Created by the fossilization of tree resin, amber has been deeply associated with the low countries and the German people for centuries to the point where mentions of the Germanic amber trade in written Roman records even predate the word "Germania", and the shoreline west of Koenigsberg (renamed Kalingrad following World War II) is still one of the key sources of amber on the modern market. Known by several names, the Low German term "Bernstein" has become the standard in German speaking nation. Harvested in relatively small pieces, large works in amber are traditionally assembled "jigsaw" style from multiple panels, with both the shape and the color of the individual pieces being taken into account to produce the desired effect. This particular amber item measures 4 5/8 inches wide, 7 1/2 inches tall and just short of a quarter inch thick, and is assembled from 30 individual rectangular pieces of bright orange Baltic amber set into a silver frame with a lightly beveled edge, a silver rivet in each corner, a raised silver Nazi Eagle in the center and the title lettering "Adolf Hitler/Mein Kampf" above and below. An extra piece of amber shaped into a swastika measuring 7/8 inch square, is present on the silver finished brass cover latch. The rest of the exterior binding is brown leather, with light gold paint accents on the spine and a set of four small rivets on the rear cover. A tiny metal plaque inside the cover bears the makers mark of the North German Amber Industry firm Naujoks, Mann & Gedenk of Konigsberg and the first page bears a hand-calligraphed presentation marking identifying the book as a honor prize given out by the Oberburgermeisters of the coastal city of Rostock to the winner of a officer's steeple chase held on 25 September 1938 at the city. The specific winner has not been identified. The contents are a fairly typical 1937 edition of Hitler's Mein Kampf. Written during his incarceration following the failed Beer Hall Putsch, Mein Kampf (My Struggle) was half-autobiography, half-blueprint for the impending Third Reich, laying out Hitler's political aims and goals for the nation, including the desire to secure "Lebensraum" (Living Room) at the expense of Eastern Europe and Russia. Also included with the book is a blue leatherette covered transport case, lined with padded white linen in the top and white satin in the bottom.