History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier (P.S.) - Softcover

Lipstadt, Deborah E.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060593776 ISBN 13: 9780060593773

Publisher: Ecco, 2006

Synopsis

In her acclaimed 1993 book Denying the Holocaust, Deborah Lipstadt called putative WWII historian David Irving "one of the most dangerous spokespersons for Holocaust denial." A prolific author of books on Nazi Germany who has claimed that more people died in Ted Kennedy's car at Chappaquiddick than in the gas chambers at Auschwitz, Irving responded by filing a libel lawsuit in the United Kingdom -- where the burden of proof lies on the defendant, not on the plaintiff. At stake were not only the reputations of two historians but the record of history itself.

About this title

Review:

“A fascinating and meritorious work of legal―and moral―history.” (Kirkus Reviews (Starred))

“Powerful.... No one who cares about historical truth, freedom of speech or the Holocaust will avoid a sense of triumph.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review))

“Lipstadt gives a detailed account of the trial that never loses its suspense, readability or momentum. Or humor.” (Salon.com)

“Fascinating.... [Lipstadt] takes us into the moment and produces a courtroom drama as enthralling as any fictional one.” (San Jose Mercury News)

“Deborah Lipstadt is writing for us. And for the ages.” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

“History on Trial is not the first book about the case....But Lipstadt’s story is more personal, compelling and intriguing.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

“A well-paced, expertly detailed and fascinating account of the trial process.” (Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, Washington Post Book World)

“Immensely readable.... History on Trial restores one’s faith in the power of good scholarship.” (Washington Times)

“A compelling book, History on Trial is memoir and courtroom drama, a work of historical and legal import. ” (Jewish Week)

“Resonant.” (Baltimore Sun)

Synopsis:

This is the only book from the perspective of the defendant who emerged victorious. It features reviews on book pages of national newspapers, and in history magazines. Deborah Lipstadt chronicles her five-year legal battle with David Irving that culminated in a sensational trial in 2000. In her acclaimed 1993 book "Denying the Holocaust", Deborah Lipstadt called David Irving, a prolific writer of books on World War II, "one of the most dangerous spokespersons for Holocaust denial", a conclusion she reached after closely examining his books, speeches, interviews, and other copious records. The following year, after Lipstadt's book was published in the UK, Irving filed a libel suit against Lipstadt and her UK publisher, Penguin. Lipstadt prepared her defence with the help of first-rate team of solicitors, historians, and experts. The dramatic trial, which unfolded over the course of 10 weeks, ultimately exposed the prejudice, extremism, and distortion of history that defined Irving's work.

Lipstadt's victory was proclaimed on the front page of major newspapers around the world, with the "Daily Telegraph" proclaiming that the trial did "for the new century what the Nuremberg tribunals or the Eichmann trial did for earlier generations." Part history, part real life courtroom drama, "History On Trial" is Lipstadt's riveting, blow-by-blow account of the trial that tested the standards of historical and judicial truths and resulted in a formal denunciation of a Holocaust denier, crippling the movement for years to come.

About this edition

• Publisher: Ecco
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0060593776
• ISBN 13: 9780060593773
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400