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All illustrated Third Reich school books are rare as most were destroyed after the war because of their National Socialist content, and because they were used (and abused) by children!

This 81 year old example of Wir lernen lesen (We are learning to read) is in quite nice used - not abused - condition AND it is complete with the title page, all 110 colorful interior pages and the two-sided index page in the back. This is the last edition of this school book featuring the hard-to-read Sütterlinschrift which was abolished by the time the 1942 edition of Wir lernen lesen was produced (and replaced by Deutsches Normalschrift).

Page 1 starts with the letter i and each letter, letter combination and word that follows is accompanied by a color illustration. Cutting wood, playing with toys, cooking, cleaning, hunting, being sick and a visit from the doctor, going to school and grocery shopping, learning how to tell time, sledding, skating, building a snowman, singing and playing a musical instrument, laundry day, etc. Reading chapters include visits to a farm, a butcher, a clothing store and shoe store, all explaining the profession and skill involved.

Wir lernen lesen was written by highly regarded Viennese educator Dr. Heinrich Kolar and beautifully illustrated by Ernst Kutzer, a well-known Viennese artist who illustrated many children’s books before and after the Third Reich. The country of Austria and its capital Vienna, were only a part of the Third Reich for seven years but this school book shows it was staunchly National Socialists and proud of the Führer. There are chapters on Norbert in his Brown Shirt (above), becoming a soldier and participating in the war, the Jungvolk, Hitler’s birthday and one titled “Visiting the Führer”.

Right we show part of the text in the chapter about the May Day holiday. It includes raising the swastika flag, singing the Deutschland-Lied and the Horst-Wessel-Lied and the teacher explaining the hard work by the Führer.

The book ends with page 110, a chapter called “School is out!” The last line of text in Wir lernen lesen is a part of the German national anthem, Deutschland, Deutschland über alles, über alles in der Welt!

This rare Nazi reading book was published by Ostmärkischer Landesverlag in Wien and printed by Waldheim-Eberle, a company that also printed many different editions of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf.

The cover shows wear and the linen spine is a bit dirty but the text pages are in remarkably nice condition. The illustrations are bright, not faded. We did not see any writing or doodling in the 6-1/2 x 9 inch book. The spine is tight and this rare 81 year old edition of Wir lernen lesen has no odor. Condition exactly as shown.

The beautiful color illustrations include children, Wehrmacht soldiers, HJ boys, a Deutsche Reichspost postal bus, firefighters, Christmas scenes and the Easter bunny, farm animals, Flakartillerie, Red Riding Hood, toys, etc., etc.