Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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The autobiography of Wilhelm Richard Wagner (1813-1883), the German composer, conductor, theatre director, and essayist, primarily known for his operas. Volume Two. ... Read more

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The autobiography of Wilhelm Richard Wagner (1813-1883), the German composer, conductor, theatre director, and essayist, primarily known for his operas. Volume One. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

i cant reed
THis book was very great. I red it but couldnt understand a ting. I highly recumend this book! ... Read more

Product Description

The work of Richard Wagner is a continuing source of artistic inspiration and ideological controversy in literature, philosophy, and music, as well as cinema. In Wagner and Cinema, a diverse group of established and emerging scholars examines Wagner's influence on cinema from the silent era to the present. The essays in this collection engage in a critical dialogue with existing studies -- extending and renovating current theories related to the topic -- and propose unexplored topics and new methodological perspectives. The contributors discuss films ranging from the 1913 biopic of Wagner to Ridley Scott's Gladiator, with essays on silent cinema, film scoring, Wagner in Hollywood, German cinema, and Wagner beyond the soundtrack.

Product Description
Many music lovers find Wagner's operas inexpressibly beautiful and richly satisfying, while others find them revolting, dangerous, self-indulgent, and immoral.The man who W.H. Auden once called "perhaps the greatest genius that ever lived" has inspired both greater adulation and greater loathing than any other composer.

Bryan Magee presents a penetrating analysis of Wagner's work, concentrating on how his sensational and deeply erotic music uniquely expresses the repressed and highly charged contents of the psyche.He examines not only Wagner's music and detailed stage directions but also the prose works in which he formulated his ideas, as well as shedding new light on his anti-semitism and the way in which the Nazis twisted his theories to suit their own purposes. Outlining the astonishing range and depth of Wagner's influence on our culture, Magee reveals how profoundly he continues to shock and inspire musicians, poets, novelists, painters, philosophers, and politicians today. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

A Classic
It's amazing how much information and insight Magee manages to pack into so short a book. Indeed, I would recommend reading this classic study of Wagner even if you're *not* interested in the composer, just because the prose is so exemplary in its lucid brevity. No time at all is wasted for the kind of platitudinous banter that usually fills the pages of academic writing. Magee always gets to the point right away. Consider the way he opens his first chapter, dealing with "Wagner's Theory of Opera" (you can read the first pages with Amazon's preview system): first a few essential facts, then a brief but to-the-point reflection on what is remarkable about these facts (namely that Wagner should have taken a six-year break from composing in order to instead theorize about composing). Just in two concise paragraphs Magee has you hooked. Seldom have I encountered prose that is so effective.

The reason Magee writes so well is of course that he is in the possession of a first-rate mind. This is equally obvious in his highly original treatment of the six different "aspects of Wagner" he covers in this volume. His essay on "Jews--Not Least in Music," for instance, is brilliantly unconventional, displaying a courageous independence of thought, a quality that's only too rare in scholarship on Wagner. I'm not sure he's always correct in his analysis of this matter, but he is definitely worth reading (and if you complement it with Magee's discussion of Wagner's anti-Semitism in The Tristan Chord, you know almost all you need to know on the topic). His two essays on "Wagnerolatry" and "The Influence of Wagner" are gems as well, and particularly the second one has been amply utilized in subsequent scholarship on Wagner.

In short, this work is a classic, surely among the ten or so best books on Wagner ever written.

Short and to-the-point
I find it a bit ironic that some of the reviews here seem to be longer than the book itself!It's short, pithy and covers the topics most often raised by Wagner-haters.I agree with the customer who mentioned keeping spare copies to give to people - it covers so much, so well, in such a short space, I think it's a brilliant introduction to Wagner and will encourage further reading by those who might otherwise be inclined to dismiss him as unforgivable in spite of the power of his music and thought.

4 and 1/2 for Being TOO SHORT!
Magee ended up outdoing himself in his later work "The Tristan Chord". And this is worth overall 4.5 stars for the same reasons: balanced, eminently insightful writing and just enough quirkiness to keep the interest at a high level throughout.

