Speer: The Final Verdict

Book Description

Albert Speer was an unemployed architect when Hitler came to power in 1933. Soon he was designing the Third Reich's most important buildings. In 1942 Hitler appointed him Armaments Minister and he quadrupled production, an astonishing achievement that kept the German Army in the field and prolonged the war.
Yet Speer's life was full of contradictions. The only member of the Nazi elite with whom Hitler developed more than a purely functional relationship (he has even been called "Hitler's unrequited love"), Speer was always an outsider in Hitler's inner circle. He saw himself as an artist, above the crass power struggles of the roughnecks around him. But his enormous ambition blinded him to the crimes in which he played a leading role.
Brilliantly illustrated, this gripping account of one man's rise and fall helps explain how Germany descended so far into crime and barbarism.

Customer Reviews:

20 yrs not enough.......2005-05-15

Speer fooled the Nurenberg tribunal. He admitted guilt and because Jackson, the US prosecuter, did a poor job of knowing the facts and keeping them straight, Speer was able to dodge the hangman. Without the dogged persevereance of the Russian prosecuter, Speer might have walked.
It was puzzling and sad that so many of Speers associates from the Armaments Group felt Speer betraded the leader, Hitler, and Germany. The book presents Speer as a good example of the many German citizens who went over the top for Hitler because they were in a position to personally profit from the period of National Socialism represented by the Nazis. This is an interesting book and the disclosure by Rudolph Wolters in his "Chronicles" indicates Speer was guilty of other crimes that he was never held accountable for. This is the first book I've read about Speer that discloses the existence of the "Chronicle" source kept by Wolters who worked daily with Speer. My hat's off to the author.

Interesting book on Albert Speer.......2004-06-12

I found this book to be one of the more perceptive books I have read on members of Hitler's inner circle. Albert Speer as many of the previous reviewers have already wrote, proves to be a great mystery. However, the author provides some very interesting insights to Speer's rather naive but contradictory asute behavior during the time he serves for Hitler.

The book proves to be very readable and easy to get into. Its provides a very informative picture of Albert Speer without overwhelming you with mindless details and gives a clear idea what kind of man Speer was, before, during and after the Third Reich.

Its interesting that of all the individuals of Hitler's inner circle, Speer was intellectually, culturally and morally above the rest but Fest make it understood that Speer had some sort of psychological blinder on and spent much of his post-World War life with that blinder still partially on. From what Fest wrote, it seem that Speer suffered from some sort of a self-imposed martyrdom at Nuremberg.

Interesting book and well worth the effort to read, I thought I knew Speer a bit better now then before.

How Much Did He Really Know?.......2003-05-08

Author Joachim Fest tells us that Albert Speer became fascinated with Adolf Hitler and was flattered that Hitler took a seemingly personal interest in him. Although Speer didn't think of himself as politically involved with Hitler and his cohorts, Hitler, nevertheless, saw Speer as one to build the monuments that would symbolize the Third Reich. While Speer accepts blame for his part in the Nazi regime he hedges in regard to his knowledge of the persecution of the Jews. Speer tried to distance himself from the other Nazi's being tried at Nuremberg, and although Speer expected the death sentence from the Nuremberg trials, he managed to escape with a lengthy prison sentence at Spandau prison. The author tells us about Speer's adjustment to prison life as well as his difficulties in readjusting to civilian life following his prison sentence. Of additional interest is the jealousies involved between the misfits that Hitler brought together in his entourage. The book held my interest even though I don't believe this book did, indeed, provide the reader with the final verdict as the title suggests.

"Good" Nazi or smooth operator? The reader decides.......2003-04-16

Joachim Fest's "Speer: The Final Verdict" is a solid contribution to the Speer catalog. Fest's book is essentially a biography of Speer's time within the National Socialist regime. It is a nice (if somewhat redundant) companion to Speer's pseudo-autobiography "Inside the Third Reich". Whereas Speer's writings in ItTR focus not only on his time in the Nazi regime but also childhood and university years, Fest's book really deals with Speer's rise in the Nazi power structure and his association (often volatile but never strained beyond distinct affection) with Hitler. While the title suggests that the reader will gain some new insight into Speer's complicity and complacency relative to war crimes for which had association, little new is brought to life. Yet, because Fest is looking from outside - he is not writing about himself as Speer has done - the analysis can be taken with a different grain of spice. Fest does not excuse Speer's actions but rather tries to place them in a context that the reader can draw judgment from.

