Editing Mein Kampf (section)

===2016 critical edition===
Along with the [[Last will and testament of Adolf Hitler|rest of his wealth and property]], Hitler left the rights to the book to the German state. As Hitler's official place of residence was in [[Munich]], the copyright passed to the government of Bavaria, which refused to allow the book to be republished. The copyright ran out on 31 December 2015.

On 3 February 2010, the [[Institute of Contemporary History (Munich)|Institute of Contemporary History]] (IfZ) in Munich announced plans to re-publish an annotated version of the text, for educational purposes in schools and universities, in 2015. The book had last been published in Germany in 1945.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/mein-kampf-to-see-its-first-postwwii-publication-in-germany-1891347.html |title='Mein Kampf' to see its first post-WWII publication in Germany |date=6 February 2010 |work=[[The Independent]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100212000803/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/mein-kampf-to-see-its-first-postwwii-publication-in-germany-1891347.html |archive-date=12 February 2010 }}</ref> The IfZ argued that re-publication was necessary to get an authoritative annotated edition by the time the copyright ran out, which might open the way for [[neo-Nazi]] groups to publish their own versions.<ref name="Baetz" /> The Bavarian Finance Ministry opposed the plan, citing respect for victims of the [[Holocaust]]. It stated that permits for reprints, or a new annotated edition, would not be issued, at home or abroad.

There was disagreement about the issue of whether the republished book might be banned as Nazi propaganda. The Bavarian government emphasized that even after expiration of the copyright, "the dissemination of Nazi ideologies will remain prohibited in Germany and is punishable under the penal code".<ref>{{cite news |first=Nicholas |last=Kulish |date=4 February 2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/world/europe/05germany.html |title=Rebuffing Scholars, Germany Vows to Keep Hitler Out of Print |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=25 February 2017 |archive-date=21 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921212343/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/world/europe/05germany.html |url-status=live }}</ref> However, the Bavarian Science Minister Wolfgang Heubisch supported a critical edition, stating in 2010: "Once Bavaria's copyright expires, there is the danger of charlatans and neo-Nazis appropriating this infamous book for themselves."<ref name="Baetz">{{cite news |first=Juergen |last=Baetz |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/historians-hope-to-publish-mein-kampf-in-germany/ |title=Historians Hope to Publish 'Mein Kampf' in Germany |date=5 February 2010 |work=[[The Seattle Times]] |access-date=24 January 2019 |archive-date=24 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190124152440/https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/historians-hope-to-publish-mein-kampf-in-germany/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 12 December 2013, the Bavarian government cancelled its financial support for an annotated edition. IfZ, which was preparing the translation, announced that it intended to proceed with publication after the copyright expired,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25346140 | website=[[BBC News]] | title=Bavaria abandons plans for new edition of Mein Kampf | date=12 December 2013 | access-date=22 June 2018 | archive-date=17 November 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117103816/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25346140 | url-status=live }}</ref> and scheduled an edition of {{lang|de|Mein Kampf}} for release in 2016.<ref name=NYT_Scholars_Unveil_New_Edition>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/02/world/europe/scholars-unveil-new-edition-of-hitlers-mein-kampf.html |title=Scholars Unveil New Edition of Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' |first=Alison |last=Smale |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=1 December 2015 |access-date=25 February 2017 |archive-date=20 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170120161118/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/02/world/europe/scholars-unveil-new-edition-of-hitlers-mein-kampf.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Richard Verber, vice-president of the [[Board of Deputies of British Jews]], stated in 2015 that the board trusted the academic and educational value of republishing. "We would, of course, be very wary of any attempt to glorify Hitler or to belittle the Holocaust in any way," Verber declared to ''[[The Observer]]''. "But this is not that. I do understand how some Jewish groups could be upset and nervous, but it seems it is being done from a historical point of view and to put it in context."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/26/hitler-main-kampf-wary-welcome-british-jews|title=British Jews give wary approval to the return of Hitler's Mein Kampf|first=Vanessa|last=Thorpe|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=26 December 2015|access-date=17 December 2016|archive-date=24 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924212341/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/26/hitler-main-kampf-wary-welcome-british-jews|url-status=live}}</ref>

