My Secret Camera ─ Life in the Lodz Ghetto

Mendel Grossman was a prisoner in Poland's Lodz Ghetto for more than four years. His job was to take photographs for work permits, but he also secretly used his camera to record the daily lives of his fellow Jewish residents. These images speak with devastating poignancy of cultural devastation but also of the indomitable spirit of these people. Unrivalled in historical importance and emotional impact, the pictures show grim tableaux of a child clutching a wire fence, soldiers marching through empty streets, crowds moving uneasily toward what is surely deportation. In contrast, there are also intimate scenes of workers smiling as they bake Passover matzoh, and teenagers sharing a private joke. Of the thousands of photographs taken by Grossman, only a small number survived: this book features 17 of the most resonant. Rabbi Frank Dabba Smith provides simple, heartfelt text in the voice of Mendel Grossman; it reminds readers not simply of the horrors of the time but also of the hope and courage that kept humanity going. An appendix tells the fascinating story of how these photographs survived.

Roly Smith is a freelance writer, editor and consultant and the author of over 60 books on walking and the countryside. He was recently dubbed 'Mr Peak District' by his local newspaper. Based in Bakewell in the heart of the Peak, Roly was formerly Head of Information Services to the Peak District National Park Britain's busiest before taking voluntary early retirement in 1997 to concentrate on his freelance career. Previous to that, he enjoyed a 20-year award-winning career in journalism. He was chairman of the Outdoor Writers' and Photographers' Guild from 1990 to 2002 and was made an honorary life member in 2005.