Laurence Rees

Laurence Rees is the author of 'The Nazi Mind – 12 Warnings from History', a Sunday Times bestseller that was described by the Daily Telegraph as ‘a brilliant piece of work: learned compelling and frankly terrifying’, by the Daily Mail as ‘superb’ and ‘invaluable’, by the Independent as ‘compulsive reading’ and ‘enthralling and chilling’, and the Irish Times as ‘meticulously researched, brilliantly written and passionately argued’. A former Head of BBC TV History programmes, he has written nine books focusing on the Nazis and the Second World War. Many of them, including 'The Nazis: A Warning from History', 'Auschwitz: The Nazis and the ‘Final Solution’, 'World War II: Behind Closed Doors' and 'The Dark Charisma of Adolf Hitler', were also documentary TV series, which he wrote and produced. His book on Auschwitz won the British Book Award, and is the world’s bestselling work on the history of the camp. Educated at Oxford University, for several years he was a visiting senior fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science, London University. He holds honorary doctorates from the University of Sheffield and the Open University. His other awards include a BAFTA, a Grierson award, a George Foster Peabody award, a Broadcasting Press Guild award, a Broadcast award, a BANFF festival award, two International Documentary awards and two Emmys. 'The Nazi Mind: 12 Warnings for History', will be published in the United States by Public Affairs on 6 May 2025.