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***SPOILER THREAD**
Group Members of the History Book Club,

One of our relationships with Simon and Schuster has allowed us to offer our group members who reside in the United States 50 free copies of the following book:

And now for our UK members - we have an ongoing offer for them too - of the same book - UK members sign up now

Hanns and Rudolf: The True Story of the German Jew Who Tracked Down and Caught the Kommandant of Auschwitz by Thomas Harding.


We will have a special spotlighted discussion of this book beginning May 12, 2014.

So for those of you who are interested in not only acquiring this book at no charge along with free shipping paid for by Simon and Schuster, please post here when I open this thread and let me know of your interest. Also, send me via PM your name and mailing address so that I can place you on the list so that you can get your advance copy. I will release the list of the lucky recipients who are committed to reading and discussing this fine book with us and doing a review of the book itself.

We are only being allowed 50 copies and they are only going to be available to History Book Club members from the United States who will also commit to reading the book, discussing it with us. as well as writing a review. If you do not plan on doing the above, let somebody else get a chance of a free copy of this great book. Also if you have not even introduced yourself to the group - I must say that that is the very first step in the process - here is the url for that:

/topic/show/...

This is a great opportunity provided through the wonderful generosity of Simon and Schuster so we hope you take advantage of this and let me know of your interest.

Also send me a PM or post here if you are unable to reach me for any reason and I will contact you and tell you my History Book Club email address.

All Best,

Bentley

Thomas Harding



About the Author:

Thomas Harding

Thomas Harding is an author and journalist who has written for the Financial Times, Sunday Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, among other publications. He co-founded a television station in Oxford, England, and for many years was an award-winning publisher of a newspaper in West Virginia. He lives in Hampshire, England.

His book, HANNS AND RUDOLF was published in the UK, USA and Canada in September 2013, and is being translated into ten other languages. It was shortlisted for the Costa Book Award Biography prize in 2013 and is a bestseller in the UK, Israel and Italy.

His book, KADIAN JOURNAL, will be published in July 2014 by William Heinemann (Random House UK).

His book, THE HOUSE BY THE LAKE, will be published in 2016 by William Heinemann (Random House UK).

by Thomas Harding

Simon and Schuster's Synopsis of the Book:

Hanns and Rudolf: The True Story of the German Jew Who Tracked Down and Caught the Kommandant of Auschwitz by Thomas Harding.

The extraordinary true story of the German Jew who tracked down and caught the Kommandant of Auschwitz

Hanns Alexander was the son of a prosperous German family who fled Berlin for London in the 1930s.

Rudolf Höss was a farmer and soldier who became the Kommandant of Auschwitz Concentration Camp and oversaw the deaths of over a million men, women and children.

In the aftermath of the Second World War, the first British War Crimes Investigation Team is assembled to hunt down the senior Nazi officials responsible for some of the greatest atrocities the world has ever seen. Lieutenant Hanns Alexander is one of the lead investigators; Rudolf Höss his most elusive target.

Moving from the Middle-Eastern campaigns of the First World War to bohemian Berlin in the 1920s; from the horror of the concentration camps to the trials of Belsen and Nuremberg, it is both a gripping, moving and deeply felt work of history, and the story of a remarkable quest for justice.

In Hanns and Rudolf Thomas Harding reveals for the very first time the full, exhilarating account of Höss� capture, and of two lives that diverged, and intersected, in an astonishing way.

by Thomas Harding

Awards:

* Short listed for Costa Book Award 2013

* Chosen as the Book of the Year by The Sunday Times, Times, Telegraph, News Statesman, Observer and Guardian

* Translated into ten languages

* #5 Sunday Times Bestseller (UK)

* #3 Bestseller in Israel

* #1 Bestseller in Italy

Reviews: Hanns and Rudolf

'A gripping thriller, an unspeakable crime, an essential history, a scrupulously dispassionate narrator.' - - John Le Carré

'An extraordinary tale deriving from meticulous research � the story of how a Jew after 1945 almost single-handed hunted down the Kommandant of Auschwitz. - - Frederick Forsyth