It is clear that Speer is an enigma within the third Reich: 1) he was highly educated (if not successful as an architect before his association with the Nazi's) and cultured - in stark contrast to other power brokers like Rohm and Bormann; 2) while certainly not immune to Hitler's psychological powers Speer did actively disobey (at great personal risk) many of Hitler's orders late in the war - with the major exception of the assassination plot conspirators Speer is essentially alone in this regard, and 3) while he appears to have despised politics he played the intrigue game within the Hitlter Court to perfection and really had few rivals (Bormann being the strongest). Was he the "Good Nazi"? Or is this simply an oxymoron? Either way, Fest's book provides ample information to let the reader decide the historical fate of Albert Speer. With Speer's own writings he attempts to paint a fairly pretty picture of his National Socialist life. Unlike other works that try hard to project conclusions about Speer's culpability and motivations, Fest's work presents facts with little interpretation - that remains the responsibility of the reader.

Verdict, He Understood and Did Nothing.......2003-02-20

Albert Speer the only man in Hitler's entourage whose ambitions were peaceful and constructive, he wished to rebuild Berlin and Nuremberg. Nevertheless, in a political sense, Speer is the real criminal of Nazi Germany, for he, more than any other, represented that fatal philosophy which has made havoc of Germany and nearly shipwrecked the world. Albert Speer with his intelligence diagnosed the nature of the Nazi government and policy, but he did nothing,

Mr. Fest brings this all out well enough and what at times makes for a fantastic read.

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Speer: The Final Verdict.
JOACHIM: FEST
Manufacturer: Harcour, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UD4972

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Speer : The Final Verdict
Joachim C.; Osers, Ewald; Dring, Alexandra Fest
Manufacturer: Harcourt
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJE81E

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SPEER. The Final Verdict. Translated from the German by Ewald Osers and Alexandria Dring.
Albert]. Fest, Joachim. [Speer
Manufacturer: Harcourt Inc.,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MZCGXC

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Speer: The Final Verdict
Joachim Fest
Manufacturer: WEIDENFELD & NICOLSON
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OLNDIG

Book Description

Included in this volume are the classic Le Fanu tales, "Green Tea," "The Familiar," "Mr. Justice Harbottle," "The Room in the Dragon Volant," and "Carmilla."

Customer Reviews:

Super Reader.......2007-08-27

Perhaps the origin of the 'psychic detective' or ghostbuster genre,
with the use of Doctor Heselius as a framing character for these
stories as being part of his history of cases. Carmilla is a fine, fine
tale, with a disturbing female monster. Le Fanu is well worth
investigating for horror fans that have not done so in the past.

In A Glass Darkly.......2006-10-11

WARNING! My Oxford World's Classics paperback copy had pages of Thoreau's "Walden" inserted after p.158 of the story "The Room in the Dragon Volant." Missing are approx. 50 pages of the LeFanu story, so it's not like it's a bonus. I'm letting Amazon know about it, but check your copy on receipt!! Very disappointing to not know what happens, kind of like watching a thriller on TV and then the power goes out, but the broadcast stays on so you miss the middle.

I do rate LeFanu's stories 4-5 stars though. Really well-written page turners!

Eerie but doesn't stand the test of time.......2006-08-08

During a recent (first) visit to Dublin, my wonderful guide showed me Sheridan LeFanu's lovely Georgian home and turned me on to the creepy classics which the late author wrote and helped to create an entire genre of cliched horror staples we still enjoy today.

This book, however, is a collection of tedious stories...overwritten to satisfy perhaps Le Fanu's contemporary readers, but not those of today. It is unfortunate that we fans of haunted houses and chill-inducing ghost stories have become jaded with the over saturation in the medium. If you can get past comparing it with other examples and want to take your time with this slow (sadly unsuspenseful) read, you may find a few gossebumps along the way.

Great stories!.......2001-04-24

I disagree with the previous reviewer. I thought "The Room at the Dragon Volant" was one of the better stories. It was a little longer than it could have been, and yes, you figured out very quickly what was going on, but that didn't negate my enjoyment of it. (In fact, in most of the stories you have an idea of what's going to happen before it happens--like the end of "The Watcher.") You can enjoy it if you put yourself in the place of the (admittedly dorky) protagonist and read it as straight adventure.

"Carmilla" is a classic. I'd be amazed if it didn't provoke an outcry for its frank lesbian content. It must have been shocking at that time.

