Translation with the explanation inserted. We will begin our work where it was left off six hundred years ago.( A reference to the Old Prussia of the 13th and 14th century when Teutonic Knights conquered regions and brought in ethnic Germans. ) None of the older translations explained this obscure reference. Here is another example from the Ford translation: Therefore inding men from this group who were ready to sacriice their own lives in the service of the new ideal was Love’s Labor Lost, it was impossi ble. ( Love’s Labor Lost is the title of a Shakespeare comedy which came from a Greek poem that says “To do good to one’s enemies is love’s labor lost” doing good to your enemies is futile, and here is meant as an expression of futility ) Note how there is a parenthetical explanation so the reader actually underst ands the reference. Some of the older translations did not recognize the reference and transl ated in such a way that the phrase ‘Loves labor lost’ was not even included. Without this explanation most people would have no idea what the reference was or even if the y looked it up would still not know what it meant. This is an example of how the F ord translation has improved the understandability of Mein Kampf . Also notice how the Ford translation not MEIN KAMPF 34 MEIN KAMPF only used the phrase correctly, but it includes a plain English version right in t he sentence to make it extra clear what is being said. It contains many references t hat are very speciic, but which the original translators did not understand at all. The older translations included many obscure references to names and places suc h as this example from Reynal. In Reynal Hitchcock’s Translation, the name Dorten is not identiied by anything more than his last name and there is no other information on hi m. Any average reader would have no idea who this refers to or what it means in cont ext. The Ford translation gives a full account of such references to make the text clear. This is not just a generic historic reference that you may have seen elsewhere where the person’s name is listed with their birth/death and a few words about them. No, the F ord translation includes a complete description AS IT APPLIES TO THE REFERENCE. That means that you are not given generic information but speciic information that explains wha t the reference means in the text of Mein Kampf . Many of these references were well known at the time but have faded into his tory. Most Readers of 1927 knew what they meant, but their names are unknown to modern readers, even in Germany. Here is the passage from the Ford translation with an expla nation that matches the context: I considered and still consider those organizers to be traitors even to this da y. They were hired and paid for by France. In the case of Dorten, history has already passed judgment. ( Hans Adam Dorten, attempted a non-violent putsch in the German city of Mainz which was unsuccessful and resulted in an arrest warrant for treason. He took refuge in the French occupied Rhineland, the name for the area on both sides of the Rhine river, and formed a political party there suppor ted by the French, however, due to his treason indictment, the other political part ies looked down on the new party .) Notice how the Ford translation explains who Dorten is plus what the referenc e in Mein Kampf actually refers to, not just his name and birth/death dates. The German word putsch means a coup d’etat or a sudden, often violent or forced overthrow of the existing government. The Ford translation is by far the most accurate and easiest to read versi on of Mein Kampf ever produced. The extensive research that went into the translation itself, pl us the research into every reference in Mein Kampf which is explained, many for the irst time ever, opens the work up to a much broader audience. The availability in an audio format al so makes it available to more people who want to understand the mind that cre