‘No-one who starts reading it can fail to go on to the end.� - - David Lodge, author of Changing Places and literary critic

'An enthralling, thoughtful book—part history, part biography, part thriller.' - - Ian Brunskill, Wall Street Journal

'Meticulously researched and deeply felt, Hanns and Rudolf is written with a suppressed fury at the vicious moral emptiness of men like Höss, who were only following order.' - - Ben Macintyre, The Times, and author of Agent Zigzag

'Fascinating and moving... This is a remarkable book, which deserves a wide readership..' - - Max Hastings, Sunday Times, author of All Hell Let Loose: The World at War 1939-1945

'A gripping new book.' - - The Economist

‘Remarkable � A beautifully balanced double biography, admirably measured but also gripping, which offers a fresh perspective on a much-examined subject� - - The Good Book Guide

‘A highly readable detective story . This is really a book about the world of Hanns Alexander.[and it is] well worth reading ... Harding has researched it thoroughly.' - - Richard Overy, Sunday Telegraph, author of Why the Allies Won, The Air War: 1939-1945

'Compelling... Fascinates and shocks.' - - Evan Thomas, Washington Post, author of Ike’s Bluff

'Harding, a British journalist who is related to Alexander on his mother’s side, tells the story with great verve.' - - Ian Thomson, Financial Times, author of the Biography of Primo Levi

'Absorbing ... Thomas Harding narrates, in careful, understated prose, the story of how his great uncle Hanns Alexander hunted down the man who vaingloriously identified himself as 'the world's greatest destroyer': Rudolf Höss, the Bavarian-born Kommandant of Auschwitz. Harding balances with scrupulous care the stories of the pursuer and the pursued. Le Carré is quite correct. The last section of Harding's book does indeed read like a gripping thriller.' - -Miranda Seymour, Spectator

‘In this electrifying account, Harding commemorates (and, for the tired, revivifies) a ringing Biblical injunction: Justice, justice, shalt thou pursue.� - - Cynthia Ozick , Short story writer, novelist, and essayist

'This will be one ofthose books that is mentioned everywhere in the end of year round-ups - and with good reason. This superlative look at two men - one, Rudolf Höss, the Kommandant of Auschwitz; the other, Hanns Alexander, the man who arrested him after the war - and their actions makes for uncomfortable, but essential reading.' - - Stuart Evers, Netgalley

'This is a stunning book. Rudolf Höss' descent into the horror of mass murder is both chilling and deeply disturbing. It is also an utterly compelling and exhilarating account of one man's extraordinary hunt for the commandant of the most notorious death camp of all, Auschwitz-Birkenau.' - - James Holland, author of Dam Busters: The Race to Smash the Dams

'Written with the verve of a writer and the sure touch of an historian, Thomas Harding's Hanns and Rudolf is a fascinating, fresh, and compelling work of history.' - - Jay Winik, author of April 1865 and The Great Upheaval

‘Its climax as thrilling as any wartime adventure story, Hanns and Rudolf is also a moral inquiry into an eternal question: what makes a man turn to evil? Closely researched and tautly written, this book sheds light on a remarkable and previously unknown aspect of the Holocaust - the moment when a Jew and one of the highest-ranking Nazis came face to face and history held its breath.� - - Jonathan Freedland, Guardian columnist, contributor to the New York Times and the New York Review of Books, and BBC presenter.

‘A fascinating, well-crafted book, entwining two biographies for an unusual and illuminating approach to the history of the Third Reich, its most heinous crime and its aftermath.� - - Roger Moorhouse, author of Killing Hitler and Berlin at War

'Hanns and Rudolf packs an extraordinary punch about the nature of evil, told in a cool, dispassionate voice. As these two lives wrap around each other, the quality of evil becomes ever clearer, and more shocking.' - - Rabbi Julia Neuberger, Baroness Neuberger, West London Synagogue of British Jews

'Absorbing.' - - Winnipeg Free Press

'I was moved, chilled by the horror and riveted by the chase. This has all the ingredients of an Indy bestseller - looks set to be this year's Hare with the Amber Eyes.' - - Tim O'Kelly, owner One Tree Books, Petersfield.

