Seldom found in the wrapper

Trevor-Roper, H. R. ~ The Last Days of Hitler

First UK Printing : Macmillan and Co. Ltd., London : 1947

The First UK Printing published by Macmillan and Co. Ltd., London in 1947. 8vo., bright red cloth, backstrip lettered in gilt; in the clipped publisher’s wrapper, featuring a photograph of the author to the lower panel; frontispiece photograph showing Hitler and Himmler; with a plan of Hitler’s bunker facing p.116; the last page of Hitler’s will facing p. 196, and one folding map of West and Central Berlin; The BOOK with one light small stain to the foot of spine; a couple of small marks to edges and prelims; else a Very Good++ copy. The WRAPPER is also in Very Good condition with some light marks and spotting to the spine, edges and folds; a couple of small nicks and minor losses to spine and fold edges; one small closed tear to lower edge of upper panel. The wrapper is protected in a removable Brodart archival cover. “In September, 1945,” the blurb begins, “when the fate of Hitler was perplexing everyone, an Oxford historian was appointed to find and examine all available evidence”. Emerging from his assignment as a British Intelligence Officer to investigate the death of Hitler at the end of the war, Trevor-Roper relied upon witness interviews and the study of surviving documents, and set out to prove that the German leader was dead, and had not escaped Berlin as many had feared. Using the alias ‘Major Oughton’, Trevor-Roper successfully questioned many officials who had been present in the Führerbunker with Hitler, and who had been able to escape to the West, including Bernd Freytag von Loringhoven. The Last Days of Hitler covers the final ten days of Hitler’s life, as well as the fates of higher-ranking members in his inner circle, and was cleared for publication by British officials shortly after the war crimes trials ended. The book was his most commercially successful, running to six editions in English and numerous other foreign translations. The author’s reputation, however, was severely damaged in 1983, when he authenticated the infamous ‘Hitler Diaries’, shortly before they were proven to be forgeries. Seldom found in the wrapper.

BINDING: Hardcover
CONDITION: Very Good++
JACKET: Very Good++