3 truly chilling tales; 1 eerie rite-of-passage; 1 real bore.......2000-08-30

While the likes of Dickens and George Eliot were pretending to be God, diagnosing the ills of society and showing us how to live better, despised sensationalists like Sheridan le Fanu were busy creating modern literature. 'In a Glass Darkly' is a perfect example of this, with its unreliable narrators, fractured narratives, mysteries, ambiguities, terrors, obsession with failures of the mind and body, and disruptive sexualities. There is one story here which is told at five - five! - removes from the original experience, a Chinese whisper a long way from the dogmatic certainties of Dickens. A collection of five stories, linked as the posthoumous papers of a seriously flawed proto-psychologist, the first three are the best, brief, compressed masterpieces of atmosphere and genuine terror: le Fanu may not be a great writer, but some of his visual coups are incomparable, the nightmare visions of 'Lord Justice Harbottle' being particularly vivid. The final tale, 'Carmilla', the collections' most famous, is an extraordinary coming of age tale, in which burgeoning sexuality and fear of the vampiric unknown are inextricably linked in a work of an overt lesbianism unthinkable for its time. The longest story, 'The Room at the Dragon Volant', is barely readable, interminably dragged out, full of deadening padding - there are some excellent scenes, such as the masked ball, but the hero is an unbearably self-regarding idiot, and the 'twist' is obvious to everyone but him after the first couple of pages, that the rest is just a tedious, suspenseless waiting for his dim enlightenment (which, admittedly, is brilliantly done). The introduction by Robert Tracy provdes some good insights into le Fanu's work as expression of national and colonial fears, but, perversely, he seems less interested in the tales' powerful sexual and gender drives.

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Ghostly Tales
J., Sheridan LeFanu , J., Sheridan Le Fanu , and Joseph, Sheridan Le Fanu
Manufacturer: Aegypan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1598184415

Book Description

Included in this volume are "Schalken the Painter," "An Account of Some Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street," "An Authentic Narrative of a Haunted House," "Ultor De Lacy," and "The Haunted Baronet."

Madam Crowl's Ghost and Other Tales of Mystery

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Warning to potential buyers

Madam Crowl's Ghost and Other Tales of Mystery
J., Sheridan LeFanu , Joseph, Sheridan Le Fanu , and J., Sheridan Le Fanu
Manufacturer: Aegypan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1598188828

Book Description

Included in this volume of J. Sheridan Le Fanu's marvelous ghost stories are "Madam Crowl's Ghost"; "Squire Toby's Will"; "Dickon the Devil"; "The Child That Went with the Fairies"; "The White Cat of Drumgunniol"; "An Account of Some Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street"; Ghost Stories of Chapelizod, including "The Village Bully," "The Sexton's Adventure," "The Specter Lovers"; "Wicked Captain Walshawe, of Wauling"; "Sir Dominick's Bargain"; "Ultor de Lacy"; "The Vision of Tom Chuff"; and Stories of Lough Guir, including "The Magician Earl," "Moll Rial's Adventure," "The Banshee," "The Governess's Dream," and "The Earl's Hall."

Customer Reviews:

Warning to potential buyers.......2007-10-04

Although this book is technically 'hardbound' and it does contain short stories by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, potential buyers should be aware that Aegypan Press books are not what people usually expect when buying hardcover books. The books seem to have been printed like a private or school edition printing, with a very simple board cover and no dustjacket. Amazon.com's description and the image for the item give the impression that this book is bound with a dustjacket - this is not the case.

The other problem is that this particular book, 'Madam Crowl's Ghost', contains many of the same stories that can be found in another Aegypan printing of Le Fanu's stories 'More Ghostly Tales'. Note that neither of these books appeared during Le Fanu's lifetime and they are both reprints of posthumous collections (which probably explains the overlaps). The overlaps are significant, with a majority of the tales appearing in both books. 'Madam Crowl's Ghost' contains a few more stories than does 'More Ghostly Tales', so if I had to make a choice I'd go for the former and ignore the latter.

Having said all that, Aegypan Press seems to have done a good job with the printing and binding - the books seem tight and well-printed. But if only they had a dustjacket they would be much more attractive.

