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The Master Plan Heather Pringle

The Master Plan By Heather Pringle

The Master Plan by Heather Pringle


$23.49
Condition - Very Good
5 in stock

Summary

A story of delusion and excess; of scientific and political abuse on a global scale, and has the energy of an adventure, but also the truth of a terrifying episode in twentieth-century history. This book is an expose of the German scientists and scholars who allowed their research to be used to justify extermination.

The Master Plan Summary

The Master Plan: Himmler's Scholars and the Holocaust by Heather Pringle

Acclaimed science writer Heather Pringle uncovers the true story of the scientists and archaeologists Heinrich Himmler deployed to find proof for his theories of a prehistoric Aryan master race. What happens when science falls prey to a political agenda? Pre-history, according to Heinrich Himmler, must be re-written. Himmler, the chief of the SS and architect of the Nazi network of death camps, was obsessed with re-writing history. He was convinced that archaeologists had long ignored the great accomplishments of ancient Germanic peoples. Himmler believed that Germany's ancestors - the tall, blue-eyed, blond-haired Aryans - had evolved not in the savannahs of Africa with the rest of humanity, but in the icy barrens of the Arctic. There, refined and distilled by natural selection in a bitter land, they had become an invincible master race. But some 12,000 years ago, theorized Himmler, a natural cataclysm shook the earth, decimating the scattered Aryan colonies and now, only in select parts of the world - most notably northern Europe - did some true Aryan blood remain. Himmler's history was pure fiction, but his conviction was unshakable. In 1935 he founded the 'Ahnenerbe' - a research institute to manufacture archaeological evidence for political purposes - appointed himself president, and set about recruiting a bizarre mix of adventurers, mystics, careerists and reputable archaeologists to help write a new chapter in the ancient history of the Aryan race. Expeditions went sent out to Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Greenland and beyond, each backed by the power of the Third Reich to realize this bizarre scientific dream. The Master Plan is also an expose of the German scientists and scholars who allowed their research to be used to justify extermination - many of whom resumed their academic positions at war's end. Intensely compelling and comprehensively researched, The Master Plan is a story of delusion and excess; of scientific and political abuse on a global scale. It has all the energy of an adventure, but also the chilling truth of a terrifying episode in twentieth-century history.

The Master Plan Reviews

'This is an exceptional piece of work, for those with a very deep interest in the intellectual structures of tyranny, in Heinrich Himmler, in how monsters work. Dictators always have theories, and always find scholars to prove them. THE MASTER PLAN is the detailed history of one such effort, but it sheds abundant light on all of them.' Alan Furst Praise for THE MUMMY CONGRESS: 'Guaranteed to fascinate and entertain.' Anthony Sattin, The Sunday Times 'The Mummy Congress is wide ranging in every sense. Heather Pringle's lively prose takes us across the centuries, across the globe, and across scientific disciplines ! Enthralling.' Jonathan Sale, Independent 'Heather Pringle takes care to tell you the icky things you really wanted to know, while eloquently touring the world of present-day mummy studies.' Francis Spufford, Evening Standard

About Heather Pringle

Heather Pringle is a journalist and author who has written on archaeology and ancient cultures in numerous magazines including Discover, National Geographic Traveler, New Scientist, Science and Geo. In January 2002, she won the American Association for the Advancement of Science award for Magazine Journalism. She is the author fo three books, including THE MUMMY CONGRESS. She lives in Vancouver, Canada.

Additional information

GOR001594877
9780007148127
0007148127
The Master Plan: Himmler's Scholars and the Holocaust by Heather Pringle
Used - Very Good
Hardback
HarperCollins Publishers
20060220
480
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - The Master Plan