'Mein Kampf' reprinted for first time

New copies of Hitler's "Mein Kampf" hit bookstores in Germany yesterday for the first time since World War II, unsettling some Jewish community leaders, as the copyright of the anti-Semitic manifesto expires.

Bavaria was handed the copyright of the book in 1945, when the Allies gave it control of the main Nazi publishing house following Hitler's defeat.

For 70 years, it refused to allow the inflammatory tract to be republished out of respect for victims of the Nazis and to prevent incitement of hatred. But "Mein Kampf" -- which means "My Struggle" -- fell into the public domain on January 1.

Copies of an annotated version running to 2,000 pages prepared by German researchers went on sale yesterday, with the authors arguing that their version would serve to demystify the notorious rant, which in any case can be found easily on the Internet.

The version by the Institute of Contemporary History of Munich (IFZ) has been in the works since 2009 and aims to "deconstruct and put into context Hitler's writing".

Retailing at 59 euros ($65), the book looks at key historical questions, the institute said, including: "How were his theses conceived? What objectives did he have? And most important: which counterarguments do we have, given our knowledge today of the countless claims, lies and assertions of Hitler?"

Christian Hartmann, who led the editorial team for the annotated version said the version could show a wider public how "aggressive the hate sermon" was.

Education Minister Johanna Wanka has argued that the annotated text should be introduced to all classrooms across Germany, saying it would serve to ensure that "Hitler's comments do not remain unchallenged".

But some among the Jewish community questioned whether it was necessary to propagate the incendiary text again.