I guess it says alot for this book that I knocked off a half star entirely for its brevity. You end up wanting MORE at the end. Maybe I should have just relented and given this one 5 huh?

Think outside the opera box
Even though this book is years old, the ideas remain fresh and challenging. Questions of pacing in performance (maybe the dreaded longueurs are not necessary), and origins of Wagner's antiSemitism (an interesting twist on the privilege of the cultural outsider).
An easy read, something to discuss at intermission.

Brilliantly
This may seem odd, but to those of you interested enough to read reviews of this short book of essays on Wagner written nearly 40 years ago, my first advice is to read (no, run!) to Byran McGee's "Tristan Chord," published only a couple years ago, which in my humble opinion is one of the two greatest analytical works of Wagner's operas published in the last century.(The other is Deryck Cooke's "I Saw the World End"--an analysis of the "Ring" first published in 1979.)

McGee in that longer book and in this shorter collection of brief essays exemplifies the finest qualities of the English in his Wagner criticism:common sense, plain language, brilliant argumentation.He is such a relief from scholars (sorry, particularly German scholars) who think that opaque or convoluted rhetoric suggests depth.That's a [...].Mr. McGee by comparison is fresh air...and his brilliance is self-evident.

This is a short book, six essays, each well defined on various aspects of Wagner.Two are clearly the most interesting:first, McGee's analysis of why Wagner's music excites such passion (pro or con)--i.e., what makes that music so affecting, so transcendant, so "dangerous" to many of us.He explores our guilty pleasure in Wagner better than any author has ever done.And second, his book offers a very interesting essay on the reasons for the flowering of Jewish intellectuals who so dominated and contributed to late 19th and early 20th century culture after over a thousand years of Jewish irrelevance to wider Western culture.

Those two essays make the book definitely worth acquiring and reading.The other essays are fine, if less sparkling.But I cannot emphasize enough:if you have any interest in Wagner, you must acquire Mr. McGee's "Tristan Chord."It is the best overall key to understanding Wagner's operas in print today. ... Read more

Product Description
Richard Wagner and the Centrality of Love is a bold book which argues that Wagner's music dramas cannot be understood if treated separately from his essays, his life, the intellectual and artistic climate of his day, and the broader history of Germany. Wagner attempts a range of reconciliations that are radical in content and form and appear to succeed partly because he is in well-nigh complete command of the aesthetic product; not only text and music, but also production practice. Nonetheless, all the reconciliations ultimately break down, but in a manner that is illuminating. This is not a celebration of the seamless work of art, but a radical unpicking of the seemingly seamless. 'Love' is the central organising concept of the whole Wagnerian project. Love - sexual and spiritual, egotistical and charitable, love of the individual and of the race - is the key Wagnerian driving force. And therefore so is hate. Of course Wagner cannot employ love without its opposite, and it is critically significant that his anti-semitism is based upon his view that the Jews are 'loveless'. The book handles Wagner's anti-semitism (and the ongoing row about it) in a unique way, in that it is shown to be aesthetically and intellectually productive (for him!). This leads to a radical reinterpretation of Wagner's music dramas. ... Read more

Product Description
All modern artists have had to market themselves in some way. Richard Wagner may just have done it better than anyone else. In a self-promotional effort that began around 1840 in Paris, and lasted for the remainder of his career, Wagner claimed convincingly that he was the most German composer ever and the true successor of Beethoven. More significantly, he was an opera composer who declared that he was not composing operas. Instead, during the 1850s, he mapped out a new direction, conceiving of works that would break with tradition and be literally 'brand new'. This is the first study to examine the innovative ways in which Wagner made himself a celebrity, promoting himself using every means available: autobiography, journal articles, short stories, newspaper announcements, letters, even his operas themselves. Vazsonyi reveals how Wagner created a niche for his works in the crowded opera market that continues to be unique. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A UNIQUE AND ENJOYABLE TAKE ON WAGNER'S CAREER
Not only is Vazsonyi's book an enjoyable read, as he describes Wagner's behind-the-scenes machinations on behalf of his music career, but you can learn a lot about how hype works.

