There are four or five currently popular English translations of Mein Kampf. I'll say a few words about the translations. Then I'll say a few things about the book.
This translation, The Reynal & Hitchcock is my personal favorite. It was translated by a scholarly committee and is taken directly from the German. I consider it closest to the original and many people agree. There are, however, others who prefer the Murphy translation and yet others who claim the Manheim is superior.
The Reynal & Hitchcock has no negative comments about Hitler. Nor does it appear to endorse his words. On the other hand, the Manheim has a definite bias. I feel that the Reynal & Hitchcock is the most fair and true to the actual words of Hitler.
This book is a difficult read because the Germans don't seem to know what a period is. The sentences go on and on with only a comma now and then. But in the Reynal & Hitchcock you'll find unfamiliar words explained. The notes and annotations are absolutely wonderful.
I own the 1939 edition and love it. One other thing I'll say is this: The name of Henry Ford was taken out of Manheim. I'm not sure if it's in Murphy or not. But it is in Reynal & Hitchcock.
Now a few words about Mein Kampf -- the book. I assume if you're reading this review you already know about Mein Kampf and have perhaps read it or read part of it. But if not, perhaps a few words are in order.
Mein Kampf is an interesting look into the mind of Hitler and it is interesting how we can see some of the same characteristics running in numerous people in office today. If we don't know history, we're apt to repeat it.
Indeed, Hitler might even have won a Nobel Peace Prize based on his promises and the excitement he created in people before they really got to know him had the prize been given in those days! Certainly such greats as JFK and Churchill gave him glowing compliments.
Why did people follow Hitler? Knowing what we do now, it's easy to think the German people were stupid. The truth is the country had suffered a severe punishing war and hyperinflation -- money was worthless. They needed a real leader.
Hitler promised everyone everything. He was just the "right" person for that particular time. If times had been different, he would not have risen to power in all likelihood.
I find Hitler part genius, part psychopath.
The book -- no matter what translation -- is a must-read. It's a classic. It's a book that gives you insight into one of the most important minds of the 20th Century and in all of history.
Why should you read any translation of Mein Kampf? Sun Tzu said you must know your enemy. We read about those we regard as dangerous, or wrong or criminal in order to avoid that type of individual ever encroaching into power again. We also read to understand that person in relationship to the times in which he lived.
Just as Hitler knew his dreaded enemy, the Communist Party and Karl Marx, we should know Hitler, the Fascist dictator. Hitler didn't take on an issue or an enemy without knowing it inside-out. In that regard, he was brilliant. He knew what he was fighting. He knew the enemy.
I highly recommend this translation and the book. If you want a totally Americanized translation, consider
Mein Kampf (The Ford Translation) and for a delightful read that will tell you all about the life of Hitler in a most colorful way, read
Adolf Hitler: The Definitive Biography by the prize winning author, John Toland.
