The perfect present...Mein Kampf ?

Just what I want for Christmas!

Tom Gross reports that several branches of Waterstone's, Britain's largest bookseller, have been promoting Hitler's Mein Kampf as the perfect gift for Christmas.

Staff at a Waterstone’s branch in the northern English town of Huddersfield, for example, used a festive point-of-sale sticker to promote the book as “the perfect present” with an accompanying personal recommendation message by a staff member trumpeting the book as “an essential read for anyone”.

According to the (London) Jewish Chronicle, Waterstone’s stores in Manchester, Liverpool and elsewhere also displayed front covers of multiple copies of Mein Kampf, a sales technique designed to attract shoppers.

There has been remarkably little coverage of this story in Britain’s national press, though The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian did run short news items, and so did Fox News in America. (I have seen no editorials or comments pieces or letters to the editor.)

Several Jewish leaders regarded Waterstone’s apology as less than satisfactory.

A Waterstone’s spokesperson said: “We do not believe we actively promote this book; our customers are capable of forming their own opinions on whether to purchase it or not… However staff should not have used inappropriate seasonal stickers on the book. We will also communicate with all our branches at the earliest possible opportunity to remind them of the sensitivities surrounding our stocking of Mein Kampf.”

How sensitive.

/sarc

But then, given everything else coming out of Britain these days, I suppose we cannot be too surprised. 

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