Bookstore Accused of Promoting Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' Apologizes
A bookstore has apologized after being accused of attempting to promote Hitler’s Mein Kampf.
Jonathan Levine, a Jewish traveling salesman, first noticed the book in the window of Waterstone’s bookstore, on a trip from north Manchester. It was included as part of the store’s seasonal promotion and labeled “an essential read.”
Employees at the U.K. bookstore are encouraged to recommend books that they have read. The full staff recommendation on the book read, “An essential read for anyone seeking to understand one of history’s most despicable figures. A shocking read and a vital warning for future generations.”
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The book however, also displayed a seasonal label that described it as “the perfect present.” When Levine questioned a staff member about the book in the display window, he was not given much explanation.
“I was told it was ‘a Christmas bestseller which sold really well.’ A dubious justification indeed for selling this hateful work,” he said.
A spokesman for Waterstone responded, “Obviously this was not an appropriate thing to say about Mein Kampf,” he said. “We do not believe we actively promote this book; our customers are capable of forming their own opinions on whether to purchase it or not.”
Mein Kampf, which was originally published in Germany in two volumes in 1925 and 1926, has been banned in Germany since World War II. The book, which outlines Hitler’s political ideology, still sales on average about 20,000 copies a year.
Waterstone has made a public apology for the offence and stated, "We will also communicate with all our branches at the earliest possible opportunity to remind them of the sensitivities surrounding our stocking of Mein Kampf."
