JET handed us this Guardian article:
Unlike Mao’s Little Red Book, Mein Kampf was never given away. It was always sold. Forget Dan Brown: Hitler was – among all his other achievements – the bestselling author of the century, and canny with it. He died stinking rich on his royalties.
That golden stream still rolls in. But rolls nowhere. The state of Bavaria (appointed as the book’s postwar estate) resolutely declines payment. Hitler’s surviving relatives have never made any legal claim. Some lucre is too filthy to handle.
The article includes a fascinating bit about the British publishing the book during the war (proceeds to the Red Cross), in an effort to display “what we were fighting against”. The book remains hugely popular; the bestselling title in Turkey this year, for instance; and though Bavaria’s refusal certainly seems noble, the publishers aren’t saying “no” to their cut, I’m sure.
based on what?
I don’t buy it. I’ve looked at a lot of bestselling lists, all-time lists, and library circulation lists including worldwide lists and haven’t seen Hitler’s book at the top of any of them. I also have looked at Amazon’s ranking for different countries and it doesn’t seem to be that popular throughout their proprietary world. Guiness World Records says that Agatha Christie is the world’s bestselling fiction writer and the Top Ten of Everything claims the Little Red Book is in the top ten bestselling books of all time, but nothing from Hitler there either. And I’m supposed to believe Hitler is the bestselling author of the century?
Re:based on what?
Well I guess it depends on who makes the lists, just like the Top 10 record charts maybe they are made up of certain locations sales not the true numbers.
And anyway doesn’t the original poster say that the little red book was given away? in that case how can it be a best seller.
In either case having a captive market does help.
I would have expected the Bible to be high up for the same reason.
Maybe the important thing is did the British ask permission to reprint Mein Kampf during the war? If not surely that’s copyright theft???
Re:based on what?
This is addressed in a Cabinet magazine article from Spring 2003:
That article also includes an image of the cover.
A search of the New York Times historical database reveals a heated debate over these issues. The question of US rights went all the way to the Supreme Court in 1939: