What to do with Mein Kampf?!

[Bannedcontent]

My late DF was a history buff and after he died we gave a lot of his books to charity but kept a few.

Among them was an English translation of Mein Kampf. It’s a first edition from 1939.

I held on to it as a historic artefact but would now like to move it on.

I can’t sell it on Amazon or eBay as it’s banned.

So the question is: do I bin it? (YABU)
Do I donate it to a library or something? (YANBU) Where?!

You could say that about nearly any book (and mosts things) There is a trade for vintage for a reason.

Books can also be, like coins, more or less valuable for example due to misprint in edition etc.

I actually didn't know it was banned! I mean, I understand how horrific Hitler and his ideology was but surely as it is refered to as a historic document it shouldn't be banned

It's not banned! Not in the UK.

How many people entreating OP to chuck it in the bin are in such a comfortable financial position that they can throw away something that's possibly worth a fair chunk of money without a second thought, in this financial climate, for fear that somebody who's already a confirmed and dedicated neo-Nazi might possibly be the one to buy it, and might get some kind of unsavoury pleasure from owning it? Chances are it would go to a boring middle-class book collector who'll stick it on the shelf next to their copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover.

Send it my way. I'm always intrigued by history and would love to read this book.
It's such an important part of world history.

You might do better asking in a specialist second hand book shop. Anywhere that deals in “old” stuff. They’ll either buy it from you or be able to advise

Anyone wanting to read this trash written by a madman is sick in the head. There is no "historical value" in this!!! I have huge suspicions about posters on here wanting it for "their interests in WWII". 🤨

I am Jewish and my grandfather was born in what is now Ukraine. He was the youngest of 8 children (4 boys/4 girls). He and three of his brothers went to war. Two of them disappeared without a trace and he spent his whole life after the war trying to find out what happened to them. His mother and sisters were shot dead when the Nazis entered Ukraine. His eldest brother was an engineer and his factory was evacuated before the Germans came, but my grandfather never ever forgave him that he left their mother and sisters to be killed and cut all ties with him for the rest of his life. So after the war, he came home to his whole family being gone. That's just one story of millions and millions.

I am sorry what happened to your family, but I don't agree people are sick in a head for wanting to read things like this. It's natural for many if not most people wanting to understand "why". That's why we have so many crime documentaries and many concentrating on the minds of the murderers and serial killers. The "why" did the person have these ideas and did such things is just, imho, something people will allways be wondering about. Is it because they hope it will give them some safety in future by allowing them to spot some behavious? Closure? Is it just a morbid curiousity? Are we all just quite baffled by what could make person do such things? Everyone has different reasons, but curiosity, for the lack of better word, will always be there when it comes to things like this. We have thousands of books about him, his views, etc. I think that at the end of the day, reading someone's interpretation of this in a biography and reading this is not that much different. If I am making sense.

As a German I would either donate it to a museum or burn it. Don't sell as you don't know who will buy it.

I think it’s important that we all learn from the mistakes that came before us

the same things can’t ever happen again

But how can you stop history from repeating itself if you don’t how where that history started?

it’s horrific that so many people have dreadful storied about what this maniac did

It’s not banned we have several copies in our school, the last one bought earlier this year. If you don’t want to keep it, sell it.

I have read an English translation of Mein Kampf and the best thing you could say about it was that it is great cure for insomnia. Send it to Liz Truss, though it might be a little bit to moderate for her taste.

Anyone can buy a copy of it online, it's widely available

It's not banned. In the uk at least. Probably for those reasons.

Unless you can guarantee you’re selling it to a historian and not a far right nut job you need to burn it.

Do not sell it on FB under any circumstances! Chances are it will become a neo nazi’s prized possession!!

@Eightiesfan ehm why do you have several copies in your school?

@ClumpingBambooIsALie the cost of living crisis does not justify making money out of something that is WAY WORSE than just “unsavoury” and doing business with a potentially violent criminal character.

that this needs to be spelled out… what have you done for a few quid today?

@NicolaSixSix is that a trick question? Probably because of the educational value in its historical significance. Plenty of schools keep copies. Mine did for A-Level History students.

@catmum134 no, it wasn’t a trick question, I just thought it was odd that a school would have several copies of a book that, whilst having historical value, is also somewhat of a bible for neo nazis, and this would be widely and easily available to school children - but guess it was my lack of knowledge of history curriculum

Wow! What a find. I'd list it on Abe Books.

Possibly not, but I was struck by how little thought many people felt the need to put into potentially throwing a decent chunk of money away, to prevent… what? A neo-Nazi possibly being the one to end up with the book? Owning a vintage copy of Mein Kampf is not going to make them any more Nazi. With any luck, they might even read it and find out how unimpressive their hero was. Either way, no actual extra harm happens to anyone by selling the book, so chucking it is quite a sacrifice to make for a very uncertain benefit.

And you know damn well when I talk about a neo-Nazi getting "unsavoury pleasure" from owning an old copy of Mein Kampf, that is not the same as describing Nazi atrocities as "unsavoury", so, y'know, chill on that front.

This thread is a weird example of cancel culture.

Heavens - it's a book, a historical document. No reason to destroy it any more than to destroy every picture, document or film footage of Hitlers speeches. There isn't a cat in hells chance the majority of Neo Nazis have read it, or will read it. They aren't noted for their reading ability. It's a badly written book, quite notoriously so - aside from the nonsense it spouts.
Auction it or donate it to a war museum. Don't burn it, Nazis burned books.
many historians have memorabilia of various Historical figures or events - not because they admire them, but because they are interested in history. It doesn't make them 'approving' of Hitler just because they have a copy of MK. We do have to learn from the past - not incinerate it.