'This fascinating book, based on the gripping story of one man’s unrelenting pursuit of Rudolf Höss in his search for justice, this book fills a unique and vital role.' - - Lyn Smith, author of Forgotten Voices and lecturer in International Politics at the Open University.

‘A remarkable book: thoughtful, compelling and quite devastating in its humanity. Thomas Harding’s account of these two extraordinary men goes straight to the dark heart of Nazi Germany.� - - Keith Lowe, author of Savage Continent: Europe in the Aftermath of World War II

'This important and moving book... Well-researched and grippingly written it provides a unique insight into the fate of Germany under National Socialism.' - - Antony Polonsky, Albert Abramson Professor of Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Brandeis University

' A fascinating account, with chunks of new information, about one of history's darkest chapters.' - - Richard Breitman, Author of The Architect of Genocide: Himmler and The Final Solution and Editor-in-chief of the U.S. Holocaust Museum's Holocaust and Genocide Studies

'Outstanding, outstanding, outstanding! I was riveted to the text. Thomas Harding writes superbly, the storyline is better than any contrived mystery, and a compelling part of history.' - - Rabbi Dr. Stuart Altshuler, Belsize Square Synagogue, London

'A gripping, moving read, written with masterful research and endless compassion.� - - Bookseller Magazine

'In this gripping biography-based history, Harding, a former documentary filmmaker and journalist, profiles both men in chronological alternating chapters.' - - Publishers Weekly

'Reading anything Holocaust-related is emotionally difficult. Reading the riveting, recently published Hanns and Rudolf by Thomas Harding, is no different. Yet, something sets this book apart. I read it in one sitting this past Sunday ... As soon as I completed the book, I thought to myself: This might just be another “Schindler’s List� in the making. ' - - Tehilla Goldberg, Intermountain Jewish News

'The protagonists' individual choices and family backgrounds give this biographical history a unique, intimate quality.' - - Kirkus Review

'A brilliantly written and well-researched book.' - - Lorri M Writings, book blogger

Source: Copyright Thomas Harding 2013

More Reviews:

Shortlisted for the Costa Book Award for Biography

'A chilling portrait of the banality of evil'. - Ben Macintyre, The Times Books of the Year

‘[an] extraordinary story…The tale of how he then doggedly tracked down Rudolf Hőss, the merciless commandant of Auschwitz is stunning � not just because it is so gripping, but because Harding interweaves Hann’s life story fascinatingly with Hőss’s…A compelling, remarkable picture of war and its aftermath.� - The Sunday Times Books of the Year

‘Harding sketches the parallel lives of the SS officer with notable skill. The book is a moving reminder of what an extraordinary amount Britain gained by the Jewish flight from Europe in the 1930s.� - Max Hastings, Guardian Books of the Year

‘Hanns and Rudolf tells the mesmeric tale of his uncle’s hunt for an arch perpetrator of the Jewish Holocaust.� - John le Carré, The Telegraph Books of the Year

'This superlative look at two men - one, Rudolf Höss, the Kommandant of Auschwitz; the other, Hanns Alexander, the man who arrested him - makes for uncomfortable, but essential reading.' - Stuart Evers, Netgalley Books of the Year

'The detective story approach worked well in Thomas Harding's Hanns and Rudolf'. - Ben Shephard, Observer History Books of the Year

'An unexpected delight � It is amazingly well researched, resists judgement, and above all is an utterly compelling read.'  - David Shrigley, New Statesman books of the year

'As gripping as a Le Carré thriller, this is the remarkable story of two Germans who took radically different paths in life that converged when one tracked the other down as part of the British War Crimes Investigation Team.' - Metro Newspaper,

“Hanns and Rudolf� by Thomas Harding (Simon & Schuster, $26) was the standout book of the year for its ability to wring a series of emotions from the reader: shock, disgust, despair, excitement and relief. The true story of how a British Jewish soldier tracked down and caught the Kommandant of Auschwitz is at one point a sobering account of the darkest chapter of the 20th century and then, once the chase is on, an electrifying thriller that has us cheering for the hero. Victim becomes victor in a book with an ending that offers the ultimate in cathartic release.' - Malcolm Forbes, Minneapolis Star Tribune, books of the year

Hans and Rudolph' v 'Hanns and Rudolf'

What's in a name.... You might have thought it easy to spell someone's name. Not so for Hanns and Rudolf. Or is it Hans and Rudolph?