Vazsonyi backs his book with solid scholarly research while writing in a style that is a pleasure to read. Though the book's apparent intended readership is music scholars and Wagner aficionados, a wider audience will find it accessible and could learn a lot from this fascinating case study.

Along with this, Vazsonyi's study of Wagner provides a fun way to learn more about a dynamic period in European music and history.


--Bill Brent [7 October 2010]
... Read more

Product Description
Do you cringe when your opera-loving friends start raving about the latest production of Tristan? Do you feel faint just thinking about the six-hour performance of Parsifal you were given tickets to? Does your mate accuse you of having a Tannhäuser complex? If you're baffled by the behavior of Wagner worshipers, if you've longed to fathom the mysteries of Wagner's ever-increasing popularity, or if you just want to better understand and enjoy the performances you're attending, you'll find this delightful book indispensable.

William Berger is the most helpful guide one could hope to find for navigating the strange and beautiful world of the most controversial artist who ever lived. He tells you all you need to know to become a true Wagnerite--from story lines to historical background; from when to visit the rest room to how to sound smart during intermission; from the Jewish legend that possibly inspired Lohengrin to the tragic death of the first Tristan. Funny, informative, and always a pleasure to read, Wagner Without Fear proves that the art of Wagner can be accessible to everyone.

Includes:
- The strange life of Richard Wagner--German patriot (and exile), friend (and enemy) of Liszt and Nietzsche
- Essential opera lore and "lobby talk"
- A scene-by-scene analysis of each opera
- What to listen for to get the most from the music
- Recommended recordings, films, and sound tracks ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Getting to know Wagner
Have read this before and am now buying for friends as an introductory book to get to know Wagner and his Operas.

Excellent introduction to Wagner
Being a Mozart-Puccini-Lehar-... fan, but taking the plunge by buying tickets to Die Walküre this summer in Zürich, I looked for an introductory book on a "scary" subjet and decided on this one, despite a few cranky Amazon reviews.What a pleasure it was to read, and useful, too!It is a very complete book for the neophyte, has lots of material, not only good synopses with commentary, but a lot of context, describing Wagner's life and loves, his relations (often strange and strained) with father-in-law Liszt, other musicians, King Ludwig II of Bavaria, conductor von Bülow (whose wife he swiped) and others.One gets a good sense of the times in 19th century Germany and Europe in general.It's written in a pleasant, non-pedantic style, with just enough humorous comments without being off-putting.There is also a wealth of practical information - one might complain about his suggesting timing washroom breaks during performances, but it makes sense for a neophyte who doesn't realise that certain Wagnerian acts alone are longer than many Italian operas in their entirety!He warns about some acts that might appear longish in a first hearing, but says to read the libretto beforehand, hang in there, but if that still doesn't work, well, maybe Wagner isn't your cup of tea after all!There's a terrific description of Bayreuth, its history and its current festival atmosphere, lots of bibliographic sources for those who want to delve further into "understanding" Wagner's works, but emphasises that they were written mainly to be enjoyed by ordinary folks, and not particularly for the self-appointed "elite".There is a good chapter on various recordings and historic performances, a glossary, how to behave at intermissions (!) and at Bayreuth, discussions of logical inconsistencies which are legion in Wagner's work (as in most operas), a description of how the various characters are developed in the Ring cycle, etc.All in all, a terrific introductory book.

