Recent history has rendered the word holocaust -- strictly defined as wholesale destruction and loss of life, especially by fire -- much more specific and horrifying: the willful devastation of the Jewish people by the most inhuman methods ever devised. The author traces the roots of anti-Semitism that burgeoned through the ages and provides a comprehensive description of how and why the Holocaust occurred. This history is intensified by moving documentation, including passages from diaries left by concentration camp inmates as their only living testimony to the horrors they endured, plus tales of individual heroism amid unparalleled adversity. The revised edition contains all new art -- maps, charts, tables, graphs. All art elements and text contain updated, more accurate statistics. It's easier to read and navigate. Lastly, there are two 8-page inserts (16 pages total) of black-and-white photographs. - Publisher.