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Green Tea and Other Strange Tales
J., Sheridan LeFanu , Joseph, Sheridan Le Fanu , and J., Sheridan Le Fanu
Manufacturer: Aegypan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1598187074

Book Description

From "Green Tea":

"The evil spirits associated with man are, indeed from the hells, but when with man they are not then in hell, but are taken out thence. The place where they then are, is in the midst between heaven and hell, and is called the world of spirits -- when the evil spirits who are with man, are in that world, they are not in any infernal torment, but in every thought and affection of man, and so, in all that the man himself enjoys. But when they are remitted into their hell, they return to their former state. . . ."

"If evil spirits could perceive that they were associated with man, and yet that they were spirits separate from him, and if they could flow in into the things of his body, they would attempt by a thousand means to destroy him; for they hate man with a deadly hatred. . . ."

"Knowing, therefore, that I was a man in the body, they were continually striving to destroy me, not as to the body only, but especially as to the soul; for to destroy any man or spirit is the very delight of the life of all who are in hell; but I have been continually protected by the Lord. Hence it appears how dangerous it is for man to be in a living consort with spirits, unless he be in the good of faith. . . ."

"Nothing is more carefully guarded from the knowledge of associate spirits than their being thus conjoint with a man, for if they knew it they would speak to him, with the intention to destroy him. . . ."

Book Description

J. Sheridan LeFanu -- Irish author of such classics as the short vampire novel Carmella (reputed to be the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula) and A Chapter in the History of the Tyrone Family (said to be the tale that gave rise to Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights -- lived from 1814 until 1873. He wrote all sorts of tales, but he's best remembered as a writer of mysteries and horror.

Horrors like this one, The House by the Churchyard -- a thrilling, haunting tale that remains in the memory long after the lights go out. Set in Chapelizod in Dublin (where LeFanu lived for some time) it was an important source for James Joyce's Finnegans Wake.

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TERRIFIC STORIES

Bar none the best.....

Deceased judges, a vampire, & a nasty supernatural monkey

Not your standard ghostly fare

stories from "the builder"

Best ghost stories of J. S. LeFanu
Joseph Sheridan LeFanu
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: B0006BLXBS

Amazon.com

Le Fanu is a Victorian writer who, along with Edgar A. Poe before him, invented the unity of mood and economy of means that characterizes the modern horror short story. Jack Sullivan, in Horror Literature, maintains that "Le Fanu was more revolutionary than Poe, for he began the process of dismantling the Gothic props and placing the supernatural tale in everyday settings." These quietly elegant tales include a female vampire who predates Dracula, a vicar troubled by a spectral monkey, a cruel hanging judge who gets his due and many other fine portents and hauntings.

Book Description

Here are 16 classic ghost stories: "Carmilla," (perhaps the classic vampire thriller), "Green Tea," "The Familiar," "The Haunted Baronet," "Madam Crowl's Ghost," "The Dead Sexton," "An Authentic Narrative of a Haunted House," plus nine others. Half these stories never published before in U.S.

Customer Reviews:

TERRIFIC STORIES.......2006-08-19

These are great stories for bedtime reading. Compared to today's scary stories, these are elegant and inspired. If you have a taste for the fiction of bygone eras -- don't draw the line with today's best sellers -- you'll find a lot of magnificent writing. I'm still reading this book, and I plan to pass it around to all my pals. PBS and British Telly buffs will adore this book.

Bar none the best............2006-04-22

Le fanu is the BEST writer of supernatual fiction there is...no questions!

I am the biggest fan...I collect all his works...old and new when I can find them.

The stories collected here are some rare ones indeed. The Haunted Baronet (from the Golden Friars) is a stunning gem of a novellete. Included in this volume are some very hard to come by edtions. And they have been reprinted exactly from the periodicals they were originally in.

I am sure you will not be disappointed in this book....like me you will read it again and again. The evocative power of Le Fanu is unparalled.

Deceased judges, a vampire, & a nasty supernatural monkey.......2004-10-23

Until the Dover edition of Sheridan Le Fanu's stories appeared in 1964, this nineteenth-century Irish author's tales were almost impossible to find. This is a shame, since M.R. James considered Le Fanu the best of all ghost story writers (I would put M.R. James at the top of my list, and J. S. Le Fanu, second). According to Jack Sullivan in "Elegant Nightmares: The English Ghost Story from Le Fanu to Blackwood," "...Nearly all of the early twentieth-century writers in the [supernatural story] field paced and structured their narratives in the Le Fanu manner."

