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Mein Kampf | 
 enlarge | Author: Adolf Hitler
Publisher: Jaico Publishing House
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy New: £5.82
You Save: £2.17 (27%)
New (4) Used (2) from £5.72
Rating:  20 reviews
Sales Rank: 407
Media: Paperback
Edition: 37th Jaico Impression 2007
Pages: 615
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.3 x 1
ISBN: 817224164X
Dewey Decimal Number: 943
EAN: 9788172241643
ASIN: 817224164X
Publication Date: November 21, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: IN STOCK - BRAND NEW - SENT FIRST CLASS - IMMEDIATE DISPATCH
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 A book of surprises and incomparably outlandish suggestions March 22, 2006
176 out of 209 found this review helpful
`My Struggle’ is a book that few people will want to read. This is because it was written by one of the most reviled men in history and because of the way it was written. The impression of Hitler from films and World War II books is simply a negative one: An evil war mongerer responsible for the deaths of millions. Reading his own book is intriguing and this is part of its relatively small appeal. In a similar way that classic books (e.g. Anna Karenina/Dead Souls) begin, after the first few pages you realise you are reading something created by an exceptional mind. However this book is not a beautiful story. This is not like a magazine article tackling a hard subject with little time which gives the astute reader the impression that he or she knows more about the subject than the writer. The first book `A Reckoning’ is partially a story of Hitler’s life, World War One and much of his theories and philosophy. You enter into a strange world of paragraph long sentences, repetition, constantly twisting and turning. Hitler has a go at politicians, policies, parasites e.t.c. and in a classic way is blind to the concept that his ideas might be as blinkered as those he attacks. He believes anything miserable, weak or cowardly must be eradicated, having no compassion or pity for anything that does not conform to his ideals. Hatred is a large part of this book. This book has more hatred in it than a quarter of a mile long oil tanker has oil. There is hatred for Jews, hatred against anyone who is not ulta-nationalistic or anyone not German. The author gives the impression that if the whole world were wiped out except for Germany this in itself would not be a bad thing. The reader might see from Hitler’s poverty, his misery, the huge bitterness and then a World War that this has formed something rather grotesque. It is intriguing however and there are some gems. His thoughts on history, propaganda, ideas about the state and nature are interesting but it’s not long before we are back to hatred of Marxism or an attack against incompetent politicians or greedy businesses or shopkeepers. Hitler’s solution is to have them shot. Very clear is the determination to use force rather than another means. I didn’t understand much of Mein Kampf, there is no attempt to explain anything clearly and you have to read and re-read sentences to get any impression of what exactly he is trying to say. Like a man prodding an angry dog on the other side of a fence, Mein Kampf draws you into some idea and then changes and swirls mid sentence and then modifies to another idea, all to irritate you and wear you out. I almost think Hitler sets out to confuse, as if to say I don’t really know the answer to all this and so I’ll muddy the waters as much as possible. Much of it is incomprehensible. This is not a book that sets out principles and builds them into a unifying theory. Hitler jumps from one idea to the next, there is little continuity and function is always narrowly beaten into second place by style. Mein Kampf does have a certain elegance and style that draws the reader in. Consistent with this book there are also tedious parts and sustained outbursts. The first book is hard going and the second `The National Socialist Movement’ you think will be even harder and true to form it’s not as theoretical or complicated as the first. The second book is less of a story than the first volume and I found it tedious. It shows you the near anarchy of groups struggling for power and describes marches and sinister fights in the beer halls. Here Hitler sets out his ideas for his party. Hitler’s National Socialism is an extremist workers party, a dictatorship with some distorted policies. This was a revolutionary party or perhaps terrorism on a large scale. This is a cold book, sarcastic, verbose, right on some things, wrong on others with a hefty dose of vileness. This book is an unimaginable creation and callous in the extreme. Symptomatic of the world we live in Mein Kamp offers a rare insight into the mind of a talented man who turns to bad things. This multi-sided book gives us a glimpse of why some things are but also leads you into the cul-de-sac of incorrect suppositions, his machinations going on and on exasperatingly. Hitler is religious, nationalistic, the fatherland is far more important than anyone else on Earth, but also strangely moralistic, family orientated, even faintly comical, dragged down into fine details, you won’t forget the huge impression of reading this book. For:
Intriguing
Some truth in there Against:
Vile racism, nationalism and extremism
Very poorly written
Too long for the number of ideas, leading to much repetition
Ideas that are wrong
Fascinating Beyond Words August 22, 2007
Mr. S. J. Wade (United Kingdom)
41 out of 54 found this review helpful
History is enraging in the way it always tends to pander to current prejudice and contemporary political need. We are all so wise and good at this point in history and can pretend that we are far too well-educated and morally pure, that nothing so bad is going to be done in our name, on our watch. We are so frantic in our wish to be distanced from the sustained and systematic evils of history, that we condemn the guilty as geniuses, or more remarkably, fools. Those who cling to their denial would prefer that books like this should be banned, as they bear witness to not only Hitler's evil but the pan-European common-denominator, he aspired to tap into.
