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, and Greece. By The end of the war millions upon millions of books had been destroyed or confiscated. Trains overflowing with crates of books from all over Europe were transported to Germany. And only a short time later these books were appropriated by the Soviet Trophy Brigades. The looted library collections were repeatedly sorted, divided, and scattered, never to be reassembled again.
Rydell shares the many challenges of library reclamation and restitution. He tells us some of the unique deals and exchanges that have been brokered by various countries to get back even small segments of their collections. Rydell personally visits many of the places where books are being catalogued, and he introduces us to the people who attempt to find the descendants of these orphaned books. Rydell even plays a part in the return of a small green book which had been plundered from a family apartment in Berlin.
REVIEW
I loved THE BOOK THIEVES, but it broke my heart. It is the story of lost intellect and memories. You may think you know what happened, but Rydell makes it real. The book is about the treasures that were lost between 1933 and 1945. As you read you can almost feel the half-inch bullet hole in the top left corner of the small light-brown leather-bound book, or smell the millions of damp and rotting books found in a church attic in 1990.
THE BOOK THIEVES gives us an understanding of the number of books that were destroyed, stolen and lost and it will knock you off your feet. THE BOOK THIEVES gives us an understanding of the plans for the confiscated books and it will scare you. THE BOOK THIEVES gives us an understanding of the politics behind the reclamation and it will make you mad.
The breadth of background that this book covers is very impressive and enlightening. The book contains over 400 footnotes. It appears to be well documented by Rydell's interviews, his research and his personal visits.
Fans of the Monuments Men would love this book. This book should be read by anyone with a passion for books, or for books about books.
"But it was not solely a war of physical extermination, it was also a battle for memory and history."
Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Viking and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy of The Book Thieves in exchange for an honest review.
THE BOOK THIEVES is much more than the story of the Nazi pillaging of Europe's libraries. Anders Rydell explores the evolution of the Nazi ideology and the men behind the destruction of the literary culture of the Third Reich's "internal enemies". Rydell explores how and why the German mandate shifted from destruction to the confiscation of valuable books for the purpose of ideological research and evaluation.
"What is more frightening, a totalitarian regimes destruction of knowledge or it's hankering for it?"
THE BOOK THIEVES gives us a glimpse into some of the treasures of the greatest library collections of Poland, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, and Greece. By The end of the war millions upon millions of books had been destroyed or confiscated. Trains overflowing with crates of books from all over Europe were transported to Germany. And only a short time later these books were appropriated by the Soviet Trophy Brigades. The looted library collections were repeatedly sorted, divided, and scattered, never to be reassembled again.
Rydell shares the many challenges of library reclamation and restitution. He tells us some of the unique deals and exchanges that have been brokered by various countries to get back even small segments of their collections. Rydell personally visits many of the places where books are being catalogued, and he introduces us to the people who attempt to find the descendants of these orphaned books. Rydell even plays a part in the return of a small green book which had been plundered from a family apartment in Berlin.
REVIEW
I loved THE BOOK THIEVES, but it broke my heart. It is the story of lost intellect and memories. You may think you know what happened, but Rydell makes it real. The book is about the treasures that were lost between 1933 and 1945. As you read you can almost feel the half-inch bullet hole in the top left corner of the small light-brown leather-bound book, or smell the millions of damp and rotting books found in a church attic in 1990.
THE BOOK THIEVES gives us an understanding of the number of books that were destroyed, stolen and lost and it will knock you off your feet. THE BOOK THIEVES gives us an understanding of the plans for the confiscated books and it will scare you. THE BOOK THIEVES gives us an understanding of the politics behind the reclamation and it will make you mad.
The breadth of background that this book covers is very impressive and enlightening. The book contains over 400 footnotes. It appears to be well documented by Rydell's interviews, his research and his personal visits.
Fans of the Monuments Men would love this book. This book should be read by anyone with a passion for books, or for books about books.
"But it was not solely a war of physical extermination, it was also a battle for memory and history."
Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Viking and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy of The Book Thieves in exchange for an honest review.
March 20, 2017
The Book Thieves: The Nazi Looting of Europe’s Libraries and the Race to Return a Literary Inheritance by Anders Rydell (translated by Henning Koch) is a non-fiction book which tells of the efforts of the Nazis to ransack European libraries, bookshops and private collections.
The Book Thieves: The Nazi Looting of Europe’s Libraries and the Race to Return a Literary Inheritance by Anders Rydell (translated by Henning Koch) is a fascinating look at another aspect of the Nazi killing machine, this time trying to murder culture and thought. Even more sinister, the Nazis used those stolen books to wage a war on history and even literature itself.
The author did a great job investigating the stories of looting and, eventually, the impossible task of trying to find the original owners of the books. For at least one person, a worthless book (money wise) was the only thing left from the home he was forced to leave, after many years he was touched to receive some sort of childhood memory.
This is a two part story, the first one, as the name of the book suggests, is the story of the Nazis trying to control people’s beliefs via literature, punishment and spectacles of burning books symbolizing “wrong” ideology. The second part is the painstaking cataloging of millions of books, returning what can be returned (through notes, plates and other identifying marks).
The author also gives the history of some of Europe’s most famous libraries. This book is a fascinating and comprehensive account of the subject and an excellent addition to any World War II scholarship collection.
I got this book for free in exchange for a review
For more reviews and bookish posts please visit my bookish blog at http://www.ManOfLaBook.com
The Book Thieves: The Nazi Looting of Europe’s Libraries and the Race to Return a Literary Inheritance by Anders Rydell (translated by Henning Koch) is a fascinating look at another aspect of the Nazi killing machine, this time trying to murder culture and thought. Even more sinister, the Nazis used those stolen books to wage a war on history and even literature itself.
The author did a great job investigating the stories of looting and, eventually, the impossible task of trying to find the original owners of the books. For at least one person, a worthless book (money wise) was the only thing left from the home he was forced to leave, after many years he was touched to receive some sort of childhood memory.
This is a two part story, the first one, as the name of the book suggests, is the story of the Nazis trying to control people’s beliefs via literature, punishment and spectacles of burning books symbolizing “wrong” ideology. The second part is the painstaking cataloging of millions of books, returning what can be returned (through notes, plates and other identifying marks).
The author also gives the history of some of Europe’s most famous libraries. This book is a fascinating and comprehensive account of the subject and an excellent addition to any World War II scholarship collection.
I got this book for free in exchange for a review
For more reviews and bookish posts please visit my bookish blog at http://www.ManOfLaBook.com
March 7, 2017
I was hoping for something more insightful. Once the idea of looted books was introduced, I waited to read more about the effect of the loss of all those books and more about exactly what the Nazis hoped to achieve by collecting them. Instead, it's very detailed account of the looted books that ended up in this library and that repository, with a chapter for each location. I didn't finish the book. It seemed like a kind of reference book, although with passages tacked on in an attempt to make it more appealing, using that bane, that horror, of modern writing, the journalist introducing each section with a pointless description of his impressions of the neighbourhood of the library and what the librarian was wearing, blah-blah. Writers of the world, please stop!
February 4, 2017
There are some interesting facts here and the subject is interesting. Unfortunately the book as a whole is quite boring.
June 19, 2024
Es increíble lo fácil que olvidamos y lo rápido que dejamos atrás los hechos turbadores. El hecho de matar o intentar acabar con todo un colectivo es ya de por si horrendo, pero intentar eliminar su huella o apropiarse de su legado con los más detestables objetivos, es dar una vuelta de tuerca más a lo ya de por si cruel.
Vaya por delante que no soy objetivo. El libro está bien escrito y estructurado en pequeños, quince en total, miniensayos o relatos, pero probablemente se le podía haber sacado más jugo. No obstante, esta temática toca en mí una extraña y sensible fibra que me hace estremecer y cabrearme hasta la saciedad porque no hacemos más que repetir una y otra vez los mismos errores y horrores (cuando terminéis el libro, id a la última página que veréis un ejemplo actual de ello, como si fuera una escena final de Marvel).
