From his earliest origins to the final days of the Second World War. Now this landmark historical work is available in one single, abridged edition, tracing the story of how a bitter, failed art student from an obscure corner of Austria rose to unparalleled power, destroying the lives of millions and bringing the world to the brink of Armageddon.

'Supersedes all previous accounts. It is the sort of masterly biography that only a first-rate historian can write'  David Cannadine, Observer

'The Hitler biography for the twenty-first century'  Richard Evans, Sunday Telegraph

'I cannot imagine a better biography of this great tyrant emerging for a long while'  Jeremy Paxman

'Magisterial ... anyone who wishes to understand the Third Reich must read Kershaw, for no one has done more to lay bare Hitler's morbid psyche'  Niall Ferguson, Sunday Telegraph

Ian Kershaw  was Professor of Modern History at the University of Sheffield from 1989-2008, and is one of the world's leading authorities on Hitler. His books include The 'Hitler Myth', his two volume biography Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris and Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis, and Fateful Choices: Ten Decisions that Changed the World, 1940-1941. He was knighted in 2002.