14 DAY TRIAL // Two rare copies of Adolph Hitler's “Mein Kampf” have been sold for $64,850 (nearly €47,200) in a Los Angeles auction on Thursday.
The two-volume set, which includes a first edition of the Volume II and a second edition of Volume I of Hitler’s political manifesto, had previously been estimated to go for $20-25,000 (€14-18,000) in a sale organized by Nate D. Sanders Auctions, which specializes in rare books and movie memorabilia. However, their price rose to nearly $65,000 (€47,300).
There were eleven bids for the book, and the manager of the auction house, Laura Yntema, says the books were purchased by an anonymous U.S. buyer.
Both copies are signed by Hitler inside the front cover. They are believed to have been given by Hitler to Josef Bauer, a Nazi party member, as Christmas gifts in 1925 and 1926, as they feature best wishes to his friend for the holiday season.
Hitler used to sign books as Christmas gifts to officers in the German SS during World War Two.
The auctioneers described the book as “an ominously signed set of books that futilely warned the world of Hitler's intentions,” according to Yahoo News.
The Nazi leader wrote “Mein Kampf” while he was imprisoned in the early 1920s, outlining his political ideology and future plans for Germany. The book describes the process by which he became increasingly anti-Semitic and militaristic, especially during his years in Vienna.
“Mein Kampf” is currently considered a highly controversial book, especially due to its racist content and the historical effect of Nazism upon Europe during World War II and the Holocaust.