Y vaya desde aquí, que de poco servirá, mi chapó (o chapeau) por todos los que siguen intentando devolver el patrimonio a sus justos dueños. Y que se pudran los que quieren retenerlo.
Vaya por delante que no soy objetivo. El libro está bien escrito y estructurado en pequeños, quince en total, miniensayos o relatos, pero probablemente se le podía haber sacado más jugo. No obstante, esta temática toca en mí una extraña y sensible fibra que me hace estremecer y cabrearme hasta la saciedad porque no hacemos más que repetir una y otra vez los mismos errores y horrores (cuando terminéis el libro, id a la última página que veréis un ejemplo actual de ello, como si fuera una escena final de Marvel).
Y vaya desde aquí, que de poco servirá, mi chapó (o chapeau) por todos los que siguen intentando devolver el patrimonio a sus justos dueños. Y que se pudran los que quieren retenerlo.
February 10, 2017
A very informative book about a little known and even less cared for aspect of the Nazi era and its aftermath. What a heartbreaking chronicle of the almost complete destruction of so many libraries and collections. It gets a bit overwhelming. The only thing that kept it from ending on a completely disheartening note was the bittersweet story of restitution that the author was able to facilitate.
The author gives the history behind some of the most famous libraries in pre-WW2 Europe such as the Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana in Amsterdam, the Bibliotheque Russe Tourqueniev, the Bibliotheque Polonaise, and the Biblioteca della Comunita Israelitica. Rydell did a very good job of combining the details of the destruction of each library with the reasoning, as used by the Nazis, behind its destruction or confiscation. Then he carefully tracks the movements each collection are it is broken apart, transferred, stored, lost, liberated or destroyed.
It’s an interesting example of politics and greed getting in the way of justice, but it also is a tribute to those very few who are doing their best to restore some of these stolen treasures to their rightful owners. Even today governments are arguing about who these books belong to.
The only negative I had was the naming of each library or organization in its native language. I didn’t mind that at the introduction of each, but the repeated use of the full name in a foreign language really broke my concentration as I tried to remember the translation of each name.
I received this as a free ARC from NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking. No review was required.
The author gives the history behind some of the most famous libraries in pre-WW2 Europe such as the Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana in Amsterdam, the Bibliotheque Russe Tourqueniev, the Bibliotheque Polonaise, and the Biblioteca della Comunita Israelitica. Rydell did a very good job of combining the details of the destruction of each library with the reasoning, as used by the Nazis, behind its destruction or confiscation. Then he carefully tracks the movements each collection are it is broken apart, transferred, stored, lost, liberated or destroyed.
It’s an interesting example of politics and greed getting in the way of justice, but it also is a tribute to those very few who are doing their best to restore some of these stolen treasures to their rightful owners. Even today governments are arguing about who these books belong to.
The only negative I had was the naming of each library or organization in its native language. I didn’t mind that at the introduction of each, but the repeated use of the full name in a foreign language really broke my concentration as I tried to remember the translation of each name.
I received this as a free ARC from NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking. No review was required.
December 16, 2016
Natsit ryöstivät toisen maailmansodan aikana paljon taidekokoelmia ja taidetta ylipäätään, mutta itse en ainakaan tiennyt, että myös kirjat ja kirjastot olivat heidän ryöstelykohteinaan. Kirjoja toki poltettiin, mutta niitä kerättiin myös aktiivisesti talteen niin Saksassa kuin maissa, jotka he sodan kuluessa valloittivat.
