Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' is bestseller in Germany

Kim Hjelmgaard | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Annotated 'Mein Kampf' sold 85,000 copies An annotated edition of "Mein Kampf," has become a non-fiction best-seller in Germany. The book is Adolf Hitler's notorious manifesto. According to News agency dpa, 85,000 copies of the book have been sold since it was first published a year ago.

BERLIN — A reprint of Adolf Hitler's book Mein Kampf, the first since the end of World War II, has become a surprise bestseller in Germany, its publisher said Tuesday.

The Institute of Contemporary History of Munich (IfZ) said around 85,000 copies of its annotated version of Hitler's manifesto have been sold since its release a year ago, when its copyright expired.

The IfZ initially printed only 4,000 copies. A sixth print run is scheduled for this month. Editions in English and French are planned.

Mein Kampf — the title means "My Struggle" in English — was published in two volumes in 1925-1926. Written while Hitler was in prison, it features autobiographical information about his youth and explains his antisemitic and extremist views.

Andreas Wirsching, the institute's director, said in a statement that concerns that the book's re-publication would promote or serve Hitler's far-right Nazi ideology have proven to be unfounded and that it instead has fostered mature debate about authoritarian ideologies.

The IfZ said its data showed that buyers of the book were "customers interested in politics and history as well as educators" and not "reactionaries or right-wing radicals."