German Type

      German's were possessive about their German typography.  Some promonent Germans, such as German diplomat Otto Von Bismarck, refused to read anything not printed in German type.  Germans began using Fraktur,what they call their German Gothic type, in the fifteenth century and continued to use it until after WWII.  The type was called Fraktur in reference to how the letters are cut into sharp angles rather than flowing script. They also referred to it as Deutche Schriften, or German Black Letter Type.  Although other countries used this type, German speaking countries were the only ones to use it as long as it did.  The edition of Mein Kampf that I am studying was printed in Fraktur.  

An example of Fraktur typography

  The first German newspaper was printed in Fraktur.  Despite Germans clinging to the idea of this specific type for most documents, Adolf Hitler strongly discouraged its use. At first, he declared it to be a symbol of nationalistic pride, but he changed his mind later, declaring it unfit for such a strong empire.  He moved to change the type to a roman type in the 40s, mirroring the success of the Roman Empire.  I found an edition of Mein Kampf from 1943 set in Antigua type that shows the change in German thinking.  Most money, stamps, and books were printed in Fraktur before this time.
    This type has become associated with the Nazis, given the nickname "Nazi Type," despite it being around and used by Germans by far longer than the life of the Nazi Party of the Third Reich. The NSDAP, or Nazi Party, most commonly used Zenetenar Fraktur.

1943 Mein Kampf printed in Antigua

The difference between Roman and Fraktur

      As you can see, this script is difficult to read, even if you can read German! I tried to read sections of this book only to struggle over which letter is which.  I found this chart online that is helpful in deciphering some of the letters. Honestly, this made trying to read the publisher and dates very difficult!
    In Nazi Germany, the NSDAP heavily censored everything in the printing world.  They controlled all printing processes in the country at that time. The Germans perfected typesetting, the arrangement of letters on a plate, and ligature, the shape of the letters as dependent on surrounding letters.  If they wanted bold type, they had to recreate a plate especially for that. They used a movable type press where the ink was more evenly dispersed. They still had to change out plates. The Gutenberg press facilitated this process, using plates made of metal like tin.