Once Afraid of Wagner
I have to admit that I was once afraid of Wagner. For years, I listened to Italian and French opera and loved much of it. However, I just stayed away from Wagner. Recently, I heard Mr. Berger being interviewed about Wagner on NPR. I was immediately taken by his humor, his vast knowledge of the composer's life and his work. So, based on that interview and the reviews on this website, I purchased this book. I can actually say that I no longer fear Wagner. I bought my very first Wagner operas - the entire Ring cycle - and I have enjoyed them more that I could ever imagined. And I can thank Mr. Berger for that. His book on Wagner is easy to read and makes listening to the operas an absolute pleasure. So, have no fear, get this book! Although I already love Verdi and Puccini, I have already ordered Mr. Berger's books on those two great Italian opera composers. Well done, Mr. Berger!

Great Overview
A very reader-friendly review of Wagner's life and then a serious concentration on all of his operas.

Excellent resource for all opera fans.
This is an excellent book for someone like me - a total novice to Wagner and his music.I have always enjoyed Wagner's music and was desperately looking for some introductory material to his works.What I wanted was something that was not too simplistic and not too academic.Well, this is it.

The book contains a brief section on biography followed by a great introduction to each of Wagner's operas. I read each of the opera introductions at least twice and then watch the opera on DVD (The Met's version by Levine).What a treat!

I do understand how some of the more scholarly amongst us find this work shallow and demeaning.But friends, for someone like myself, who does not read music; and has no formal training in music, books such as these are a good first start.And who knows - this book may introduce some yet unknown kid to the joys of opera.

Excellent work.Thank you. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

First rate summary of the Ring; a real workhorse of a book!
Clear concise overview of the Wagner Ring Cycle story and associated Leitmotives.Equally useful to the beginner as well as the more advanced student of music. The progressive changes of the motives over the duration of the cycle are well explained. I have read several books about the ring, but find myself returning to this book the most ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

First rate summary of the Ring; a real workhorse of a book!
Clear concise overview of the Wagner Ring Cycle story and associated Leitmotives.Equally useful to the beginner as well as the more advanced student of music. The progressive changes of the motives over the duration of the cycle are well explained. I have read several books about the ring, but find myself returning to this book the most ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Adequate; mediocre. Ernest Newman does same thing better.
Osborne gives some background on the writing of each of the mature Wagner operas. Then a quick plot summary, with some of the key musical themes.Since a synopsis comes with every complete opera recording, I'm not surehow useful these synopses are. We get too much explanation of plot and notenough critical commentary, by my standards. And little in the commentaryis new; Ernest Newman's book "Wagner Nights", though 50 or soyears older, is still a better introduction, making the same points asOsborne, and more.

Not all the commentary is reliable; the chapter on"Parsifal" buys into some of the nonsense first talked by RobertGutman about this opera (the Grail knights as homosexual SS order, and soon), which has been comprehensively and devastatingly demolished by LucyBecket in her book "Parsifal".

I find Osborne's"even-handedness" a little irritating at times. "Tristan undIsolde", he says, is a masterpiece, though it's too long, of course.That reminds me of Mozart's reply to the Emperor who thought his "IlSeraglio" score had "too many notes": "Which notes doyou think I should take out?" (I'm quoting the "Amadeus"movie there, and from memory, so that's not quite what was really said, butclose enough.) Like Mozart, I find that a dumb comment, unless Osbornecares to tell us which parts of "Tristan" etc we should do awaywith to make it shorter. And I think the job of someone writing anintroduction to any composer is to be critical, certainly, but also tocommunicate enthusiasm, not weariness.

So for new insights, Tanner,Magee, Millington are better, and for "sources, plot plot summary plusmusical commentary" Newman is better. It's not actually bad, justmediocre. Also, unlike Newman Osborne covers the first three Wagner operas,"Die Feen", "Das Liebesverbot" and "Reinzi",so that's quite useful.

