Background: The following includes 16 of the 100 photographs from The Hitler No One Knows: 100 Pictures of the Life of the Führer. By 1940, 420,000 copies had been printed. The book was one of the first of the numerous picture books on Hitler put out by Heinrich Hoffmann, who went by the title “Reichsbildberichterstatter der NSDAP.” Hoffmann made his fortune during the Third Reich as Hitler’s favorite photographer. A full account of his activities is in Rudolf Herz, Hoffmann & Hitler: Fotografie als Medium des Führer-Mythos (Munich: Klinkhardt & Biermann, 1994). Even for those who don't read German, Herz’s book provides a wealth of photographs of Hitler.

The source: Heinrich Hoffmann, Hitler wie ihn keiner kennt (Berlin: “Zeitgeschichte” Verlag, 1932).

The Hitler No One Knows

Introduction by Baldur von Schirach, Youth Leader of the German Reich:

Last edited 15 September 2025