In her acclaimed 1993 book Denying the Holocaust, Deborah Lipstadt called putative WWII historian David Irving one of the most dangerous spokespersons for Holocaust denial. A prolific author of books on Nazi Germany who has claimed that more people died in Ted Kennedys car at Chappaquiddick than in the gas chambers at Auschwitz, Irving responded by filing a libel lawsuit in the United Kingdom -- where the burden of proof lies on the defendant, not on the plaintiff. At stake were not only the reputations of two historians but the record of history itself.
A brave book by a brave woman.
Deborah Lipstadt is an outstanding and courageous scholar. When she wrote her book, Denying the Holcaust, she dissected the work of David Irving, a bigot masquerading as an historian. Irving sued her and her publisher for libel in a British court in which the burden of proof in a libel case is on the defendant. Dr. Lipstadt desribes in great, and at times, horrifying detail her the five years spent in preparaton for the trial and the trial itself. She and Penquin Publishers won, and the judgment forced Irving into bankruptcy. The lesson to be learned is that the only way to combat evil is to confront it. The writing is so vivid and chilling, that at times I had to put the book down for a few moments to regain some sense of composure. We owe a debt to Professor Lipstadt for her dedication to the truth, meticulous scholarship, and bravery.
Buy History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier (P.S.) by Deborah E. Lipstadt At The Lowest Price!
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