Stolen Words is an epic story about the largest collection of Jewish books in the world--tens-of millions of books that the Nazis looted from European Jewish families and institutions. Nazi soldiers and civilians emptied Jewish communal libraries, confiscated volumes from government collections, and stole from Jewish individuals, schools, and synagogues. Early in their regime, the Nazis burned some books in spectacular bonfires, but most they saved, stashing the literary loot in castles, abandoned mine shafts, and warehouses throughout Europe. It was the largest and most extensive book-looting campaign in history. After the war, Allied forces discovered these troves of stolen books but quickly found themselves facing a barrage of questions. Provided by publisher.

"Published by the University of Nebraska Press as a Jewish Publication Society book"--Title page verso. Includes index.

Introduction -- 1. Loading the Jewish Bookshelf -- 2. Antisemites and the Jewish Written Word -- 3. From Bonfires to Bookshelves -- 4. Talmud Scholars, Hebraists, and Other Nazi Looters -- 5. Pillage -- 6. Resistance -- 7. Rescue -- 8. Restitution -- 9. Looted Books in the New Jewish Landscape -- 10. Jewish Cultural Reconstruction -- 11. Where Are They Now? -- Afterword -- Notes.