Here are eight of my favourite books in English on the history of Germany, for readers who love history but aren’t historians. Click on the title to find the Amazon link and choose your favourite format. Peter Dixon
Nein, by Paddy Ashdown
The stories of the German men and women who were committed to frustrating Adolf Hitler’s policies and bringing down the Nazi regime.
The Coming of the Third Reich, by Richard Evans
The story of how stable democracy was appropriated and undermined by the Nazis, with tragic results for Germany and the rest of the world.
The German War, by Nicholas Stargardt
An account of how ordinary German people experienced the Second World War.
The House by the Lake, by Thomas Harding
The moving story of a house near Berlin and the five families who lived there.
In the Garden of Beasts, by Erik Larson
A novel-like view of the first two years of the Nazi era in Germany, 1933-1934, through the eyes of the US ambassador and his family.
Germania, by Simon Winder
A humorous ‘personal history’ of German culture and literature
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, by William Shirer
The classic account of the Nazi regime, from its rise to power in 1933 to its destruction in 1945.
Germany: Memories of a Nation, by Neil MacGregor
Object-based account of the complex history, culture and identity of Germany, starting with the 15th-century Gutenberg printing press.
Or you might want to check out Ingrid Dixon’s book, which explores her Anglo-German heritage and spans the rise of the Nazis and the Second World War. More details here.
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