Protocols of the Meetings of the Learned Elders of Zion with Preface and Explanatory Notes, The [Paperback]

Sergius Nilus (Author), Victor E. Marsden (Translator), Henry Ford (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 19, 2003

The Protocols of the Elders of Zion was supposedly written in 1897 from the minutes of 24 secret meetings between Jews and Freemasons in which they conspired to bring down Western civilization and jointly rule the world. In reality, it is nothing of the sort. Protocols tells of a Jewish plot to take over the world. Historians have long said the work is a forgery concocted by Czar Nicholas II's secret police to blame Russia's troubles on Jews. In 1921, Philip Graves of the London Times revealed The Protocols to be a fraud, showing it to be based on a French satire aimed at Napoleon III. Professor Nilus was a priest in the Orthodox Church in Russia. He published the first Russian language edition in 1905. In 1920 Henry Ford bought "The Dearborn Independent," a virile and very independent journal published in his home town. He used it to publish the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and a series of articles about the book, as part of his series of 81 articles (between 1920 and 1922) on "the Jewish Question in America," which he called "the world's foremost problem." The Dearborn Independent was distributed nationwide to Ford dealer showrooms and was offered free of charge to the general public. The relevant articles are collected here so that the whole can be studied at one time. This book is an important document in the history of anti-Semitism, and has been used as required reading in many university anti-Semitism courses.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

April 6, 2000

As some readers may be aware, a hoax e-mail has been circulating widely that falsely claims Amazon.com has favorably reviewed this book. This allegation is, of course, absolutely untrue. Nevertheless, this rumor has become so widespread on the Internet that it's already a recognized "urban legend," just like alligators living in the sewers. Amazon.com obviously does not endorse The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion. This book is one of the most infamous, and tragically influential, examples of racist propaganda ever written. It may be useful to some as a tool in the teaching of the history of anti-Semitism, but it's unquestionably propaganda.

Does Amazon.com sell this book? Of course we do, along with millions of other titles. The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion is classified under "controversial knowledge" in our store, along with books about UFOs, demonic possession, and all manner of conspiracy theories. You can also find books in other sections of Amazon.com's online bookstore that analyze The Protocols' fraudulent origins and its tragic historical role in promoting anti-Semitism and Jewish persecution, including A Lie and a Libel: The History of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

Should Amazon.com sell The Protocols and other controversial works? As a bookseller, Amazon.com strongly believes that providing open access to written speech, no matter how hateful or ugly, is one of the most important things we do. It's a service that the United States Constitution protects, and one that follows a long tradition of booksellers serving as guardians of free expression in our society.

Not all countries view these issues the same way. And one of our greatest challenges is to work cooperatively with other governments to respect their laws without compromising our core values of free expression and free exchange of information--values that the Internet embodies on a global scale.

Nevertheless, Amazon.com believes it is censorship not to sell certain books because we believe their message repugnant, and we would be rightly criticized if we did so. Therefore, we will continue to make this book and other controversial works available in the United States and everywhere else, except where they are prohibited by law.

Furthermore, because we strongly believe that the appropriate response to repugnant speech is not censorship, but more speech, we will continue to allow readers, authors, and publishers to express their views about the books and other products we offer on our Web site.

We hope we have eliminated any confusion surrounding this book. If you happened to be one of the many who received the infamous e-mail, we would appreciate it if you would pass this along to your friends. It is very hurtful to everyone at Amazon.com to be accused of racism.

Thank you for your consideration.

*****

Amazon.com, April 6, 2000 Review

Although it's a pernicious fraud, The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion has unfortunately had a widespread influence--all of it evil--on the history of the 20th century. It was exposed as a hoax in 1921, yet it has been used as a justification for the Holocaust and for innumerable pogroms in Russia and the Soviet Union.

