Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent, 1934-1941

William L. Shirer

Johns Hopkins University Press, Apr 17, 2002 - History - 648 pages

By the acclaimed journalist and bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, this day-by-day, eyewitness account of the momentous events leading up to World War II in Europe is now available in a new paperback edition.

CBS radio broadcaster William L. Shirer was virtually unknown in 1940 when he decided there might be a book in the diary he had kept in Europe during the 1930s—specifically those sections dealing with the collapse of the European democracies and the rise of Nazi Germany.

Berlin Diary first appeared in 1941, and the timing was perfect. The energy, the passion, the electricity in it were palpable. The book was an instant success, and it became the frame of reference against which thoughtful Americans judged the rush of events in Europe. It exactly matched journalist to event: the right reporter at the right place at the right time. It stood, and still stands, as so few books have ever done—a pure act of journalistic witness.

What people are saying

Review: Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent 1934-41

User Review  - Max - Goodreads

Read the first half of this on my trip to Berlin in February. I enjoyed it during the trip, but lost interest once I got back home. Interesting first person discussion of the outbreak of WWII told ...

Review: Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent 1934-41

User Review  - Jim Mather - Goodreads

An excellent 'insider' view of the steady walk into darkness of Germany under Hitler. William Shirer was a journalist (radio) working for CBS in Germany during Hitler's early days in power and through ...

About the author

William L. Shirer (1904-94) was a newspaper correspondent and radio journalist in the years before and during World War II. His many books include the critically acclaimed bestseller The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, This Is Berlin, and The Nightmare Years.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent, 1934-1941; A @Johns Hopkins paperback; Berlin Diary; Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent, 1934-1941, William Lawrence Shirer
• Author: William L. Shirer
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002
• ISBN: 0801870569, 9780801870569
• Length: 648 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Editors, Journalists, Publishers; History / Europe / General; History / Europe / Germany; History / Military / World War II; Language Arts & Disciplines / Journalism