Laon ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Out of print masterpiece
It is unfortunate that this magisterial biography of Richard Wagner is out of print.Without question, in breadth, depth, and literary style this is the best biography of Der Meister ever written.Like Wagner's music, its effect is hypnotic; once started you have to finish it--all 2,000 plus pages of it.I read it during one summer back in 1983.Foolishly, I sold my 4-volume set long ago and only repurchased it on this web site a few days ago.I was lucky to get a great price.If you like Wagner you MUST read this.If you can't afford one, skip a mortgage payment--it'll be worth it--artistically speaking.A perfect companion to this is Solti's studio recording of Der Ring from 1959-1965--another hundred or so.Everything for Art! ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
Did Richard Wagner incite Adolf Hitler to commit the Holocaust? The music of composer Richard Wagner is banned in Israel, as he is regarded as a precur-sor of the Nazi ideology. In Richard and Adolf, Nicholson explores the anti-Semitic elements of Wagner s polemical works and his music, and the immense influence this had on the man who was to become Germany s Fuhrer. Reference is also made to the texts of the major operas, reckoned by many to be the greatest works of art of all time. Biographers have often avoided delving into the uglier elements of both of the subjects personalities. Without seeking sensationalism, this book does not shrink from exploring their seedier side, including their sexual dalliances and perversions, in its quest to understand the full range of factors that led to Hitler's pursuit of the Holocaust. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Clearly a book of little importance or value
Is this a work that the serious student of either Wagner, Hitler, or German history in general will have to take seriously? The title, certainly, suggests that this is not the case, but that we are dealing instead with yet another exercise in cheap sensationalism. 'Richard and Adolf' rather than 'Wagner and Hitler'? The subtitle also has an almost obscenely flippant quality to it, grotesquely at odds with the gravity of the subject, and quite obviously intimating that this is not a work of real scholarship.

I will confess right away that I haven't read the book; but that I still have little hesitation in awarding it a single star. The reasons for this are as follows.

I have read the first ten pages or so available through Amazon's preview system, and the errors they contain are so egregious that it is difficult to see how they cannot but discredit the entire book, whatever its subsequent chapters may contain.

On p. 14, the author refers to Wagner's opera cycle the 'Ring of the Nibelungs'. The correct title is 'The Ring of the Nibelung,' in the singular. This may seem like a matter of detail, but if Nicholson cannot even get the titles of Wagner's works right, what trust can we put in his capabilities to deal adequately with more intricate issues? That this elementary mistake has been made before by other writers in fact makes it even worse, as one could have expected Nicholson to have learned from the many times it has been corrected in the past. In addition, this is an error which strongly suggests that the author has a very limited knowledge of German, as anyone who does have command of that language would know full well the elementary difference between 'Der Ring *des* Nibelungen' (the original German title) and 'Der Ring *der* Nibelungen' (Nicholson's invented German title). The same error is repeated in the index, moreover - where, additionally, 'Die Walküre' is translated as 'The Valkyries.'

On p. 16, Nicholson writes about "Wagner's opera Parsifal where the Knights of the Grail refreshed themselves spiritually before rescuing damsels in distress, treating the poor and fighting holy wars against the infidels and the Jews." I know there are some people who will not accept that this is incorrect, but will go on insisting that Parsifal is in fact packed with mysteriously hidden references to Jews. But there is of course no mention whatsoever in Parsifal (neither in the finished opera, nor in the prose draft) that the knights are ever sent out on 'holy wars' against 'the Jews.' If we are meant to understand that this is somehow 'implied' in the opera, that it is a hidden 'subtext,' then Nicholson could perhaps have been so kind as to provide us with some reasons for why this is so. He does not, he merely smuggles it in as a premise. Again, those who want to accept this because they like to think of Wagner as some sort of forerunner of Nazism can of course do so; but they should be aware that they are accepting it solely on faith, as no arguments for this preposterous silliness has been put forward.

