There are a host of clichés attached to the figure of Heinrich Himmler, head of the Nazi police and terror apparatus: colourless and pedantic bureaucrat, dogged and delusional racist, cold-blooded mass murderer. In this ground-breaking new look at Himmler's life, leading German historian Peter Longerich uncovers the truth behind this most elusive of Nazi leaders. In what is far more than a simple biographical account, Longerich gives us a unique overview of the full range of Himmler's powers and responsibilities and illuminates the true extent of his influence on the Nazi dictatorship and its career of destruction.