When I was researching my book, Hanns and Rudolf: The German Jew and the Hunt for the Kommandant of Auschwitz, I discovered that such things were not always so simple.

The Kommandant of Auschwitz’s name can be spelled in different ways. Perhaps the most authentic is ‘Rudolf Höß�, which is how the Kommandant himself wrote it. This uses the letter ß, affirming the Kommandant’s conservative Swabian heritage.

The more common English spelling is ‘Rudolf Hoess�. However, the Kommandant never spelled his name this way, and it also has the danger of being confused with Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s secretary.

An alternative is to use the contemporary German spelling, ‘Rudolf Höss�, which was not only the way that the SS typed his name, but also the way it was written by Hanns Alexander.

The Kommandant never spelled his first name 'Rudolph', though that does sometimes appear in internet searches.

There are similar confusions around Hanns' name.

His German passport has it as 'Hans', and when I first started my research I was told by some of my family members that this was the correct way of spelling his name.

But looking a little deeper, I confirmed the correct spelling is 'Hanns', as reflected in his Alien identity booklet and death certificate. This was also how he spelled his name, in letters and when labelling books.

When fighting in the British Army, Hanns officially changed his name, to Howard Hervey, not Howard Harvey, but that's another story.

There is some confusion about how to say Hanns' name, does it rhyme with 'pans' or 'once'. Click on the link below to see how his daughter, Annette, says it should be pronounced.

Source of the above: Thomas Harding Web site

Zola Book Interview:



When Thomas Harding set out to chronicle the arrest of Auschwitz Kommandant Rudolf Höss, he was expecting to discover a monster. By the end of Hanns and Rudolf, he’d discovered a man.

Hanns Alexander, the German Jew who tracked down and caught the Kommandant of Auschwitz, seen in 1945. (Courtesy of Alexander Family)

Hiding in N. Virginia, a daughter of Auschwitz

Source: The Washington Post



Rudolf Höss, Kommandant of Auschwitz.
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy Auschwitz -Birkenau Museum

Heaven in Auschwitz: Living as a killer’s daughter



Source: The Independent

Note: The site is asking for a subscription

Secret life of the Auschwitz commandant's daughter
Date:September 11, 2013

by Thomas Harding

Read more:

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

Other Sources on Thomas Harding site:

Video:

Some excellent videos and interviews here.

Source: Thomas Harding Site

Audio:

RadioTimes: (Excellent)


GUEST: THOMAS HARDING

British journalist THOMAS HARDING tells the story of his great-uncle, a German-born, Jewish soldier for the British army, who captured an Auschwitz commandant, in his new book, “Hanns and Rudolf: The True Story of the German Jew Who Tracked Down and Caught the Kommandant of Auschwitz.�

- See more at:

Audio:

Thomas Harding - ‘Hanns and Rudolf: The True Story of a German Jew Who Tracked Down and Caught The Kommandant of Auschwitz�

Posted by AM950productionasst on September 30, 2013

This hour, Jack welcomes Thomas Harding, author and great nephew of Hanns Alexander, the son of a prosperous German family who fled Berlin for London in the 1930s and later became the man who eventually captured Rudolf Hoss, the infamous Kommandant of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Hoss oversaw the deaths of over a million men, women and children and eventually stood trial in Nuremburg. In his new book 'Hanns and Rudolf: The True Story of a German Jew Who Tracked Down and Caught The Kommandant of Auschwitz' Harding describes what it was like to discover the integral role his great uncle played in the investigation and how his views on Hoss shifted after meeting his family.



Source: Thomas Harding website

Other Thomas Harding magazine articles:

Folks, we are opening up the requests for the advanced copies that we will be receiving for the full discussion of the book Hanns and Rudolf: The True Story of the German Jew Who Tracked Down and Caught the Kommandant of Auschwitz by Thomas Harding.

