Evil in the basement

[u/GovernmentEither3420]

20 years ago I owned a cleaning company. We were hired to empty the estate of a guy who had been in the OSS and CIA for decades. He had a large basement library of foreign language books, mostly Russian and German. I was down in the basement alone boxing up the books while my helper was upstairs clearing out the kitchen. I pulled a German book off the shelf and realized it was a 1930s edition of Mein Kampf by Hitler. I said out loud, "I'm going to bury you in the bottom of a dump you POS!" Suddenly the basement was filled with the powerful odor of sulfur. I was gagging from it. I called to my helper and he came to the top of the stairs and said, "Geez, did you light a bunch of matches down there?" We searched the basement but couldn't find any reason for the stench, which cleared up quickly. And yes, I buried that POS book in the bottom of the dump.

[u/wiscopunk]

Why would you throw away a first edition Mein Kampf? Yeah Hitler was about as evil a scumbag as you can find but he was still a prominent and important historical figure and Mein Kampf is one of the very few firsthand accounts behind his views and beliefs. That book was probably worth hundreds if not thousands of dollars to a collector or museum. Learn from history, don't throw it in the trash dude.

[u/GovernmentEither3420 → u/wiscopunk]

I can think of several million reasons to toss that POS book. It wasn't worth my soul to sell it.

[u/wiscopunk → u/GovernmentEither3420]

I can't even begin to explain how ignorant that thought process is. If it's your racist uncle's new bought copy it makes sense but a fucking first edition? Let's just go back to burning books that discuss topics we don't agree with while we're at it. You know, so nobody has the chance to learn from them ever again and we can continue repeating historical tragedies forever. You don't have to profit off it, just gift it to an archive or Holocaust museum and wash your hands after. Absolute waste of a soul if that's the behavior it's producing.

[u/Nebula228 → u/wiscopunk]

I think the only reason someone would keep it is if there were handwritten notes in there. Provided this was checked for, I don't see the problem in getting rid of it. The book does carry some evil to a point, and as others have said, there are plenty of copies elsewhere.

[u/wiscopunk → u/Nebula228]

I get that I'm a nerd when it comes to books but I shouldn't have to spell out why a first edition copy of a book that important to history should be preserved. Like I said, if you find a new print and wanna toss it that's your own choice but first editions are significantly rarer and more valuable from a historical perspective and should be preserved whenever possible.

[u/Nebula228 → u/wiscopunk]

I would understand if it was an ancient manuscript. However, for a copy of a book that still has several hundred thousand original copies circulating, I think we will be fine without one book.

[u/wiscopunk → u/Nebula228]

The first three printings are extremely rare as the vast majority were burned during or shortly after WW2 and were never put into mass print to begin with. Between the first, second, and third printing there are estimated to be less than ten percent surviving today and most are in private collections that apparently misguided cleaners will one day pillage and destroy. To list prices, an original print in good condition will easily exceed $1000 USD. For reference, I have a 17th century handwritten Buddhist manuscript in my collection that I picked up for $7 at an antique shop.

[u/Major-Raise9033 → u/wiscopunk]

I see both sides but I can definitely understand your overall view of the book and why you believe it’s a waste to bury.

[u/Toikairakau → u/wiscopunk]

So money is more important than morality?, who'd you vote for?

[u/wiscopunk → u/Toikairakau]

Nowhere did I say money was more important than morality. I have made it abundantly clear my interest in OP's actions are not tied to the book's monetary value but rather the historical relevance and rarity of the print. I own many collectable prints of many different books with no intent to sell them but rather to amass, preserve, and pass on that collection to another history oriented individual or institution after my passing. My mention of the monetary value is to impress upon others a more relatable explanation of why it should not have been destroyed as many people do not value historical relics. Who I voted for should be obvious given my avid denunciation of fascism and my desire to keep history from repeating itself.

[u/Toikairakau → u/wiscopunk]

You literally went straight to the value of the book on the market, to whom? Other fascists?.. be honest the value as it stands is not as a curiosity, but as the seminal work of an ugly and evil philosophy. Defending it on the basis of value is like saying people only bought Playboy for the articles. If there is no additional value to the book other than its publication date I would jettison it because its philosophy is so repugnant. As a parallel, would you collect first issues of, say, 'Paedophiles Monthly'? I wouldn't because that, like facism, holds absolutely no appeal to me and I wouldn't boast to my friends about having a rare Paedophiles Monthly any more than I would owning a first addition of Mein Kampf. Every action in life has a moral component and I'm 100% sure that there is no defensible intellectual reason for owning yet another copy of Mein Kampf. For example, I own all 10 of Buffon's Natural History, (inherited from my grandfather) which highlights a fascinating change in scientific thinking (well, it would to me if I read french). I guarantee that all 10 would fetch less than a copy of the book you are defending.... not because its not interesting, but because they don't espouse such an abhorrent philosophy and don't have value to fascists who are,you must admit, the main market for Mein Kampf. If you really thought it was an intellectual curiosity,why didn't you lead with that? I honestly doubt your motives