If I wanted to begin studying the history of World War II, including Hitler’s role in the war and the inner-workings of the Nazi party, where is a good place to begin? I know there are tons of places to look, but does anybody know of a good place to start?
Mentioning previous answers or the FAQ is intended as a starting point, not to discourage more replies. Follow-on questions, info, and disagreements are welcome.
Have you seen the AskHistorians WW2 book list at https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/books/wwii ? There are four books in the General section, if you want an overall overview. There's a large section on Germany, but some are about war, and the pre-war period was longer than the war period, and I'm not sure which ones cover the runup. (I've read The Wages of Destruction by Tooze. It is indeed a magisterial look at the Germany economy, pre-war and during the war, but that's not Hitler's role and only partially about Nazi inner workings.)
What is your pre-existing knowledge level? How much dedication to you want to give?
Ian Kershaw's biography (2 volume or an abridged version) is excellent, but massive. In it, he places Hitler into the context of his surroundings and doesn't just focus on Hitler's personality or only on events where he was.
Another good historian is Richard Evans. He has a three part series on the Third Reich (The Coming of the Third Reich, The Third Reich in Power, and The Third Reich at War).
Both are good writers and quite readable, but these would be significant time commitments. If neither fits your bill, let me know what time you want to spend on it and what you really want to know.