On the same page, we then find the one sentence that - for me at least - discredits this book beyond rescue. Writing about the holy spear of Longinus, in an argument that relies heavily on Ravenscroft's science fiction version of history, Nicholson states: "Wagner had told Chamberlain of the significance of the Holy Spear." Nicholson adduces no source for this claim, but that is of little importance here. What matters is this: Wagner and H. S. Chamberlain never met. They never exchanged a single word. Wagner never even knew Chamberlain existed. A young Chamberlain once *saw* Wagner across a room during a dinner party. But they *never* ever met, they *never* ever spoke with one another. Chamberlain is one of the most important intellectual forerunners of the Third Reich, and his writings had a huge impact on a number of other figures. His books ran through many, many editions, were translated into numerous languages, and were debated all over in Europe and the US. And Nicholson doesn't even know the most basic fact about his relationship with Wagner - that the two never met. How can we possibly resist the conclusion that Nicholson's grasp of German intellectual history is so incredibly flimsy, that his sense of chronology is so spectacularly inaccurate, that we just cannot take the man seriously, however much we would want to. Apparently, Nicholson is a judge by profession; and though that would indeed suggest that he is not entirely devoid of intelligence, it is perhaps also well to remember that he clearly is not a historian.

This concludes my review of what Amazon lets me read of the first chapter. Browsing the internet, I also came across the following alleged quote from Nicholson's book: "Wagner wrote that one day the German people would not shrink from their sacred duty to find a 'great solution to the Jewish problem.' " If the quote is accurate - and from what I've read, I have little reason to think it isn't - this is yet another egregious error. The Wagner citation Nicholson adduces is from the late essay 'Erkenne dich selbst' ('Know yourself'), and it is neither accurate (Wagner never spoke of a 'Jewish problem'), nor does it say what Nicholson tries to insinuate that it says. It is a very alarming instance of intellectual dishonesty.

Finally, I would suggest that most of the other reviews offered here (the one by Stephan Peters perhaps excepted) are so uninformed that they hardly inspire much confidence in the writer either. I am sure that amateur bigots consumed by their hatred for 'the ugliness of Richard Wagner' will find much that appeals to them in Nicholson's work. The scholarly community, however, has passed its judgment on this book by disregarding it. For the reasons I have given above, I feel confident that this was the right decision.

Richard and Adolf
I really wanted to enjoy this book a lot more than I did. As a student of history and music, it seemed to promise to dovetail nicely into my pursuits. However, it just seemed to make more "conclusion jumps" that I had a hard time reconciling what I knew of both figures. While there does seem to be some connection of the two, the support for many hypotheses offered is just not there. In a slim (and yes, 449 pages here is slim!) volume, I just expected there to be more pie instead of all the whipped cream that I was offered. The extraneous details got a bit tired, and all the good, hard evidence there was too little of. It almost seemed as if it were two separate books at times - one about Wagner and one about Hitler, with only the thinest of threads tying them together.

Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.
Richard and Adolf
By
Christopher Nicholson

A Review
By
Colin J. Edwards

"Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel". (Samuel Johnson 1775)

Patriotism seems a rather pedestrian word to use when considering the activities of Richard Wagner and Adolf Hitler in Germany during the first half of the 20th century. It was extreme patriotism, amplified by mental instability that created these monsters. They were not alone of course; Japan demonstrated similar traits in the same period.

Christopher Nicholson's book, `Richard and Adolf', records in the minutest detail the manifestations of Wagner's and Hitler's obsessions, and the impact they had on European Jewry. He postulates that Wagners anti-Semitism as demonstrated in his major musical works provided the launch pad for Hitler's excesses.

The book is beautifully produced. It is well bound and the pages are fine quality paper that will accommodate many readings.

The work is catalogued as a Holocaust book, but it is more than that. It is a detailed expose of how two disturbed people are hypnotized by an 800 year old poem, and use that as a justification for the calculated murder of 5 million innocent people.That is not to mention the millions that died as a result of their dementia.

Nicholson's book is a scholarly tome. All facts are annotated, and his bibliography runs to 7 pages.

However, Mr. Nicholson is a lawyer - a High Court Judge in fact, and his book reads rather like a brief. That does not in any way detract from the value of this work, but I did have the feeling that `Richard and Adolf' read like 2 briefs presented to condemn these individuals. That is not to suggest that these indefensible lunatics shouldn't be condemned, but I didn't think the numerous abusive after-thoughts at the end of paragraphs was appropriate. Facts alone are sufficient to condemn Wagner and Hitler, and personal evaluations serve little purpose.


