This is the first major unbiased biography of the 'First Lady' of Hitler's Bayreuth. Born Winifred Williams in 1897, she was adopted, aged nine, by distant relatives in Berlin. In 1915, the eighteen-year-old Winifred married into the Wagner family when they needed an heir to secure the Wagner heritage and the festival site at Bayreuth. In 1923, Hitler made a pilgrimage to Wagner's grave in Bayreuth, and so began a close, life-long friendship between 'Winnie' and 'Wolf'. She became a founder member of the Nazi Party, and ...
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This is the first major unbiased biography of the 'First Lady' of Hitler's Bayreuth. Born Winifred Williams in 1897, she was adopted, aged nine, by distant relatives in Berlin. In 1915, the eighteen-year-old Winifred married into the Wagner family when they needed an heir to secure the Wagner heritage and the festival site at Bayreuth. In 1923, Hitler made a pilgrimage to Wagner's grave in Bayreuth, and so began a close, life-long friendship between 'Winnie' and 'Wolf'. She became a founder member of the Nazi Party, and from 1933 the town of Bayreuth during the festival was the centre of the German political world. Drawing on previously untapped sources, this book presents a portrait of an extraordinary woman as well as offering revealing glimpses of the 'private Hitler', allowing the best insight yet into his relationship with Bayreuth and its central place in twentieth-century German history.
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Seller's Description:
Good Condition. Dust jacket is fully intact, only lightly rubbed at edges. 2 postcards of Bayreuth pasted to front free endpaper. All pages free from notes or highlighting. All in all, in good used condition. Publisher's note: "Winifred Wagner's story is a remarkable one. The English-born orphan who became Richard Wagner's daughter-in-law and one of Adolf Hitler's closest personal friends was for years at the heart of German cultural and political life." "Born Winifred Williams in 1897, she was adopted by distant relatives living in a utopian 'good life' settlement near Berlin. In 1915 the eighteen-year-old Winifred married into the Wagner family, which desperately needed an heir to secure the Wagner heritage and retain control of the festival site at Bayreuth in Bavaria. She went on to have four children by her husband, Siegfried, an erstwhile confirmed bachelor thirty years her senior, and supplanted the composer's despotic widow, Cosima, at the head of the Wagner clan." "In 1923, shortly before the Munich Putsch, Hitler made a pilgrimage to Wagner's grave in Bayreuth. And so began a close, lifelong friendship between 'Winnie' and 'Wolf'. She became a founder member of the Nazi party and from 1933 the little provincial town of Bayreuth at festival time was the centre of the German political world." "Winnie enjoyed enormous favour and a glamorous lifestyle during the Nazi years, then endured bombing and deprivation during the war, and after it was put on trial for supporting Nazi war crimes. Despite this, Winifred's devotion to Hitler was undiminished: described as 'the last Nazi in Germany', she remained loyal to the memory of 'Wolf' till her death in 1980."--BOOK JACKET Size: 23.4 x 16 x 4.9 cm. ix, 582 pp. Shipped Weight: 1-2 kilos. Category: Biography & Autobiography; Wagner, Winifred; Hitler, Adolf, 1889-1945; Bayreuther Festspiele--History; Nazis--Germany--Biography; English--Germany--Biography; World War, 1939-1945--Jews--Rescue--Germany; Genre; Biography; ISBN: 1862076715. ISBN/EAN: 9781862076716. Add. Inventory No: 240405PBS007012.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
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Seller's Description:
Near Fine. Dust Jacket Included. First printing. 8vo. ix, 582 pp. Illustrated. Original gray cloth binding. This book came from the library of noted German historian and Wagner scholar Paul Lawrence Rose whose ink stamp and signature are on the front free endpaper. Bottom of spine lightly bumped else this is a tight, fine book in a bright DJ with tiny edge tear base of the spine else fine.
The history of that period of the world and the people who played parts is very interesting to me. The Wagner clan especially seems to weave its way into the fabric of that time.
