Signed copy of Hitler's autobiography fetches 17,000 pounds at UK auction

LONDON: An extremely rare, signed copy of German dictator Adolf Hitler's autobiography, ' Mein Kampf', has been sold for a whopping 17,000 pounds at an auction in the UK.

Presented to English writer Peter Cadogan on his visit to Munich in the late 1930s, the swastika-embossed 1935 edition bears the Nazi dictator's signature on the front fly leaf.

The copy of the book is especially rare because Hitler was known to be reluctant to sign documents or souvenirs.

"Hitler didn't sign books. He did it this time on the request of Unity Mitford (a member of Hitler's inner circle of devotees)," James Thompson, auctioneer at Silverwoods in Clitheroe, told 'BBC News'.

Thompson said he was 'surprised' by the interest in the book as most people 'wouldn't touch anything Nazi with a bargepole'.

However, others believe the book should be preserved, despite Hitler's appalling reign, he added.

"In a way, it's a way to touch a monster," he said.