This extraordinary compilation of photos, maps, and explanatory text is one of the most unique and informative reference works on the Holocaust. The rare photographs - some never released before - and concise history combine to be the most effective and disturbing account of this period in print today. After outlining the antisemitic and racist sentiment present in Eastern Europe since the Middle Ages, Dr. Yitzhak Arad discusses the foundations for Hitler's twisted beliefs. Then, Arad clearly recounts the escalation of Hitler's ideas. Many of the book's more than four hundred photographs were taken at a time when such photography was against the law in Germany and its occupied lands. Collected from Yad Vashem Archives and from private collections, the photographs provide haunting proof of the systematic murder of six million Jews by the Nazis as well as bringing to life the brave resistance efforts and the hopes for a new life.