Copy of ‘Mein Kampf’ said to be Adolf Hitler’s sells for only $30,000
A book said to be Adolf Hitler’s personal copy of “Mein Kampf†has sold at auction in England for only $30,000 -- that’s $64,000 less than the estimate.
“It’s the only copy of Mein Kampf that belonged to Hitler – and although controversial and evil, he changed the world,†seller Craig Gottlieb told the British newspaper The Mirror. Buyers were unconvinced, failing to meet the estimated selling price of more than $99,000.
According to Gottlieb, the book was found in Hitler’s Munich apartment in 1945. The German ruler committed suicide in a bunker in April of that year when Allied forces were taking Berlin.
“Mein Kampf,†which translates as “My Struggle,†is Hitler’s memoir and treatise on German political power, in which he outlined his anti-Semitic ideas. It was initially published in 1925; an American edition appeared in 1939, when readers curious about Hitler’s rise put the book on bestseller lists.
The e-book edition of “Mein Kampf†made a surprising reappearance on bestseller lists in January. In the iBooks charts, two different digital versions of “Mein Kampf†ranked third and fourth place in the Politics & Current Events category. On Amazon, the Kindle version of “Mein Kampf†reached No. 1 in the category of Propaganda and Political Philosophy.
In February, an autographed copy of “Mein Kampf†sold at auction for $64,850, more than double the selling price of his personal copy.
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