Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' Surges in E-Book Sales

ABC News ^ | January 9, 2014 | Ben Waldron

[2ndDivisionVet]

Adolf Hitler's anti-Semitic political testament "Mein Kampf" is surging up electronic book bestseller lists, even as sales of the printed version have been stagnant for years.

As of Wednesday, two electronic versions of "Mein Kampf" ranked 12th and 15th in the Politics & Current events section of the iTunes book store. On Amazon, Hitler's polemic ranked number one in the Propaganda & Political psychology section. There are currently six e-book versions of "Mein Kampf."

One explanation offered for the surge in electronic sales concerns the relative anonymity offered by e-books as compared to their printed counterparts.

"These are things that people would be embarrassed to read otherwise," journalist Chris Faraone, who wrote about the trend for Vocativ.com told ABC News. "Books that people would probably be a bit more embarrassed to read or display or buy in public, they are more than willing to buy on their Kindle, or iPads."

Faraone believes the phenomenon is similar to that surrounding erotic novel "Fifty Shades of Grey," which in 2012, became the first to sell more than 1 million copies on Amazon's Kindle e-reader.

"'50 Shades of Grey' is something you would probably be embarrassed to read in public," said Faraone, but added that the anonymity offered by e-readers ensures that readers with a latent interest in controversial subject matter can read the books freely without arousing suspicion....

[2ndDivisionVet]

Weird.

[cripplecreek]

Liberals boning up on socialism.

[CrazyIvan]

I forced myself to read it once. Bad ideas, bad writing.

[ZirconEncrustedTweezers]

It might be worth reading once, just to gain some insight into the twisted mind of a leftist.

[Billthedrill]

Try reading a couple of chapters substituting “white male” for “Jew”. I promise you an eerily familiar experience.

[bubbacluck]

I have it on my Kindle. So what. It’s pretty boring.

[logic101.net]

Ok, first off it’s Fascism; true there isn’t much difference, just not quite as far left but to the slave class that doesn’t matter much. Sorry, but I was an Econ major.

But you are on the right track; Hitler’s tactics and goals have been a blueprint for the left in so many ways.

[mountn man]

Government employees no doubt.

[2ndDivisionVet]

I read it in junior high as extra credit.

[dartuser]

Or perhaps people are curious if there is a historical analogy between the development of Nazi Germany and the direction and leadership that our country is going.

I wouldn't waste my time personally, but I bet there are lots of parallels today with the little Jew-hating dictator.

[the OlLine Rebel]

No, sometimes people want to know exactly of what they speak.

We have a copy (I have never read it myself). My sister was reading it for herself way back in HS and was accosted by school people because of it. But as my mother said, better to read all this garbage and know what it says than look the fool not knowing of what you speak. She has copies of all the evil basics - Marx’ Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital, etc.

But I see many assume most who read it do it because they are evil themselves. That may only be half true.

[Starstruck]

It’s free? I’ve read a lot of free books on Kindle that I never would have read if I would if required payment. Doesn’t mean anything.

[cripplecreek]

I’ve read it myself which is why I suggest liberals boning up on socialism.

[Pollster1]

The differences between fascism, national socialism, soviet socialism, and Obama’s leftism are vanishingly small to those in the power of such totalitarian regimes.

[wvguy]

I have a soft-cover copy. Haven’t read it yet though. I usually put it out on the coffee table, along with some Ann Coulter books, when the in-laws visit. They’re all moonbats and I like to irritate them. ;-)

[cripplecreek]

Just compare the Occupy Wall Street manifesto with the nazi party planks. Its like someone sat down and copied one from the other.

[MasterGunner01]

Muslims and Islamic immigrants seeking to connect with their inner Nazi. (For historical connection, search on “Grand Mufti of Jerusalem”.)

[Drew68]

I forced myself to read it once. Bad ideas, bad writing.

I had the paperback when I was in college. I tried to read it. I couldn't get very far. Seemed to be just one long rambling stream-of-consciousness rant.

[Dr. Sivana]

She has copies of all the evil basics - Marx’ Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital, etc.

I cheated. I went for the shorter ones. Instead of Marx and Nietzsche I read Feuerbach and Spinoza, as they were MUCH shorter.

[rotstan]

Listening to the old time radio broadcasts over at archive.org, I came across a pre-war recording (although, interestingly enough, back then they called them “transcripts”) of a Congressman railing against Nazi Bolshevism and Soviet Fascism. Basically the only difference between them was that the Reds believed in class struggle, while the Browns believed in race struggle.