{"product_id":"infernal-library-paperback","title":"Infernal Library - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eDaniel Kalder\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A mesmerizing study of books by despots great and small, from the familiar to the largely unknown.\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eA darkly humorous tour of \"dictator literature\" in the twentieth century, featuring the soul-killing prose and poetry of Hitler, Mao, and many more, which shows how books have sometimes shaped the world for the worse\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSince the days of the Roman Empire dictators have written books. But in the twentieth-century despots enjoyed unprecedented print runs to (literally) captive audiences. The titans of the genre--Stalin, Mussolini, and Khomeini among them--produced theoretical works, spiritual manifestos, poetry, memoirs, and even the occasional romance novel and established a literary tradition of boundless tedium that continues to this day. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHow did the production of literature become central to the running of regimes? What do these books reveal about the dictatorial soul? And how can books and literacy, most often viewed as inherently positive, cause immense and lasting harm? Putting daunting research to revelatory use, Daniel Kalder asks and brilliantly answers these questions. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMarshalled upon the beleaguered shelves of \u003ci\u003eThe Infernal Library\u003c\/i\u003e are the books and commissioned works of the century's most notorious figures. Their words led to the deaths of millions. Their conviction in the significance of their own thoughts brooked no argument. It is perhaps no wonder then, as Kalder argues, that many dictators began their careers as writers.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDaniel Kalder \u003c\/b\u003eis the author of \u003ci\u003eLost Cosmonaut\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eStrange Telescopes\u003c\/i\u003e. He is also a journalist who has contributed to the BBC as well as to \u003ci\u003eEsquire\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Dallas Morning News\u003c\/i\u003e, and many other publications. Originally from Fife, Scotland, he lived in Moscow for ten years and currently resides in Central Texas.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 400\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 x 9 x 5.8 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e April 02, 2019\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42693717557311,"sku":"9781250181602","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/814dd0be85c8ab99ade72c5e84b9b389.webp?v=1764999738","url":"https:\/\/dhl-adrianne.myshopify.com\/products\/infernal-library-paperback","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}