EH - Agriculture

1998

EH -- Agriculture

98-1/2-166

Alternativer Landbau und feministische Naturwissenschaftskritik: eine Bibliographie mit Kommentar [Alternative Farming and the Feminist Criticism of the Natural Sciences: An Evaluative Bibliography]. Maren Landschulze. Frankfurt am Main; Bern [et al.]: Lang, 1997. 211 p. 21 cm. ISBN 3-631-31735-2: DM 65.00

This bibliography begins with a chapter outlining the current status of feminist research in the sciences and technology, followed by a more specific discussion of feminist perspectives on the agricultural sciences. The author concedes that in the study of agriculture, there has been little reception to date of the debates one finds in the natural sciences. A chapter follows describes various alternative farming methods, in which two specific forms--the Japanese method of natural agriculture practiced in Fukuoka, and the "permaculture" developed by Mollison and Holmgren and practiced largely in the United States and Australia--receive the most attention. By comparison, the various forms of "ecological farming" (German: Öko-Landbau) most common in Europe are given far less treatment. Following these articles there is a list of cited literature which is largely duplicated in the bibliography. This bibliography consists mainly of works published in the 1980s of which only a small minority (marked with an asterisk) have actually been examined by the author. That this leads to a number of errors regarding completeness and accuracy goes without saying. These many errors, the relatively high price, and the unacceptably early cut-off date for inclusion (August 1993) make the acquisition of this volume unadvisable for libraries. [jr/jg]

98-1/2-167

Bibliographie der deutschsprachigen Jagdliteratur von 1851 bis 1945 [Bibliography of German-language Literature on Hunting from 1851 to 1945]. Sigrid Schwenk. Berlin [et al.]: de Gruyter. 28 cm.

Vol. 1. A-K. 1997. xxii p., 1814 col. ill. ISBN 3-11-012216-2: DM 580.00

As the title indicates, this (at least physically) weighty volume seeks to continue where Kurt Lindner's Bibliographie der deutschen und der niederländischen Jagdliteratur von 1480 bis 1850 (Berlin: de Gruyter, 1976) left off. Indeed, as the compiler writes in her foreword (p. xvi), she was centrally involved in the realization of Lindner's bibliography and privy to Lindner's plans for a continuation. (Lindner died in 1987.) She is presently working at the Office for Hunting Culture Research (Forschungsstelle für Jagdkultur) at the University of Bamberg, which was created at her mentor's instigation.

Although claiming to be of interest and of usefulness to actual hunters, a review of this work reveals a perspective more typical of bibliophiles. The effort to be as meticulous as possible--e.g., by physically examining every work mentioned (Autopsieprinzip) and by documenting all editions of each--might also explain the long delay in publication. Like Lindner's initial volume (though without the same justification), bibliographic description of title-pages follows the principles of quasi-facsimile transcription, which seems exorbitant at times, as in the case of simple Reclam editions, dissertations, and even the Weapons Law (Waffengesetz) of 1928. Exact collations and an abbreviation for the holding library whose copy was examined are also provided. Intended to promote the appeal for hunters and the lay public are long excerpts from forewords and introductions as well as many illustrations, usually of title pages.

Since this is a comprehensive work, it also attempts to cover fiction with a hunting theme or background, though this opens a bottomless pit that the author cannot hope to fathom--and clearly has not.

Volume 1 has numerous indexes, some more useful than others. These include indexes by publication year (then author/title); by place of publication (though without subdividing by publisher, a significant weakness); by title; by personal name, subdivided into a number of categories, including contributors, editors, translators, authors of forewords/introductions, illustrators, and individuals or organizations responsible for publication; dissertations (by university); et al. A detailed subject index must await publication of volume 2: its preparation will be aided, it is hoped, by the conversion of the datafile to electronic form.

Whether a continuation of this project beyond 1945 is technically feasible, fundable (enormous amounts of public money have gone into its realization so far, especially license fees levied from hunters in Rhineland-Palatinate), and even necessary remains to be seen. [sh/jg]

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