From the back cover: Recent history has rendered the word holocaust--strictly defined as wholesale destructions and loss of life, especially by fire--much more specific and horrifying: the willful devastation of the Jewish people by the most inhuman methods ever devised.

Dr. Yehuda Bauer traces the roots of anti-Semitism that burgeoned through the ages, and thereby provides a comprehensive, substantive description of how and why this most heinous crime against humanity came to pass. He also follows the survivors through this period and illuminates their role in the development of Israel.

As an illustrative complement, the history is intensified by moving documentation--passages from diaries left by concentration camp inmates as their only living testimony to the horrors they were forced to endure; stories of individual heroism amid unparalleled adversity; and "secret" plans outlining the implementation of Hitler's "Final Solution."

In this revised edition of his important book, Dr. Bauer has provided the most recent figures to make the test, charts, and tables more complete and accurate, and has updated the maps. The revised edition also includes black-and-white photographs.