Mein Kampf, the book in which Nazi leader Adolf Hitler outlined his vision for the world, is currently experiencing a revival thanks to ebook copies on Amazon and iTunes, according to a new report.
In a report published on Vocativ.com, author and journalist Chris Farone points out that Mein Kampf is currently a top seller in iTunes’ ‘Politics & Current Events’ chart. Two different editions of the book are listed in the 12th and 15th spots, hovering around books by current political pundits like Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck. Mein Kampf is even outselling Beck’s books.
Farone notes that, even as print sales of Mein Kampf have continued to fall since it was first published in the 1930s, sales of electronic versions have soared. A $0.99 version is No. 1 on Amazon’s Propaganda & Political Psychology chart at the moment. There are also over 100,000 free versions on the Internet Archive site.
The success of Mein Kampf online really started last year when the $0.99 version by Elite Minds Inc. popped up on Amazon. The company’s president, Michael Ford, told Farone that sales have been great, but added that there is “a moral dilemma in promotion,” adding, “I have not heavily promoted the book and decided, for the most part, to let it spread among those who have a true historical and academic interest naturally.”
According to The Guardian, Farone said that the surge in Mein Kampf sales online might just be due to a “cultural curiosity,” comparing it to the rise of romantic novels in the ebook world. Essentially, people like the idea that they can read the book without anyone else knowing and they can delete it from their device after they’ve finished it, Farone noted.
image: Wikimedia Commons
