Rachel Mack
Adolf Hitler’s autobiography Mein Kampf had been prohibited in Germany up until this past January. The latest version of Germany’s most notorious figure’s manifesto sold out a week after hitting bookstores for the first time since his death according to USA Today.
Before reprinting Mein Kampf, the only versions available in Germany were the pre-1945 Nazi editions, which could be found in second-hand bookstores and online. It was thought that banning it from Germany could be interpreted as crediting Hitler’s ideas. Reprinting this new version, which contains an enormous amount of academic thought and critical commentary would not only educate the public, but also help undermine its content.
The updated version was printed by Munich-based Institute for Contemporary History and features 2,000 additional pages than the original. BBC reported that most German bookstores were apprehensive to advertising the publication. Some stores initially only bought a couple copies unsure of whether or not they wanted to be associated with it. That quickly changed when sales began to skyrocket.
The manifesto continues to be available for purchase in the US. If you are interested in reading what the radical ruler had written during his incarceration in the 1920s, you can purchase a copy at a nearby bookstore. Barnes & Noble carries them in the “History” section in case you didn’t want to ask an employee for where to find a copy.