Anne Frank Diary Reference

Resources Relating to Anne Frank
I have by no means read every Anne Frank book and I think I have liked every one that I have read. This list is partly here for the purposes of a bibliography for this web site. That is why I include the publishers and dates in the list.

[book cover] The Diary of Anne Frank: the Critical Edition, prepared by the Netherlands State Institute for War Documentation, Doubleday, 1989. Includes the original diaries, the re-writes for possible future publication, the institute's handwriting and document analyses, history and facts surrounding Anne's life, and photos of Anne, her family, and several pages from the diary. The notes and information in this Web site are predominantly from this book.

Anne Frank's Tales from the Secret Annex translated by Michel Mok, Washington Square Press (Simon & Schuster, Inc.), 1983. I like her writing.

[book cover] Anne Frank: the Biography by Melissa Müller, Henry Holt and Co., 1998. This is an excellent book about Anne's life, a fair and thorough biography. Includes an index and the fates of a number people in Anne's life. A down side: the book speculates about the betrayer being Lena Hartog, which HLOF explains in detail why that cannot be at all likely.

[book cover] The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank, by Willy Lindwer, Doubleday, 1988. These are sobering and engrossing interviews with women (including Anne's friend, Hannah) who were acquainted with Anne after the raid. These six women were among the few survivors. They recount their experiences in Westerbork, the cattle cars, Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, liberation, and resuming their lives. Often their experiences do not involve Anne directly, but even then it is sobering to realize that these very sights Anne surely saw, and that these experiences are of the sort that Anne surely had, and of course that Anne, and many others, missed out on continuing with their plans.

[book cover] Anne Frank Remembered: the Story of the Woman who Helped to Hide the Frank Family, by Miep Gies with Alison Leslie Gold, Simon & Schuster (Touchstone edition), 1987. The Gies didn't want to worry the people in the annexe about other risks that they were taking (besides for hiding them). After all, had they been caught, the people in the annexe would have been in even more danger. Anne never knew so she never mentioned much of what Miep discusses in this very engrossing book: Jan was in the Resistance during part of the occupation, plus both Miep and he were helping other people. Also see the photos section for several interesting documents and notes, such as a butcher shopping list.

Note: Miep used Anne's renames of people, even Miep's own husband, Jan. I found this annoying since there is little or no reason for renaming people now. On the other hand, the names do match the most widely-read version of the diary at the time that she wrote it.

[book cover] The Hidden Life of Otto Frank by Carol Ann Lee, HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 2003. An interesting and very well researched and documented biography of Anne's father, Otto (though I think it spends too much time on Anton Ahlers' life) plus a good deal about Anne not found in most other books. Includes an index. Be sure to not miss the extras at the back: a glossary of terms (such as the NSB), the people in Otto's life, the chronology of the persecution of Jews in the Netherlands, and a very extensive bibliography.
    Otto had a very interesting life. The book also shines light on the situation they were in. It is clear that Anne's philosophies, revealed in her diary after the war, meant a great deal to her father. In turn, if it weren't for his own outstanding character, her diary would not likely have been published (people wanted to put the war behind them, and they didn't speak of the Holocaust — see p. 303.)
    Here are some tidbits from HLOF: Anne once started a letter to her father with: "My most beloved Hunny Kungha." Quotes from Otto: "I always look ahead. I live with the past every day, but never in it. My place is in the present."; "… of course I never forget what has happened. I am convinced that nothing can be achieved by hatred and revenge and therefore I try to work for peace and understanding."; and, Otto's summary of the lessons of Anne's diary, "Withhold easy judgment, never generalize, and don't expect thanks for what you do for people. That doesn't work. You must have the satisfaction in yourself for having done something." (p. 61, 294, 301, 302).
    (For Dutch speakers, here is De Zaak Frank - a Dutch television documentary about this book. Site has summary and streaming video.)

"I Saw Anne Frank Die," by Irma Sonnenberg Menkel, Newsweek magazine, 25 Aug 1997, page 15.

[Software Box Cover] Anne Frank House: A House with a Story, Cinegram Media, Inc., 2000. Excellent immersive educational CD-ROM. It has intriguing, multi-layered information, including short interviews with people, old photos, old films, historic notes along the extended timeline, glossary and — the main attraction — explore the house in 3D, furnished in period, and click for information about what you see.

[book cover] Memories of Anne Frank, Reflections of a Childhood Friend by Alison Leslie Gold, Scholastic, Inc. (Polaris), 1997. These are the war time memories of Anne's friend, Hannelie. The author interviewed her and wrote her story, which includes memories of Anne. Hannelie is the friend Anne met in kindergarten and who, in Bergen-Belsen, threw her food at night, across the fence that separated them, despite the danger of guards.

I had doubts about this book on page six (because of a seeming discrepancy on that page about whether she went to a sleepover or not, but maybe they were two different sleepovers), but I'm glad I read it. This is a first hand account of an Amsterdam teenager who landed in concentration camps and lived to tell the story. Not only that, but also a number of memories involving our girl, Anne (going back to their very first meeting).

[book cover] Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary, a Photographic Remembrance, by Ruud van der Rol and Rian Verhoeven for the Anne Frank House, Puffin Books, 1993. I found this book in the children's section of a large bookstore. This is full of photos (two of the photos on this Web page, and the map, are from this book), including photos of documents and diary one. Illustrations include maps and a good cut-away illustration of the secret annexe.

[click thumbnail of Anne's room to go to full model] Speaking of cut away illustrations, is working on a CAD model of the Anne Frank house. There is a beautiful cut away image of the secret annex, from that database, available. (http://members.aol.com/macbloom/Pages/techill.html#AnchorAFMuseum)

Anne Frank dramatization, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., 2001. This excellent dramatization by Disney covers Anne's school days, being in hiding, taken away, being in concentration camps, her death, and her father receiving the diaries afterward. The actors really brought to life the people and dynamics involved in the situations, especially Anne (Hannah Taylor-Gordon). However, the betrayal is presented as being a woman, which was only a rumor (see HLOF p. 323-4).

[tape cover] Anne Frank Remembered, on the Disney Channel (broadcast 8 June 1995, but I assume they'll be repeating this occasionally.) A very good program. Apparently it is also available to purchase.

The Footsteps of Anne Frank, by Ernst Schnabel, 1958. This book has some interviews I have never seen anywhere else. However, watch where he puts quotation marks (he sometimes mixes his non-firsthand impressions with witness quotes, right in the same paragraph!). He also uses pseudonyms throughout the book instead of real names, and has a rather romantic approach.

Anne Frank Magazine 1999 by the Anne Frank Foundation. (I haven't actually seen this magazine but it sounds good.)


A Couple Anne Frank Links


Anne Frank Internet Guide Go here! The Anne Frank Internet Guide is a very extensive list of links: (http://come.to/annefrank)

 
 
Resources Regarding the Missing Pages


Assorted Related Links

Online Monument to Dutch Jews who Died in the Holocaust: The English translation link is in the upper right corner. You can search and explore by name or address, or click the banner for a random person (each colored spot is one person).

Dutch Jewry Memoriam: Search for Dutch Jews who died in the Holocaust. This gives their full name, date and location of death. (Note: they use European dating: day-month-year. Also note: 31 May 1945 is code for those whose exact date of death is unknown.)

Otto Frank's First Trips to the US: a summary of the information you can find on the Ellis Island site about Otto Frank's 1909 and 1910 trips to the US when he was a young man.

Diary Junction: links to web sites covering over 350 diarists throughout history, including Anne.




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Last Updated 1 Aug 2005
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