Eliyahu Meir Klugman, ArtScroll, 1996
Klugman’s biography of the great 19th century German-Jewish leader has become a classic of its genre. It comprehensively covers the complexities of Rav Hirsch’s life; his moves to various communities in Germany his fight to establish the separatist Orthodox community, his writings and other outstanding achievements. The book has extensive footnotes, bibliographies, maps, family trees and appendices as well as many photographs, including a number of Rav Hirsch at various stages of his life and rabbinate. The sections describing Rav Hirsch’s various celebrated battles are interesting, well sourced and fairly described. Significant space is devoted to the works of Hirsch, including some worthwhile analysis of the background and provenance of the original content in his Torah commentary. The immense power of the man comes across well, especially in the chapters dealing with Austritt and the iron will required to see the secession through to its conclusion.