The Protocols was supposedly written in 1897 from the minutes of 24 secret meetings between Jews and Freemasons in which they conspired to bring down Western civilization and jointly rule the world. In reality, it is nothing of the sort. In 1921, Philip Graves of the London Times revealed The Protocols to be a fraud, showing it to be based on a French satire aimed at Napoleon III. In a series of side-by-side extracts printed in the Times, Graves demonstrated that the forgers took long portions of the original text, titled Dialogues in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu, and simply replaced "France" with "Zion" and "The Emperor" with "We the Jews." Further investigations by the Russian historian Vladimir Burtsev revealed other sources for The Protocols, including a fantasy novel by Hermann Goedsche and, more darkly, the hand of the Russian secret police.

Sadly, despite its clearly fraudulent nature, The Protocols continues today to feed the fears of the credulous and to fan the flames of fanaticism and hate. --Perry M. Atterberry

From Amazon.com Please note that Amazon.com does not endorse the views expressed in this book or those in the publisher's book description below.

Amazon.com Review

A Message from the Anti-Defamation League
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, circulated by the Czarist secret police at the turn of the 20th century, is plainly and simply a plagiarized forgery. "The Protocols" has been a major weapon in the arsenals of anti-Semites around the world, republished and circulated by individuals, hate groups and governments to convince the gullible as well as the bigoted that Jews have schemed and plotted to take over the world.

Statement of Amazon.com April 6, 2000
As some readers may be aware, a hoax e-mail has been circulating widely that falsely claims Amazon.com has favorably reviewed this book. This allegation is, of course, absolutely untrue. Nevertheless, this rumor has become so widespread on the Internet that it's already a recognized "urban legend," just like alligators living in the sewers. Amazon.com obviously does not endorse The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion. This book is one of the most infamous, and tragically influential, examples of racist propaganda ever written. It may be useful to some as a tool in the teaching of the history of anti-Semitism, but it's unquestionably propaganda.

Does Amazon.com sell this book? Of course we do, along with millions of other titles. The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion is classified under "controversial knowledge" in our store, along with books about UFOs, demonic possession, and all manner of conspiracy theories. You can also find books in other sections of Amazon.com's online bookstore that analyze The Protocols' fraudulent origins and its tragic historical role in promoting anti-Semitism and Jewish persecution, including A Lie and a Libel: The History of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

Should Amazon.com sell The Protocols and other controversial works? As a bookseller, Amazon.com strongly believes that providing open access to written speech, no matter how hateful or ugly, is one of the most important things we do. It's a service that the United States Constitution protects, and one that follows a long tradition of booksellers serving as guardians of free expression in our society.

Not all countries view these issues the same way. And one of our greatest challenges is to work cooperatively with other governments to respect their laws without compromising our core values of free expression and free exchange of information--values that the Internet embodies on a global scale.

Nevertheless, Amazon.com believes it is censorship not to sell certain books because we believe their message repugnant, and we would be rightly criticized if we did so. Therefore, we will continue to make this book and other controversial works available in the United States and everywhere else, except where they are prohibited by law.

Furthermore, because we strongly believe that the appropriate response to repugnant speech is not censorship, but more speech, we will continue to allow readers, authors, and publishers to express their views about the books and other products we offer on our Web site.

We hope we have eliminated any confusion surrounding this book. If you happened to be one of the many who received the infamous e-mail, we would appreciate it if you would pass this along to your friends. It is very hurtful to everyone at Amazon.com to be accused of racism.

Thank you for your consideration.

Amazon.com Review
Although it's a pernicious fraud, The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion has unfortunately had a widespread influence--all of it evil--on the history of the 20th century. It was exposed as a hoax in 1921, yet it has been used as a justification for the Holocaust and for innumerable pogroms in Russia and the Soviet Union.

The Protocols was supposedly written in 1897 from the minutes of 24 secret meetings between Jews and Freemasons in which they conspired to bring down Western civilization and jointly rule the world. In reality, it is nothing of the sort. In 1921, Philip Graves of the London Times revealed The Protocols to be a fraud, showing it to be based on a French satire aimed at Napoleon III. In a series of side-by-side extracts printed in the Times, Graves demonstrated that the forgers took long portions of the original text, titled Dialogues in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu, and simply replaced "France" with "Zion" and "The Emperor" with "We the Jews." Further investigations by the Russian historian Vladimir Burtsev revealed other sources for The Protocols, including a fantasy novel by Hermann Goedsche and, more darkly, the hand of the Russian secret police.