I heartily recommend this book to anyone who wants a greater understanding of why someone would want to legislate to harass, hound and murder innocent families. But be prepared for the realization that Hitler didn't do it alone - indeed, he didn't do it at all. Nicholson doesn't site one incident of any resistance movement in Germany or anywhere else against Germany's attempt to exterminate European Jews.

This is an important work particularly for a generation to whom World War II was something someone mentioned during a history lesson. `Richard and Adolf', describes how a population with exaggerated patriotic zeal, can be manipulated by one individual to destroy their own people, the people in the continent around them and ultimately themselves.

Everyone should read this book to remind themselves of the cataclysmic dangers of Nationalism.

Appreciation depends on your reason for reading.
This book will leave you with a different impression depending on your purpose in reading it.

If you want to begin a serious scholarly inquiry on the subject, you will be disappointed.

There are plenty of footnotes and citations, but I don't think I found any that cited primary sources.
Most were references to various biographies of Wagner--many of which undoubtedly begin with the phrase "Richard Wagner was born..." This author reserves this phrase for the beginning of the third chapter.

Even easy to find primary sources were not researched or cited.
Nicholson quotes an English translation from "Zur Geschichte der Religion und Philosophie in Deutschland" by Heinrich Heine, however he cites "Newman, Life of Richard Wagner, vol.2, 261" for the quote.

The book almost reads like something Novosti Press might have published in English during the Cold War. Here is an example:
"Did Heine know that his own works would be...thrown on the great fires...when the nation threw its soul at the devil?"
This is typical of the writing style of the entire work.

There are also statements I wish had a footnote; e.g. "Hitler's fear arose from specters of those he had killed, visiting him--principally his erstwhile comrade-at-arms and lover Ernst Rölm..." This statement had no source or footnote, not even something like: "Patton, George C, On Hitler and his relationship with Rölm, Speech given to the US Third Army, Oppenheim, March 22, 1945."--except Nicholson would have cited "Wallace, The Intimate Sex Lives of Famous People". Wallace in turn might have gotten the information from Patton's speech. In all fairness, Nicholson cites Machtan, "Hidden Hitler" for most of his innuendo that Hitler was a closet homosexual.

In fact, huge portions of the book are devoted to Nietzsche, Ludwig II Siegfried Wagner, Hitler, and Richard Wagner's trysts, perversions, or sexual liaisons. While these would be necessary in a biography, I didn't see how they help answer the question asked in the title.

HOWEVER

If you are looking for an overview of Wagner's life and anti-Semitism written in easy to understand language without having to read seventeen different biographies of Wagner written in Universitese with long quotes in French or German this will probably fit the bill nicely.

It does a good job of describing the roots of Wagner's anti-Semitism in his own personal life, his anti-Semitic essays and innuendo in his operas, his relationship with Nietzsche, Chamberlain, etc.

It reads like a History Channel special- and does have a lot of good information. I never knew about the Spear of Longinus before reading this book, and found it fascinating!

I found the last chapter, "Wagner in Israel," very interesting and definitely worth reading.

The binding, paper type, printing and typeset are excellent.

I hope this review has been helpful to both types of readers

A Master Work
This great master workdeserves to be greatly admired and applauded. Rarely had I read a book which was so thoroughly researched as this was.Rarely have I read such wonderful English.And rarely has an author produced such a powerful, incontrovertible case.
How I hope those who have insisted on playing Wagner's music will read your book from start to finish.

... Read more

Product Description
This volume comprises papers presented at the 1988 Wagner conference in Seattle exploring this opera cycle as music, myth, theatre art, and literature, including comparisons with T. S. Eliot's "The Wasteland" and James Joyce's "Finnegan's Wake". ... Read more