- When it comes to endings, TRFTR could give Peter Jackson's The Return of the King a real run for its money.
- Shirer's short Afterword wasn't part of the original edition of the book, but was added three decades later, as the Thirtieth-Anniversary Edition was getting ready to hit the shelves.
- Shirer takes just a few moments to reflect on the reception that TRFTR had received from reviewers and academic historians throughout the thirty years since its publication.
- His final words, though, are reserved for a heavier topic. Writing just shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Shirer takes this opportunity to send out a warning call to his readers.
- In his view, the reunification of Germany was a scary thing, and he goes so far as to suggest that the newly-reunified nation might soon be invading its neighbors once again.
- With these thoughts in mind—along with some additional words on the threat of nuclear war—Shirer wraps things up once and for all by reminding his readers that memory can be an important ally in making sure catastrophes like this don't happen again.