Denial

The American historian chronicles her lengthy legal battle with a British Holocaust denier—now a major motion picture starring Rachel Weisz.

“Deborah Lipstadt’s absorbing narrative of an event that has reverberated throughout the world will be read with interest and gratitude by future generations.” —Elie Wiesel

In her acclaimed 1993 book Denying the Holocaust, Deborah Lipstadt called putative World War II historian David Irving “one of the most dangerous spokespersons for Holocaust denial”, a conclusion that she reached by examining his cunning manipulations of evidence, partisanship to Hitler, persistent exoneration of the Third Reich, and his confirmed celebrity among swelling ranks of anti-Semitic organizations internationally. In 1994, Irving filed a libel lawsuit, not in the U.S. courtroom—where the onus of proof lies on the plaintiff, but in the UK—where the onus of proof lies on the defendant. At stake were not only the reputations of two historians, but the record of history itself.

The four-month trial took place in London in 2000 and drew international attention. With the help of a first-rate team of solicitors and historians and the support of her UK publisher, Penguin, Lipstadt won, her victory proclaimed on the front page of major newspapers around the world. Part history, part real life courtroom drama, Denial is Lipstadt’s riveting, blow-by-blow account of the trial that tested the standards of historical and judicial truths and resulted in a formal denunciation of the infamous Holocaust denier.

Originally published as History on Trial.

“A fascinating and meritorious work of legal-and moral-history.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Powerful. . . . No one who cares about historical truth, freedom of speech or the Holocaust will avoid a sense of triumph.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)