Books: Horse Opera Liebestod

To THE BITTER END (632 pp.)—Hans Bernd Gisevius, translated by Richard and Clara Winston—Houghton Mifflin ($4).

THE LAST DAYS OF HITLER (254 pp.)—H. R. Trevor-Roper—Mac/n/7/an ($3).

Since no body has ever been found, the question of Hitler's death is still a topic that haunts historians. One of these two new books gives an apparently authentic description of several plots on Hitler's life; the other tries to piece together the details of his death. Both deserve considerable credence. Trevor-Roper's book, the heart of which has already appeared in LIFE, is the report of the official British...