A standard German People’s Edition (Volksausgabe) of Mein Kampf, printed in 1941 by Franz Eher Nachfolger, Munich, from the 656th–660th printing, distinguished by a contemporaneous French-language inscription attesting to its recovery from the personal library of Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring at Berchtesgaden in the final days of the Second World War.

The inscription, dated 5 May 1945, attributes recovery to the 2nd Armored Division of General Leclerc. Its phrasing is institutional and impersonal, crediting the division rather than an individual, and corresponds precisely to the brief period following the Allied seizure of the Obersalzberg, during which French elements passed through the area after U.S. occupation.

The handwriting is consistent with that of a French officer educated in the interwar period, characterized by a steady and deliberate hand, correct military terminology, accurate use of titles, and a strictly documentary tone. The internal elements of the inscription—date format, attribution, location, and language—are coherent and align with established troop movements and command structure in early May 1945.

A period photographic portrait of General Leclerc is present within the volume, inserted loose and not affixed, consistent with documentation assembled by an officer at the time rather than a later presentation.

While Mein Kampf is a widely encountered publication, copies that can be credibly linked to the private library of Hermann Göring are considerably less so. Göring’s ownership of a standard wartime People’s Edition is entirely plausible; his library is known to have included both finely bound presentation volumes and ordinary reference copies. The coherence of the inscription, its chronology, and its restraint place this volume within the category of institutionally recovered Third Reich material, rather than a casual souvenir or later assemblage.

A sober and historically grounded artifact linking the ideology of the Nazi regime, one of its most senior figures, and the collapse of power in May 1945.  Please note: A similar copy belonging to Hitler that originated with the Lieber Hitler collection sold in my auction about 10 years ago for $28,500.  Bidding for this item has started artificially low to encourage bidding.