We will begin the discussion on or around May 12, 2014.

If you do not get a free copy; you will be able to purchase your copy at your local book store, or any of the on line book sellers like Amazon. or Barnes and Noble. There is also a Kindle edition which will most likely be available if you want to acquire the book as a download.

This book discussion will be led by Bentley with backups - Assisting Moderators Kathy Harris, Jerome Otte with admin Libby.

There will be 50 copies available for our group and for our moderators.

These are the requirements to be considered to receive this FREE book.

a) You must have a US address - Simon and Schuster will send the book free to US addresses only and only to the recipients selected.

b) You must indicate to Bentley that you will read the book, discuss the book actively in each of the weekly threads and post your comments weekly, that you will write a review of the book and post it here on the Final Comments thread or HBC, and also participate and post a question or two for the author if the author will be joining us. For this book, we may not have an author component like the other free book offers.

c) If you received a previous book from us; we will review your standing on that book and see if you participated as agreed. We want to give everyone a chance and there are a limited number of books so we really want active participation from folks we give the books to.

d) Also, make sure to respond "yes" to the event notification sent out on the book.

Procedures:

a) Post your interest here on this thread FIRST and indicate ON THIS THREAD that you agree to the T&C's which are quite basic and the same as we had for all previous books.

b) Send Bentley VIA PM a copy of your full name and address with zip code indicating where you would like the book to be sent. We do not retain addresses from previous offers.

c) If you post that you are interested here on this thread in getting a copy of the book, Bentley will make sure to reach out to you and send you a PM so that you can reply to him with the information. If you are not a friend of Bentley's - he will send you an invite, accept the invite and then you will be able to PM Bentley right away. But remember the first step is to express your interest here on this thread. We reserve the right to make the final decision on the recipients of these books; we want to be absolutely fair but we want to have an active discussion.

SO REMEMBER THE FIRST STEP IS TO POST HERE FIRST AND EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST AND THAT YOU AGREE TO THE T'S AND C'S ABOVE - POSTING ON THIS THREAD IS THE VERY FIRST STEP, SENDING ME THE PM WITH YOUR FULL NAME AND COMPLETE ADDRESS IS THE SECOND STEP.

THE OFFER IS NOW OPEN. FIRST STEP - POST YOUR AGREEMENT TO THE T'S AND C'S LETTING US KNOW OF YOUR INTEREST. THEN SEND ME YOUR FULL NAME AND FULL ADDRESS WITH ZIP CODE VIA PM.

Thank you. I am interested in receiving a copy of the book and will PM you with my address. I have read and agree to the T's and C's.

Donna, I have received your PM with your address and you have posted on this thread so your hat has been thrown into the ring (smile) - you are the first poster (smile).

I'm interested, will send you a PM

But first Zohar - indicate here like Donna did (message 18) that you have read and agree to the T's and C's - read and discuss book, do an independent review on the HBC, participate in the on line discussion of the book beginning May 12th. If you agree to the above - post that here - that is the first step and the second step is sending me your PM. Hope that helps.

Thanks, I am interested and agree to T's and C's. Ill be sending a request.

Ctgt - you have successfully completed step one - I sent you a friend acceptance - that means that you can send me your full details, first and last name and complete address. If you have any problem let me know - look in your friend mailbox or list and you should be fine.

Bentley I am interested and agree to the T's and C's. I will read the book, discuss the book actively in each of the weekly threads and post my comments weekly. I will write a review of the book and post it here on the Final Comments thread, and also participate and post a question or two for the author if the author will be joining us. Please send me a PM if you would like me to participate and I'll send the rest of my details. Thanks!

Greg - I have sent you a friend request and have sent you a PM that you can reply to. Send me your details and I will throw your name into the hat. Have not received your full name and full address with zip code yet. You have completed step one in message 24 - all I need is step two - your details for mailing (via PM) - Let me know if you are having any issues with that.

