Hitlers "Mein Kampf" surges in e-book sales

[pastanley]

Heres a link from ABC news:
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/hitle...ry?id=21466401

This book was first published almost 90 years ago.

[meeera]

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Where's the evidence that it's all Neo-Nazis reading this propaganda? So long as you're not putting money in the pockets of evil, there's nothing wrong with studying history - even (and, perhaps controversially, especially) the words of the worst villains.

(Does this thread need to be moved to Politics and Religion?)

[crich70]

Originally Posted by meeera

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Where's the evidence that it's all Neo-Nazis reading this propaganda? So long as you're not putting money in the pockets of evil, there's nothing wrong with studying history - even (and, perhaps controversially, especially) the words of the worst villains.

(Does this thread need to be moved to Politics and Religion?)

I think you make a good point that it probably isn't just Neo-Nazis who read Mein Kampf. No doubt many who want to understand the history of WWII read it as a matter of course. Of course I would also be willing to wager that a large number of Neo-Nazis do have a copy of the book though.

[xg4bx]

I own the book. I also own The Turner Diaries. It doesn't necessarily mean that I agree with the views expressed within, it's more a matter of ''ooh, let me see what these controversial books are all about''.

[hidari]

I have read bits and bobs of Stalin, Mao, etc.... All a part of history. Better to know your enemies as well as your friends.....

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pastanley

Heres a link from ABC news:
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/hitle...ry?id=21466401

This book was first published almost 90 years ago.

Why aren't the sales being shut down for copyright infringement? The State of Bavaria owns the copyright which won't expire until 1st January 2016.

[Billi]

I can only imagine that this is more for practical reasons, that it is too difficult to pursue such things abroad. In Germany, you can't buy this book.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Why aren't the sales being shut down for copyright infringement? The State of Bavaria owns the copyright which won't expire until 1st January 2016.

I think they may own it in Germany only, Paul. There's some legal oddity about it, I seem to recall, similar to the way that "Peter Pan" is in perpetual copyright in the UK only.

[Billi]

I don't know if they granted the right to translate the works of Hitler to anyone (and be it only for scientific reasons). Of course, Hitler may have done it himself in his lifetime.

[Billi]

I've just read some wikipedia-articles about it and it seems that the legal side is mixed. It is legally right to publish translations in the USA or Great Britain, in other countries it is not. The State of Bavaria went to court in Poland or Turkey, for instance.

(More information here
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mein_Ka...lle_Rechtslage
or here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mein_Kampf
if anyone is interested)

[HarryT]

Certainly available on Amazon UK, eg here.

[bevdeforges]

When I was studying German at university I took a semester long class in "Reden des Führers" - the speeches of the Führer. Still have the book, which is a collection of speeches by Hitler from 1922 - 1945. (And the book was published in Germany.)

We took a look at what he was saying and how he said it - all sorts of devices and tricks he used as well as the appeals to the masses in light of the history of the period.

I guess they used to teach critical reading in the schools - just because something is printed doesn't mean it's true. Being able to see through the words as they are printed used to be considered an essential Life Skill.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I think they may own it in Germany only, Paul. There's some legal oddity about it, I seem to recall, similar to the way that "Peter Pan" is in perpetual copyright in the UK only.

The ownership of the copyright does seem to be very complex.

The US copyright is apparently owned by Houghton Mifflin, and the US copyright is probably valid until 2035, since the first US English edition was in 1939.

But outside the US, the copyright in the German edition, whoever owns it, expires on 1st January 2016.

Copyright in translations, of course, also depends on the translator.

[DrNefario]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Certainly available on Amazon UK, eg here.

What kind of recommendations am I going to get if I have that in my viewing history?

[The Old Man]

Incidentally, this book by Adolf Hitler is a bestseller in Muslim countries. Arabic and other editions of the book continue to be published and sold across the Muslim world. It can be found even in the Arab dominated districts in London, if one looks hard enough and in the right places. Booksellers in Turkey are reporting soaring sales figures for Mein Kampf, or Kavgam as it is called in Turkish. At least two new Turkish-language versions of Mein Kampf are now out in paperback, much to the dismay of the country's Jewish community. In India, which escaped the horrors of World War II, sales of Mein Kampf are regular throughout the year, with copies prominently displayed in all leading bookstores.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/112052...p#.UtKU0_uoiX0