It is morally convenient to believe that Hitler invented the evil aims laid out in this book. Hitler did not invent racism or anti-Semitism, he merely exploited what was already there and was actually voted into power by those who shared those views - many still do.
Published in 1925 & 1926, the two parts of the book gave fair warning of his aims and his fanatical hatreds. Across the world, many read his words and had their own feelings and hatreds confirmed. These people ranged across every class in most societies, and definitely from top to the bottom of the British social strata. It must be noted that even having been aware of Hitler's promises and even in the knowledge of seeing him carry them out, the country was willing to look the other way. It was just total chance that Churchill became leader and not Halifax - our moral superiority is based on mere luck not natural goodness. Our jingoistic pride, a deluded vanity.
Hitler's ranting coalescence of the hatreds and prejudices still bears witness to the heart of darkness of humanity, which shows no sign of going away.
Let this book be read and stand as a warning of what still continues to inspire many people, beneath the veneer of our "civilization".
Once you have read Hitler's poisonous rantings, you are forever aware that the same raving appeal to the common denominator, can still be heard or read, in the words of those who likewise wish to make us the sponsors of the contemporary fantatic's road to historical immortality.
Knowing who said it all before, might guard us against such folly.
Not what I expected at all July 19, 2005
H (UK)
60 out of 82 found this review helpful
An interesting book, written by an obviously clever man. There are many points in this book that reflect life today. His understanding of "democracy" and "parliament" really opened my eyes, as did his understanding of the media and its power as not only a propaganda tool, but also an educator. His views and understanding of what we now call "marketing" are as valid now as they were then.
SUPRISED! November 14, 2005
A. A. Alvarez (Manchester, England)
54 out of 78 found this review helpful
Excellent read, but its a book of 2 halves. The Very good and obviously the very bad. Part 1 great, Part 2 a nightmare to read as he talks about the ins and outs of the Political Party. But I would have payed the full price for just the 1st chapter alone.
I was Suprized by some of his views on life and his understanding of people.
The first part make you view the world differently, A very interesting book. Eye opening!
People read too much into this. June 8, 2004
B. Chandler (Arlington, Texas)
73 out of 106 found this review helpful
According to the Preface, this book was not written for the purpose to make friends or influence people. The design from conception is to chronicle a movement, not create one.
As a whole one can have an opinion as to the results of the book. However with out reading it the opinion has no chance to be informed. Another flaw with not reading this work is that you are relying on others opinions and inferences. Taking most of the statements and conclusions from this book and displaying them separately you would be surprised as to how many you would agree with.
Just a sample of what is on the inside:
"I know people who 'read' enormously, Book for book, letter for letter, yet whom I would not describe as 'well-read.' True they possess a mass of 'knowledge,' but their brain is unable to organize and register the material they have taken in... For reading is no end in itself, but a means to an end."
These are not platitudes but examples of observations of the time, which you can see, are timeless.
Once in a while the reading may seem redundant but it is the nature of writing for the time and place. So again this book is a must read.
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