“THE SINGLE MOST SIGNIFICANT USE OF PHOTOGRAPHY AS A WITNESS”

(HOLOCAUST) Anonymous. KZ. Bildbericht aus fünf Konzentrationslagern [Photo Report from Five Concentration Camps]. No place: Amerikanischen Kriegsinformationsamt [American War Information Unit], [1945]. Slim quarto, original printed self-wrappers, stapled as issued; pp. 32. $3200.

First and only edition, published in 1945 by the American War Information Unit upon the liberation of Nazi concentration camps at Buchenwald, Belsen, Gardelegen, Nordhausen and Ohrdruf, with 44 devastating photogravures. Scarce in original fragile self-wrappers.

"This small but important book, consisting of a mere 32 pages and 44 shocking photographs, was distributed in Germany by the American War Information Unit at the end of WWII in order to convey to the civilian population the enormity of the crimes committed by the Nazis in the name of the German people. Thus this book… may represent the single most significant use of photography as a witness in the medium's history. KZ shows, with a terse accompanying commentary, images from five of the concentration camps liberated by the Allies in 1945-Buchenwald, Belsen, Gardelegen, Nordhausen and Ohrdruf" (Parr & Badger I:194). With 44 photogravures of images by various, unidentified photographers, including one image taken April 16, 1945, which shows camp prisoner Elie Wiesel in the barracks of Buchenwald. Text in German.

Text and images fine, very lightest creasing to corner of front wrapper. An about-fine copy of this important work.