Bentley. I would like to participate in this review. I agree to the t's and c's. Please send me a pm if you would like me to join. I'm excited!

Thank you Rebecca - you have completed step one, I have sent you a PM so you should be able to send me your details. If you have any issues, let me know.

Hi Bentley. I am interested in joining in the discussion and receiving the free book. I have read and will abide by the Ts and Cs. I will PM you my details directly.

Thanks, I am interested and agree to T's and C's. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review the book. Please send me a PM if that's OK.

I would love to participate in this discussion and review the book, particularly since I am a legal scholar and author. I agree to the t's and c's and will send you a PM.

@Teri - I have your details - you have completed both steps.

This really does sound like a fascinating read, and I had a great experience with the last one I participated in where the author was part of the discussion- it was great! So I definitely am interested in participating and reviewing the book. I agree to the terms and conditions and will message you my address. Thanks for putting this together Bentley- looking forward to it.

Hi John,

sorry for the misunderstanding on my part. I agree to the t's and c's and have already sent a PM.

Richard wrote: "Thanks, I am interested and agree to T's and C's. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review the book. Please send me a PM if that's OK."

Richard you have completed step one successfully, I have sent you a PM that you should reply to with your first and last name and full address with zip code.

If you have any trouble with that - please let me know.

Hi Bentley, I would be interested in this book. I agree to all the terms and conditions of this. I will send a PM next with my details.

Liza wrote: "I would love to participate in this discussion and review the book, particularly since I am a legal scholar and author. I agree to the t's and c's and will send you a PM."

Thank you Liza for your interest - you have completed step one and now you need to send me your details so your name can be thown into the hat.

I have accepted your friendship request and sent you a PM which you can reply to.

If you have any problems - please let me know.

Regards,

Bentley

I am interested and agree to T's and C's. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review the book. Please send me a PM.

Yes, I agree to the terms and conditions. Thanks.
Lewis Codington

Hi Bentley,
I will abide by the t's and c's. I am looking forward to reading and discussing this book and will be sending you a PM shortly.

Hi Bentley. I agree to the T's and C's, and have sent a PM.

This book has been on my "to-read" list for awhile now. I would love a chance to join the discussion and I agree to the t's and c's.

John wrote: "This really does sound like a fascinating read, and I had a great experience with the last one I participated in where the author was part of the discussion- it was great! So I definitely am intere..."

John you may have been part of the Logan Beirne discussion where the author was present - that is always exciting. I am not sure that the author will be present for this one - he lives overseas but I have asked. The majority of the time - we do have author participation and I think that is terrific.

This book has received stellar reviews and many of them. I think this should be an interesting study of both men and their ultimate relationship with each other.

Please make sure to send me your personal details if you have not done so already. I do not keep those details from one offer to another.

Logan Beirne

Zohar - ManOfLaBook.com wrote: "Hi John,

sorry for the misunderstanding on my part. I agree to the t's and c's and have already sent a PM."

@ Zohar - you have completed both steps and your name is thrown into the hat.

Regards,

Bentley

I am interested and agree to all the terms and conditions. Thank you.

David wrote: "Hi Bentley, I would be interested in this book. I agree to all the terms and conditions of this. I will send a PM next with my details."

You have completed all steps and I have received your personal details so your name is thrown into the hat.

Good luck,

Bentley

Hi I would be interested in the free book. I agree to the terms and conditions. I will send pm you my information.

Linda Ulanski

Thanks Bentley- hopefully the author will drop in and visit us, either way this looks like a great book to discuss. I sent you my details- hope you received my message.

I agree with the term's and conditions.

Enjoyed last year's review of "Blood of Tyrants"

Helga wrote: "I am interested and agree to T's and C's. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review the book. Please send me a PM."

@Helga - I now have all of your information and you have completed both steps - so your name can be thrown into the hat. I did send you a PM response.

Regards,

Bentley

Sharise wrote: "Hi Bentley,
I will abide by the t's and c's. I am looking forward to reading and discussing this book and will be sending you a PM shortly."

@Sharise - you have everything in and I have responded to you.
Your name has been thrown into the hat. Good luck.