theyounghistorian77
New Member
OK so perhaps this really doesn't actually beat owning the book on your bookshelf but nonetheless i have managed to locate William Shirer's classic on the internet for free. This edition doesn't come with the endnotes or bibliography like it's paper incarnation does so unless you buy the thing properly, you cannot really do the sort of scholarly source checking that i did when i did my little piece on Ray Comfort.
And of course If you have read my Ray Comfort piece it perhaps wouldn't surprise you that i advocate a cautious reading of the book. Shirer was a journalist, not a historian by trade and in places that does show. As such It lacks the exact rigour of more advanced literature such as say Richard Evans' trilogy of books on the Third Reich. My opinion is also shared with Klaus Epsteim who pointed it out in his review of the book (not online as far as im aware) that it had "glaring gaps" in its coverage for it focuses too much on high politics than the broader picture. Also it was published in 1960. One should be aware scholarship has moved on since then.
Despite it's flaws and in some places naà¯veté, it can still be a good read for a layperson. So if you are interested in Nazi Germany, have fun
And of course If you have read my Ray Comfort piece it perhaps wouldn't surprise you that i advocate a cautious reading of the book. Shirer was a journalist, not a historian by trade and in places that does show. As such It lacks the exact rigour of more advanced literature such as say Richard Evans' trilogy of books on the Third Reich. My opinion is also shared with Klaus Epsteim who pointed it out in his review of the book (not online as far as im aware) that it had "glaring gaps" in its coverage for it focuses too much on high politics than the broader picture. Also it was published in 1960. One should be aware scholarship has moved on since then.
Despite it's flaws and in some places naà¯veté, it can still be a good read for a layperson. So if you are interested in Nazi Germany, have fun