The Worst Father’s Day Gift: Fritzl’s Book

By Staff

Wednesday, July 8, 2009, 15:16

Can you imagine what can be the worst gift on a father's day? It is none other than the book on Austrian incest fiend Josef Fritzl. WH Smith, the British newspaper, books and stationery retailer, has come under fire for promoting this book as a Father's Day gift.

Josef Fritzl, kept daughter Elisabeth captive for 24 years in a rat-infested cellar at Amstetten, Austria. Not only that he raped her constantly and she had seven children by him. The Crimes of Josef Fritzl, written by journalists Stefanie Marsh and Bojan Pancevski show the details of the crime.

The shoppers however had got a shock when they saw this book on a "Top 50 Books for Dad" display. The book was displayed along other books that proclaimed "Dads Are Heroes." The book promoted alongside more traditional gifts written by the likes of Dan Brown and Jeremy Clarkson.

WH Smith called the blunder "a mistake by one store". They admitted the mistake and rectified the error. They also thanked the customers for bringing this into their attention.