Amazon, Wal-Mart Were Selling Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’ Apparently Marketed To Neo-Nazis
Historical editions of “Mein Kampf.” Image by Getty
By Ari Feldman July 2, 2019
Several multi-national booksellers, including Amazon, Wal-Mart and Barnes and Nobles, were selling a copy of Adolf Hitler’s book “Mein Kampf” with a product description apparently marketed directly to neo-Nazis, HuffPost reported.
The version of this book — in a translation the product description erroneously calls the “official” translation of the Nazi regime — is on sale for $14.88. That number — 1488 — is a reference to neo-Nazi ideology: the 14-word creed of white supremacists and the eighth letter of the alphabet, HH, for “Heil Hitler.”
The description of the edition of “Mein Kampf” contained messages overtly directed at neo-Nazi readers and others sympathetic to white supremacy.
“This book shows the foundations of White Resistance and White Nationalism,” the description reads. “It is the foundation and seed for the preservation of our Race.”
The description also suggests that the book is not overtly anti-Semitic. (The book has several sections that describe Jews as enemies and secret puppet-masters of the world economy.)
“‘Mein Kampf’ is often portrayed as nothing more than an Anti-Semitic work, however only 6% of it even talks about the Jews,” the product description reads. “The rest contains Hitler’s ideas and beliefs for a greater nation plus his plan on how to accomplish that goal.”
None of the booksellers commented on why the book had ended up on their website. Amazon in particular has a history of selling neo-Nazi merchandise, such as action figures, a jigsaw puzzle of the Dachau death camp, books that deny the Holocaust ever happened and other items emblazoned with Nazi symbols and propaganda.
The U.S. is one of a few Western countries to never ban sales of the book, even during World War II. Germany unbanned Mein Kampf in 2016.
Ari Feldman is a staff writer at the Forward. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @aefeldman
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