The annotated edition of {{lang|de|Mein Kampf}} was published in Germany in January 2016 and sold out within hours on Amazon's German site. The two-volume edition included about 3,500 notes and was almost 2,000 pages long.<ref name="nyt-eddy">{{cite web |title='Mein Kampf,' Hitler's Manifesto, Returns to German Shelves |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/09/world/europe/mein-kampf-hitler-germany.html |last=Eddy |first=Melissa |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=8 January 2016 |access-date=8 January 2016 |archive-date=9 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109024312/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/09/world/europe/mein-kampf-hitler-germany.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Usually, according to [[Gerhard Weinberg]], the information in the annotated edition that accompanies a chapter is mostly about when the chapter was written, though "in some cases" there is commentary on the nature and argument of the chapter.<ref name=Weinberg2017>{{Cite journal|last=Weinberg|first=Gerhard L.|date=25 April 2017|title=Hitler, Mein Kampf: Eine kritische Edition|editor1-first=Christian|editor1-last=Hartmann|editor2-first=Thomas|editor2-last=Vordermayer|editor3-first=Othmar|editor3-last=Plöckinger|editor4-first=Roman|editor4-last=Töppel|editor5-first=Edith|editor5-last=Raim|url=https://academic.oup.com/hgs/article-abstract/31/1/110/3755313?redirectedFrom=fulltext|access-date=27 March 2022|journal=Holocaust and Genocide Studies|volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=110–115 |doi=10.1093/hgs/dcx012 |archive-date=27 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327133743/https://academic.oup.com/hgs/article-abstract/31/1/110/3755313?redirectedFrom=fulltext|url-status=live}}</ref>

The book's publication led to public debate in Germany, and divided reactions from Jewish groups, with some supporting, and others opposing, the decision to publish.<ref name="Guardian2016">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/08/copies-of-hitlers-mein-kampf-go-on-sale-in-germany-for-first-time-in-70-years |title=High demand for reprint of Hitler's Mein Kampf takes publisher by surprise |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=8 January 2016 |access-date=17 December 2016 |archive-date=4 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104165714/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/08/copies-of-hitlers-mein-kampf-go-on-sale-in-germany-for-first-time-in-70-years |url-status=live }}</ref> German officials had previously said they would limit public access to the text amid fears that its re-publication could stir neo-Nazi sentiment.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35209185|title=Copyright of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf expires|website=[[BBC News]]|date=1 January 2016|access-date=22 June 2018|archive-date=27 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627093017/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35209185|url-status=live}}</ref> Some bookstores stated that they would not stock the book. Dussmann, a Berlin bookstore, stated that one copy was available on the shelves in the history section, but that it would not be advertised, and more copies would be available only on order.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35242523|title=Mein Kampf hits stores in tense Germany|website=[[BBC News]]|date=8 January 2016|access-date=22 June 2018|archive-date=1 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180601144142/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35242523|url-status=live}}</ref> By January 2017, the German annotated edition had sold over 85,000 copies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-annotated-version-of-hitlers-mein-kampf-a-hit-in-germany-2017-1|title=The annotated version of Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' is a hit in Germany|work=[[Business Insider]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|access-date=4 January 2017|archive-date=4 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104142431/http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-annotated-version-of-hitlers-mein-kampf-a-hit-in-germany-2017-1|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=3 January 2017 |title=Germany sees 'overwhelming' sales of Hitler's Mein Kampf |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38495456 |access-date=21 March 2025 |work=BBC News}}</ref>

[[Gerhard Weinberg]] wrote a generally positive review of the annotated edition, praising the choice to include not only editors' comments but also changes of the original text. He said that notes such as those of chapters eight and nine "will be extremely helpful" about the situation in the time of Hitler's entry into politics and lauded the notes to chapter 11 ("People and Race") as "extensive and very helpful" as well. On the negative side, Weinberg observed that the editors make a false correction at one point; that they miss an informative book on German atrocities during World War I; that they include a survey of Nazi membership too late; and that all of his own work on Hitler goes unmentioned in the bibliography.<ref name=Weinberg2017/>