Ryöstetyiksi tulivat kaikki mahdolliset valtion vihollisille eli juutalaisille, kommunisteille ja vapaamuurareille kuuluneet kokoelmat tai jopa yksittäiset kirjat olivatpa ne kirjaston, yhteisön tai yksityisen ihmisen omaisuutta. Tämä sai monet merkittävät kirjakokoelmat katoamaan maailmasta, koska ne tulivat usein hajotetuksi ja viedyksi säilöön eri paikkoihin tai jopa tuhottavaksi, jos kirjasta ei ollut natseille hyötyä ideologian pönkittäjänä. Teoksessa annetaan ääni myös kirjojen puolustajille, jotka piilottivat natseilta arvokkaimpia teoksia usein henkensä kaupalla tai jotka joutuivat lajittelemaan kansansa kirjoja hyödyttömiin ja hyödyllisiin tapauksiin.
Teos on kiinnostava, mutta välillä myös itseään toistava, vaikka tapahtumapaikat ja henkilöt vaihtelevat. Sivujuonteena kirjassa kulkee tarina yhden varastetun kirjan kohtalosta, joka viimein saadaan palautettua sen omistaneen henkilön lapselle. Useimmilla kirjoista ei ole näin hyvää tuuria, vaan ne odottavat kohtaloaan hiljaisina lukuisten eurooppalaisten kirjastojen hyllyssä vaieten siitä, mikä niiden omistajien kohtalo lopulta oli. 3,5 tähteä.
Ryöstetyiksi tulivat kaikki mahdolliset valtion vihollisille eli juutalaisille, kommunisteille ja vapaamuurareille kuuluneet kokoelmat tai jopa yksittäiset kirjat olivatpa ne kirjaston, yhteisön tai yksityisen ihmisen omaisuutta. Tämä sai monet merkittävät kirjakokoelmat katoamaan maailmasta, koska ne tulivat usein hajotetuksi ja viedyksi säilöön eri paikkoihin tai jopa tuhottavaksi, jos kirjasta ei ollut natseille hyötyä ideologian pönkittäjänä. Teoksessa annetaan ääni myös kirjojen puolustajille, jotka piilottivat natseilta arvokkaimpia teoksia usein henkensä kaupalla tai jotka joutuivat lajittelemaan kansansa kirjoja hyödyttömiin ja hyödyllisiin tapauksiin.
Teos on kiinnostava, mutta välillä myös itseään toistava, vaikka tapahtumapaikat ja henkilöt vaihtelevat. Sivujuonteena kirjassa kulkee tarina yhden varastetun kirjan kohtalosta, joka viimein saadaan palautettua sen omistaneen henkilön lapselle. Useimmilla kirjoista ei ole näin hyvää tuuria, vaan ne odottavat kohtaloaan hiljaisina lukuisten eurooppalaisten kirjastojen hyllyssä vaieten siitä, mikä niiden omistajien kohtalo lopulta oli. 3,5 tähteä.
July 8, 2017
The Book Thieves is a well-documented and researched book.
Much has been said about artwork/paintings that were stolen, but not much has been voiced regarding books that were plundered. This book, in extremely excellent detail brings life to those books.
Not only the books, but the owners of certain books are illuminated. Their lives given substance through the pages of their personal libraries.
Finding information regarding individual books and provenance, and regarding book collections is a time-consuming endeavor. The search for provenance continues and could take generations to completely uncover the ownership of the plundered books.
There is a wealth of information regarding various international libraries that hold plundered books, and information regarding organizations holding stolen books, and other entities that shelve stolen books, some in plain sight. There are many library collections, and individual books, in back rooms-in storage (hundreds of thousands at least). The information is extremely detailed, and readers should be aware of that fact.
The Book Thieves was an intensely written book, with nothing left unturned, as far as the labors involved. It is an amazingly illuminating book, holding an extraordinary amount of data regarding records, documents, books, individuals, organizations, etc., within its pages. The effort to find provenance is a never-ending one, driven by those who believe in reparation/restitution.
Much has been said about artwork/paintings that were stolen, but not much has been voiced regarding books that were plundered. This book, in extremely excellent detail brings life to those books.
Not only the books, but the owners of certain books are illuminated. Their lives given substance through the pages of their personal libraries.
Finding information regarding individual books and provenance, and regarding book collections is a time-consuming endeavor. The search for provenance continues and could take generations to completely uncover the ownership of the plundered books.
There is a wealth of information regarding various international libraries that hold plundered books, and information regarding organizations holding stolen books, and other entities that shelve stolen books, some in plain sight. There are many library collections, and individual books, in back rooms-in storage (hundreds of thousands at least). The information is extremely detailed, and readers should be aware of that fact.
The Book Thieves was an intensely written book, with nothing left unturned, as far as the labors involved. It is an amazingly illuminating book, holding an extraordinary amount of data regarding records, documents, books, individuals, organizations, etc., within its pages. The effort to find provenance is a never-ending one, driven by those who believe in reparation/restitution.
February 7, 2017
Received through FirstReads...
4 1/2 stars if that were an option.
When one thinks of the looting that happened during WWII, probably the first thing that comes to mind is art, as that's what has received the most attention. This book brings to light the staggering amount of books that were stolen. Most were never returned, or even found. The author does a good job of including facts, numbers, etc, without slowing the story down. Also, I appreciated that there was a good background history of how the nazis slowly but surely gained complete control of Germany. It was actually very disturbing, as I read, I was not thinking about how it could never happen again, but how easily it could.
4 1/2 stars if that were an option.
When one thinks of the looting that happened during WWII, probably the first thing that comes to mind is art, as that's what has received the most attention. This book brings to light the staggering amount of books that were stolen. Most were never returned, or even found. The author does a good job of including facts, numbers, etc, without slowing the story down. Also, I appreciated that there was a good background history of how the nazis slowly but surely gained complete control of Germany. It was actually very disturbing, as I read, I was not thinking about how it could never happen again, but how easily it could.
October 16, 2024
Increíblemente interesante e ilustrativo libro. Es mucho más interesante de lo que pueda parecer. Funciona además en parte como guía de viaje por donde donde fueron sucediendo los expolios y además va en orden cronológico.
Personalmente ha sido un libro muy importante al abrirme la puerta al ingrato trabajo de devolver libros a donde deben estar.
Tened en cuenta que se escribió en 2014.
Lectura obligatoria.
Personalmente ha sido un libro muy importante al abrirme la puerta al ingrato trabajo de devolver libros a donde deben estar.
Tened en cuenta que se escribió en 2014.
Lectura obligatoria.
December 29, 2025
Jeg ændrede mening om denne bog mindst 20 gange under lytningen. For nogle kapitler er virkelig interessante og belyser forskellige historiske perioder, hvor bogbrænding og andre former for censur af det skrevne ord har fundet sted. Hovedvægten ligger dog, ikke overraskende, på nazisternes konfiskation af biblioteker, særligt jo de jødiske, men ikke kun.
Til gengæld er mange afsnit så fyldt med tal – så og så mange bøger bestod biblioteket af, så og så mange blev brændt, så og så mange blev reddet og sendt til Israel, så og så mange blev sendt tilbage til de oprindelige ejere. Dette kan sagtens være vældig interessant for folk med en særlig interesse for netop disse bøger og biblioteker, men er simpelthen alt for mange tal og alt for mange lokationer til, at den menige historieinteresserede læser kan hænge med.
Bedst var kapitlet om Weimar-republikken, der, skønt kort, fik godt fat i, hvor de stridende parter kom fra, og hvordan mange, der efterfølgende på ingen måde var eller blev nazister, bar brænde til det bål, som blev Nazityskland. Fx. den gode hr. Mann. En usund kombination af nationalisme, romantisering af "livet ved fronten", og en temmelig ukritisk omfavnelse af "de klassiske dyder".
Indlæsningen var desværre meget irriterende. Thomas Jacob Clausen taler næsten hele bogen igennem i et meget dramatisk tonefald, hvilket er meget forstyrrende for lytningen. Og en god del engelsk og tyske ord udtales på besynderlig vis. Men det tror jeg skyldes, at Clausen, som nærmest alle danske lydbogsindlæsere, helt sikkert ikke har haft ordentlig tid til at forberede sig og ikke har haft en redaktør med i studiet.
