Autographed copy of 'Mein Kampf' to hit the auction block in New York

YONKERS, N.Y., Jan. 1 (UPI) -- A rare, autographed, 1933 edition of Adolf Hitler's manifesto Mein Kampf will be sold to the highest bidder next week in Yonkers, N.Y.

The book, which features a black cloth binding, is to be auctioned off Tuesday by Cohasco, Inc. -- a dealer in and auctioneer of historical documents, manuscripts, books, antiquarian materials and collectibles.

"Hitler's signature was also printed under his portrait. That facsimile is frequently mistaken for an authentic autograph. The book offered here bears a true signature, authenticated by the late H. Keith Thompson, Jr., partner of the most famous autograph dealer in America in the last century, renowned for their Waldorf-Astoria sales," auction spokesman Bob Snyder said in a statement Thursday.

"In 2016, this book -- probably the most notorious in modern history -- will be reprinted. But the author isn't signing them any more! Autographed copies, especially with provenance, are in strong demand."

Hitler, the contemptible Nazi leader, German chancellor and architect of the Holocaust, committed suicide in 1945 near the end of World War II.

According to German copyright law, the entire text of his book entered the public domain Friday -- 70 years after the author's death. Copying or printing the work is not permitted in Germany, however.