"Schoenheit im Olympischen Kampf", Leni Riefenstahl (1937). First edition. Hardcover. 281pp. Original photographic wrapper missing. Seminal work in the history of sports by the Leni Riefenstahl (1902-2003). Profusely illustrated with annotated reproductions in photogravure. The photographs were taken from her groundbreaking film "Olympia". Hitler invited Riefenstahl to film the 1936 Olympic Games. The result was Olympia, which according to Riefenstahl has been commissioned by the International Olympic Committee. The film has since been widely noted for its technical and aesthetic achievements. Although Josef Goebbels told Riefenstahl to ignore non-Aryan athletes, she filmed and photographed (as seen in this work) competitors of all races, including African-American Jesse Owens. Includes two photos of Hitler, one as the German team enters the stadium, the other with Reichssportführer Hans von Tschammer und Osten. Foreword by Riefenstahl. Captions in German, French, English, Spanish and Italian. The last 32 pages show Riefenstahl and her crew during filming and in post production. Page edges untrimmed. Little wear. In good to very good condition.

The most important photographic account of the 1936 Summer Olympics