Heinrich Hoffman was a key part in the making of the Hitler legend,
the photographer who carefully crafted the image of the Führer as a godlike
figure.
Hoffmann published his first book of photographs in 1919, following
his work as an official photographer for the German army. In 1920 he joined the
Nazi Party, and his association with Hitler began.
He became Hitler's official photographer and travelled with him
extensively. He took over two million photographs of Hitler, and they were
distributed widely, including on postage stamps, an enterprise that proved very
profitable for both men. Hoffmann published several books on Hitler in the
1930s, including The Hitler Nobody Knows (1933). Hoffmann and Hitler were very
close, and he acted not only as a personal confidante - his memoirs include rare
details of the Führer - but also as a matchmaker – it is Hoffmann who introduced
Eva Braun, his studio assistant, to Hitler.
At the end of the war, Hoffmann was arrested by the
US military, who also seized his
photographic archive, and was sentenced to imprisonment for Nazi
profiteering.
This edition of a classic book includes photographs by Hoffmann and a
new introduction by Roger Moorhouse.