Sadly, despite its clearly fraudulent nature, The Protocols continues today to feed the fears of the credulous and to fan the flames of fanaticism and hate. --Perry M. Atterberry

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: University Press of the Pacific (December 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1410210219
• ISBN-13: 978-1410210210
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,489,635 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

278 of 391 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Know what you are reading, December 12, 1999

By 

DDDDDDD (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Protocols of Zion (Paperback)

Let us get a few facts straight: This book was forged by the Czarist secret police Ochrana beginning this century and published by a crazy priest, Sergius Nilus, in 1905 (just in time for the pogroms). It is a crude, anti-semitic rehash of an excellent 1864 book by Maurice Joly's "Les Dialogues aux Enfers" - a dialogue in Hell between Montesquieu and Machiavelli, in which Machiavelli explains to a horrified Montesquieu how a liberal democracy with all the trappings (separations of power, a free press, etc) can be subverted step by step into a despotic regime.</p> This was a not-so-veiled critique of the autocratic reign of Napoleon III. There is, alas, no English translation of this book, although there are French and German versions (that I know of). If you are the sort of troglodyte who believes in world-wide conspiracies, then any advice I may have for you is useless.</p> If you are not, and you are just curious about a book which has had such a profound impact, I'd cautiously recommend reading it - bearing in mind that these lies contributed more than any other single book to the slaughter of millions of Jews in this century.

14 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Read, January 22, 2011

By 

C. Severance (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion (Paperback)

I read the book and watched the dvd by Marc Levin (called Protocols of Zion). I thought both were worth my time. The dvd provides clear evidence of what some in our world believe and shows the passions that are yoked to those convictions. There are people who will immediately discount and reject Levin's presentation, but, taken at face value, it clearly presents a collection of straight forward experiences and, honestly, saddens me. We are a deeply torn humanity.

As a researcher, Protocols was a book I needed to go through. While presenting itself as "Jewish," I'm amazed by the similarities I find, in outlook and method, with any number of anti-democratic totalitarian systems, with American Progressivism, Statist Secular Socialism, and even with Islamic political fundamentalism. One could replace many Jewish references with some other entity and recognize historic examples of what the Protocols convey, likely because the book presents the workings of evil. Evil finds its home in the human heart, in the human condition. Thus, no single people group escapes its touch and the Protocols can apply to many throughout history. Assume it was not of Jewish authorship and origination. The author would need to be intimate with the workings of evil him or her self to create the work. We meet ourselves.

I realize the book's fame is anchored to some Islamic promotion, yet the concept of "freedom" found on pages 51, 65, and 97 (in my copy), for example, is a similar concept, a similar view of freedom, as that found in Islam (freedom according to Shariah, harmony, and as outlined by Islamic thinkers like Seyyid Qutb). So, before one throws stones, one should examine his or her own system and see how Protocols speaks to it.

Not everyone needs to read the Protocols, and those who do should, perhaps, labor to see its wider implications.

79 of 122 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If a forgery, where's the original?, November 14, 2007

By 

V S "Developed a $6 OBD1 Handheld in 1986" (Milwaukee WI) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion (Hardcover)

There is something to be said of this book. It is nowhere NEAR the complete edition (There are more versions of this than I can count, almost all are edited and shortened considerably).

"The evil Jew" being responsible or not, take the "jew" out of it, and you'll see this book of the supposed meeting is actually a book of predictions that has come true in every respect.

If nothing else, it is a 95% accurate representation of today's western society...a godless, obsessed with entertainment, mindless, thoughtless, dumbed-down people that have another class of people over them. They have no hope, but are so dumb that they pay for their own destruction - socially, economically, intellectually.

Even if the book is "fake" (it IS a book, isnt it? How can it be fake? Is it invisible?) everything in it has come true.

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