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Rating: 
Summary: Good little book, but get the full-size original this fall.
Review: I liked this book tremendously, but often found myself comparing it to Lindemann's previous masterwork Esau's Tears (1997), on which this is based. The original hardback is 600 pages of pure erudition; this new one is only a fifth of that. Reading Esau's Tears was such an eye-opener that I ordered ASBH as soon as I heard about it, even knowing much would be somewhat redundant. Lindemann's writing comes out equally engrossing. Of his new material, I most enjoyed Lindemann's intelligent discourse on the despotic Hebrew god, in chapter one. Peering into the "mind" of this famously jealous-vindictive Deity is surely an appropriate starting-point for exploring His human devotees. I am surprised that none of the many books I've seen on antisemitism begins here. Lindemann is at his best in surveying antisemitic writers and politicians of La Belle Epoch. The rise of a uniquely German antisemitism came about in this period, due largely to influential writings by Wilhelm Marr, Heinrich von Treitschke, Adolph Stoecker, Houston Steward Chamberlain, Otto Boeckel, Richard Wagner and Austria's Karl Lueger. Lindemann manages to introduce us to all of them, together with a few of their English-language counterparts. He notes that "The assertion that an anti-Semitic 'German ideology' was embedding itself ever deeper in the psyches of Germany's intellectual classes has much engaging evidence to support it." News flash: Esau's Tears in full-length original will be re-issued in fall of 2000.
Rating: 
Summary: Tremendously informative
Review: This book concisely explained the probable causes of anti-Semitism. Lindemann was careful to acknowledge that by attempting to understand anti-Semitism, one can misinterpret this to mean accept it in some way. Anti-Semitism is never an acceptable expression but by understanding why it has occurred perhaps steps can be taken to prevent its future occurrence. If you don't have a lot of time but want to better understand this troubling issue, I can't imagine a better book to read.
Rating:
Summary: Tremendously informative
Review: This book concisely explained the probable causes of anti-Semitism. Lindemann was careful to acknowledge that by attempting to understand anti-Semitism, one can misinterpret this to mean accept it in some way. Anti-Semitism is never an acceptable expression but by understanding why it has occurred perhaps steps can be taken to prevent its future occurrence. If you don't have a lot of time but want to better understand this troubling issue, I can't imagine a better book to read.
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