MEIN KAMPF

Northern Advocate, 8 January 1938, Page 12

MEIN KAMPF

By Herr Hitler

r'T'i'lHE following short article is I rff borrowed in its completeness ;i 'JL '* from that delightful American i 'IZ~. i. quarterly “The Colophon.” Not 4he- least of America’s contributions to Ihe ’enhanced knowledge of this world ;o£‘„.pqrs is its readiness to spend its knoriey freely and generously in dis-

seminating Information upon a number of matters which might otherwise liigypr see the light. Many of its universities, from their own presses, publish pamphlets and books, the result

tt v of specialised research. 1 As ;for the “Colophon,” that too is probably unique, or almost so; carried on. by a band of enthusiasts in the 'matter of book-lore, it seeks no protit, is indeed carried on at a financial loss, but it .is a labour of affection, and reVeal4 it.iv Mostly it publishes notices and articles dealing with rare and little-known details regarding books and their writers, facts regarding editJbUS ,:and, overlooked or forgotten things of the celebrities of literature and a multitude of- other things.

Each Has Its Surprises

In-fact, each number of ‘The Colophon”, contains its surprises, and of these many rather than few. At first a most de luxe issue, with the coming of depression it somewhat reduced, its size of page and its rate of . subscription, lout assuredly it in no wise reduced either the worth of its matter or., the charm of its production. To those rwho. love good, printing, alike as regards type, format, delightful spacing an(| r care and beauty in its reproductjigriS, the “Colophon” is a thing to treasure. .Here then, tucked away in a corher are the paragraphs now to be quoted.

Rarely does bibliography have any general international significance. It is hard to conceive of textual collations as having an important influence..* on contemporary political thought. - The time has come for half a dozen scholars of different nationalities to. sit in judgment on a book call“fir# Hanapf” The only qualifications required of them shall be a thorough knowledge of the German language, intellectual honesty, and the patience do read through 782 pages of autobiography, dogma, and propaIJanda. The German version should fee read aloud, while the other scholars follow the text in the various translations prepared for foreign consumption'.

Bible of Nazism. “Mein Kampf” is the bible of Nazism, and the German text is the basic guide of National Social foreign and; domestic policy. The book has sold nearly three million copies, and has been translated into at least ten languages, with careful editorial changes. If you ai’e a German living under the influence of the Third Reich, it is good form to have a copy of the book in your library. And if both volumes of your edition are “firsts,” published in 1925 and 1927, you, have at least circumstantial evidence that you supported Hitler before he came to power, during the trying years when his book helped to unite the factions of the National Socialist movement and actually did much to finance its growth. That is why first editions of “Mein Kampf”

are rare outside of Germany, and command a high price In Germany. The trading is largely under-cover, and carried on by Communists. The German text has been glorified in every conceivable manner. It Is part of the curriculum in German schools and universities.

The Foreign Ministry has instructed German consuls who perform marriages abroad to give each couple a copy of the book as a wedding present (provided both parties are