"A few weeks ago, I started writing a story, something I made up from beginning to end, and I’ve enjoyed it so much that my pen-and-inklings are piling up." - Anne Frank's Diary dated August 7th 1943 "The nicest part is being able to write down all my thoughts and feelings; otherwise, I'd absolutely suffocate. - Anne Frank's Diary dated March 16th 1944. Anne hoped one day to become a famous writer or journalist. Although she doubted from time to time whether she was talented enough, Anne wanted to write anyway... Few names in Jewish and world history resonate with such poignancy as Anne Frank. Her diary, written while in hiding during the Holocaust, has become perhaps the single most recognized testimony of the Jewish experience under Nazi tyranny, capturing the imagination of generations with its raw humanity, unbroken hope, and tragic silence. The present lot from 1968 brings together rare and deeply moving artifacts directly connected to Anne Frank’s life and legacy. Tel Aviv's Yavneh Press edition of Stories from the Secret Annex— a posthumous collection of Anne’s lesser-known writings—and, most significantly, a rare original Anne Frank House postcard boldly signed and dated by her father, Otto Frank, the sole survivor of the Frank family and the man who dedicated his life to ensuring his daughter’s voice would never be silenced. Anne Frank, born Anneliese Marie Frank in Frankfurt am Main in 1929, was only four years old when her family fled Nazi Germany for Amsterdam in 1933, seeking refuge from the escalating antisemitic persecution unleashed by Hitler’s rise to power. Yet safety proved temporary: by May 1940, the German army had invaded and occupied the Netherlands, and by July 1942, with deportations of Dutch Jews underway, Otto Frank moved his wife Edith, daughters Margot and Anne, into a concealed annex above his spice and pectin business on Prinsengracht 263. For over two years, the family—together with the van Pels family and later Fritz Pfeffer—lived in secrecy, sustained by the courage of Dutch helpers such as Miep Gies. During those years in the “Achterhuis” (Secret Annex), Anne filled her now-famous diary with intimate reflections, dreams, and observations, but she also composed short stories, fairy tales, and an unfinished novel. These works, later collected under the title Verhalen rondom het Achterhuis (Stories from the Secret Annex), reveal another dimension of her extraordinary talent: a precocious writer experimenting with fiction, allegory, and humor even in the darkest of times. Unlike her diary—intended as a private confessional—Anne shared these stories with her family and even dreamed of publication. On March 28, 1944, after hearing an exiled Dutch minister on the BBC urge citizens to preserve wartime accounts for posterity, Anne began consciously rewriting and editing her diary for future publication, titling it Het Achterhuis (The Secret Annex). Tragically, Anne’s literary ambitions were cut short. On August 4, 1944, following a betrayal, the hidden Jews of Prinsengracht were arrested. The Franks were deported to Westerbork transit camp, then Auschwitz. In late October, Anne and Margot were transferred to Bergen-Belsen, where both perished of typhus in early 1945, only weeks before the camp’s liberation. Edith Frank had already died in Auschwitz; only Otto survived, liberated by the Red Army on January 27, 1945. In July 1945, Miep Gies gave Otto Frank the preserved notebooks and papers she had saved from the Annex. Initially too devastated to read them, Otto eventually confronted the writings of his beloved youngest daughter, discovering in them a depth of thought and feeling he had never fully realized in life. “For me it was a revelation,” he later wrote. “I did not know the depth of her thoughts and feelings… She kept all these feelings inside her.” Determined that Anne’s words should live, Otto arranged for the diary’s first publication in Dutch in 1947. From there it spread worldwide, translated into dozens of languages, embraced by millions, and elevated into one of the most influential books of the 20th century. Writers like Primo Levi and Simon Wiesenthal emphasized its universal resonance, noting how readers saw in Anne’s words not only a Jewish child’s tragedy, but also a mirror of their own families and humanity. Otto Frank devoted the remainder of his life to preserving Anne’s legacy, tirelessly supporting editions, translations, adaptations, and the establishment of the Anne Frank House as a museum and educational center. He described his unique role with humility, noting that while usually children carry the legacy of their famous parents, his life had been reversed: “In my case, the tables were turned.” To the end of his days, Otto answered letters from young readers, guided exhibitions, and reminded the world of the lessons his daughter’s voice carried. The black and white photograph card of the Anne Frank House, the site of the family’s hiding place in Amsterdam, signed and dated by Otto Frank on December 14, 1968— is a deeply personal testimony from the man who alone bore the burden of memory. Written in his distinctive hand, this autograph is more than a signature; it is the mark of the father who carried Anne’s words into eternity. This rare first Hebrew edition, of Anne Frank’s Diary (אנה פראנק – יומנה של נערה), published in 1953 by Karni and printed by Dvir in Tel Aviv; was translated from the Dutch by Sh. Shnitzer, is the first Hebrew appearance of Anne Frank’s diary. Together, these artifacts embody both the silence of loss and the endurance of memory. They remind us that while Anne’s life was stolen, her words remain indestructible. As Simon Wiesenthal observed, “People identify with this girl, and say in their hearts: this was the Holocaust. This was a family like mine.” A historic and profoundly moving lot. 5.25x7.75in; 220 Pages; In Good Condition