Til gengæld er mange afsnit så fyldt med tal – så og så mange bøger bestod biblioteket af, så og så mange blev brændt, så og så mange blev reddet og sendt til Israel, så og så mange blev sendt tilbage til de oprindelige ejere. Dette kan sagtens være vældig interessant for folk med en særlig interesse for netop disse bøger og biblioteker, men er simpelthen alt for mange tal og alt for mange lokationer til, at den menige historieinteresserede læser kan hænge med.
Bedst var kapitlet om Weimar-republikken, der, skønt kort, fik godt fat i, hvor de stridende parter kom fra, og hvordan mange, der efterfølgende på ingen måde var eller blev nazister, bar brænde til det bål, som blev Nazityskland. Fx. den gode hr. Mann. En usund kombination af nationalisme, romantisering af "livet ved fronten", og en temmelig ukritisk omfavnelse af "de klassiske dyder".
Indlæsningen var desværre meget irriterende. Thomas Jacob Clausen taler næsten hele bogen igennem i et meget dramatisk tonefald, hvilket er meget forstyrrende for lytningen. Og en god del engelsk og tyske ord udtales på besynderlig vis. Men det tror jeg skyldes, at Clausen, som nærmest alle danske lydbogsindlæsere, helt sikkert ikke har haft ordentlig tid til at forberede sig og ikke har haft en redaktør med i studiet.
January 11, 2024
2024-01-11:
”Vår starka relation till boken handlar om det skrivna ordets roll som förmedlare av kunskap, känslor och erfarenheter under tusentals år. Successivt ersatte det skrivna ordet den traderande traditionen. Vi kunde bevara mer och sträcka oss längre tillbaka, överbrygga tiden. Vi kunde tillfredsställa vår aldrig stilla hunger efter mer. Kunskapen att läsa och skriva, som till helt nyligen var få förunnad, förknippades därför ofta med magiska egenskaper. Den som behärskade denna kunskap kunde tala med förfäderna - besatt auktoritet och makt. Vår på samma gång känslomässiga som andliga relation till boken handlar om att boken ’talar med oss’. Det är ett medium som förbinder oss med andra människor, levande och döda.” Från förordet
”Vår starka relation till boken handlar om det skrivna ordets roll som förmedlare av kunskap, känslor och erfarenheter under tusentals år. Successivt ersatte det skrivna ordet den traderande traditionen. Vi kunde bevara mer och sträcka oss längre tillbaka, överbrygga tiden. Vi kunde tillfredsställa vår aldrig stilla hunger efter mer. Kunskapen att läsa och skriva, som till helt nyligen var få förunnad, förknippades därför ofta med magiska egenskaper. Den som behärskade denna kunskap kunde tala med förfäderna - besatt auktoritet och makt. Vår på samma gång känslomässiga som andliga relation till boken handlar om att boken ’talar med oss’. Det är ett medium som förbinder oss med andra människor, levande och döda.” Från förordet
November 12, 2020
Книга - литературный репортаж. Автор перемещается между библиотеками/музеями в разных странах Европы, собирает сведения о книгах, которые были сворованы нацистами во времена господства НСДАП, и узнаёт, какие судьбы стояли за этими книгами.
Очень сложная книга в плане чтения, ведь ты читаешь добротную документалку, в которой очень много исторических моментов на квадратный сантиметр, и нужно сильно постараться не потерять концентрацию в потоке информации. Но в то же время это не бездушный поток фактов, автор сделал максимум, чтобы читатель прочувствовал весь ад войны через книжную историю.
Очень сложная книга в плане чтения, ведь ты читаешь добротную документалку, в которой очень много исторических моментов на квадратный сантиметр, и нужно сильно постараться не потерять концентрацию в потоке информации. Но в то же время это не бездушный поток фактов, автор сделал максимум, чтобы читатель прочувствовал весь ад войны через книжную историю.
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