This edition has an introduction by E.F. Bleiler who limns a brief biography of the author, and his influence on the ghost story writers who followed him. The sixteen stories in this collection range from 1837 to 1871. One is an essay presented as non-fiction, i.e. "An Authentic Narrative of a Haunted House." Concerning this essay, Bleiler states, "Personally, I am inclined to accept Le Fanu's strong statement that he was not writing fiction in the guise of fact, and that he is simple reproducing what others had told him."

Some of the stories are obscured by dialect, e.g. "Madame Crowl's Ghost" and parts of "The Haunted Baronet." Lines like "...twad gar ye dodder to hear him" can usually be worked out in the context of the plot and Le Fanu's stories are worth the extra effort. Quoting Jack Sullivan again, "Le Fanu's tales suggest a world in which we are unbearably alone in situations of escalating awfulness." The little maid is sleeping alone in one of Madame Crowl's chambers when the old beldame's ghost appears, "her eyes as wide as saucers, and her face like the fiend himself." Rose in "Schalken the Painter" is deserted by her guardian and minister after she begs them not to leave her alone, and she is doomed. In one of my favorite stories, "An Account of some Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street," two medical students move into a house once owned by an infamous, hanging judge. They are afraid to tell each other about their supernatural encounters for fear of being mocked--at least until one of them almost dies.

This book is the finest collection of Le Fanu stories ever compiled, and all ghost story connoisseurs should hasten to read it.

Not your standard ghostly fare.......2003-09-14

Probably the most distinguishing characteristic of LeFanu's writing to me is that he doesn't explain why something is happening in his stories. Ghosts search through drawers, skeletons are dug up, heroes disappear, and barons die of unseen causes, and we are never told what happened. LeFanu doesn't necessarily explain the motives and occurrences of his stories and loose ends are not all tied up. At first, I was unsure about what to think; what kind of ghost story doesn't explain all the events at the end? How am I supposed to be terrified if I don't know the ultimate cause of Baron X's demise? The method of storytelling began to grow on me, though, and I now feel that a lack of resolution on every issue creates a better story. Why should the supernatural be fully explained in 20 pages? When the reader is demoted from an omniscient viewpoint to that of only an eyewitness, the tale is more compelling.

My favorite stories are probably "Sir Dominick's Bargain" and "An Authentic Narrative of a Haunted House," the former for its mood and atmosphere, and the latter for its minimalist telling. "The Haunted Baronet" is another excellent story, with strong attention to detail and background that help in the story-telling; it was a very satisfactory read. "The Fortunes of Sir Robert Ardagh" is the same story told sans background and detail, and is clearly inferior. The other stories I enjoyed based on the setting, which is 19th century Ireland, which evokes a mood much like James'. Overall, it is the sort of book that makes you wish for a warm fireplace and a stormy night.

Enjoy!

stories from "the builder".......2003-03-17

when it came to building a ghost story, through dialogues and occurences, noone matches Lefanu. At this, he is a master. he describes the situation before THE happening magnificently. however, when it does happen, the story is over. the horror itself seem to escape Lefanus writing style. his ghost stories are mostly not catching to a modern(living)reader. only 2 of his ghost stories are worth reading. I still recommend this book. the reason are the two stories who are not ghost stories. Carmilla, one of the very best vampire stories, built beautifully through subtle hints, psychology, and descriptions. my favourite gothic story. then it's Lefanu's masterpiece: green tea. in fact, one of the best horror stories ever written! too bad Lefanu insisted on writing so many ghost stories, instead of common horror, otherwise he might be a real master in the genre, as Carmilla and Green Tea proves

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Best ghost stories of J.S. LeFanu
Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B0007DQRA2

A Chapter in the History of a Tyrone Family and The Murdered Cousin

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A Chapter in the History of a Tyrone Family and The Murdered Cousin
Sheridan Joseph LeFanu
Manufacturer: IndyPublish
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Look Inside Horror Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 1435335236

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CLASSIC HORROR WRITERS.
Harold, editor; Ambrose Bierce, Charles Brockden Brown, Henry James, Joseph Sheridan LeFanu, Matthew Gregory Lewis, Charles Robert Maturin, Edgar Allan Poe, Ann Radcliffe, Mary Shelley, Robert Louis Stevenson, Bram Stoker, Horace Walpole. Bloom
Manufacturer: Chelsea House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Green Tea; Mr. Justice Harbottle
Sheridan Joseph LeFanu
Manufacturer: IndyPublish
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1428063102

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