AK - Varia - 2001

2001

AK -- Varia

Kinder- und Jugendliteratur in Deutschland: 1840-1950; Gesamtverzeichnis der Veröffentlichungen in deutscher Sprache [Children's and Youth Literature in Germany: 1840-1950; Complete Directory of German-Language Publications]. Comp. Aiga Klotz. Stuttgart; Weimar: Metzler. 30 cm. (Repertorien zur deutschen Literaturgeschichte, ...). ISBN 3-476-00701-4 [01-2-219]

Vol. 4. (R-S). 1996. 561 p. (..., 14). ISBN 3-476-00705-7: DM 328.00
Vol. 5. (T-Z). With two supplements: Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm; A Thousand and One Arabian Nights. 1999. 478 p. (...,15). ISBN 3-476-00706-5: DM 328.00
Vol. 6. Register [Index]
Pt. 1. 2000. 535 p. (..., 16). ISBN 3-476-00707-3: DM 328.00
Pt. 2. 2000. 575 p. (..., 16). ISBN 3-476-01760-5: DM 328.00

This voluminous work, last discussed on these pages in RREA 1:254 (1995) after publication of volume 3, is now finally complete in six volumes. The numbers speak for themselves: 2,500 pages and 75,000 title entries, representing 8,680 authors. It is now possible to evaluate the work as a whole.

There is no need to repeat at length the virtues and shortcomings noted earlier. Praiseworthy is still the industry and the energy of the compiler. A particularly user-friendly system of numbering entries for authors and their works considerably simplifies consultation and citation. It is also a help to users that there are publication history summaries for books that first appeared before the period covered, e.g., the works of Christoph von Schmid (1768-1854). Yet among the negatives is still, very fundamentally, the lack of a clear statement of inclusion criteria, meaning that each user must discover on his or her own that picture books and non-fiction are simply not within the scope of this work. The user is also left to discover that anonymous works are lacking as well. As a result, numerous "Märchen" or "Bilderbücher" found in standard bibliographies for these 110 years are simply absent. Indeed, in the compiler's exclusionary zeal, texts for children composed by illustrators are also omitted, meaning enormous gaps for such important figures as Lothar Meggendorfer, Oscar Pletsch, and Gustav Süs. This is all the more bizarre since texts composed for children by doctors or lawyers are included as a matter of course. Why, then, not artists?

Despite these systematic (and unexplained) omissions, the work has tripled in size from its originally planned two volumes. Granted, a rather weak attempt to justify the ballooning of the work is contained in an afterword to the fifth volume, wherein the author argues that after beginning the work, she decided to yield to demands of readers that she strive for greater "comprehensiveness." Yet if this were a new development, why has the word "comprehensive" (German: Gesamt-) been part of the title since volume 1? In the preface to volume 1, it is also stated explicitly that comprehensiveness was the goal. Volume 1 actually covered A through F, so it should have been clear from the outset that a two-volume limit was illusory.

Quibbling aside, there is much to praise in Klotz's work. No one has ever before dared, for example, to compile a bibliography of all versions and editions of Grimms' fairy tales. Klotz has now performed this service: she counts more than 350 compilers and adapters, not to mention 755 dramatic versions. An impressive 286 versions of the Arabian Nights are also covered in a special bibliographical article.

There are eight indexes to aid users: title, illustrator name, year of publication, keyword ("search term"), subject, place of publication, publisher, and series. Since the work is in author order, that category can be omitted.

For the future, there can be almost no doubt that researchers in the field of German children's literature will surely first turn to Klotz. Yet in light of genre restrictions, this will not be enough. They will still need to search out and use many other smaller bibliographies, catalogs, and author bibliographies to get their work done. Although it is impossible not to pay a great compliment to the compiler, Kinder- und Jugendliteratur in Deutschland: 1840-1950 demonstrates once again the limits that a single individual confronts when seeking to create a work of such scale and complexity. [hew/jg]

Alte deutsche Kinderbücher [Old German Children's Books]. Heinz Wegehaupt. Stuttgart: Hauswedell. 28 cm [01-2-220]

Vol. 3. Bibliographie 1524-1900: zugleich Bestandsverzeichnis der in Bibliotheken und einigen Privatsammlungen in Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt und Thüringen befindlichen Kinder- und Jugendbücher [Bibliography 1524-1900: Being Also a Catalog of Children's and Youth Books in Libraries and in Several Private Collections in Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia]. 2000. 488 p. ill. ISBN 3-7762-0600-4: EUR 99.00

The first two volumes of this bibliography were published in 1979 and 1985, respectively, while the compiler was head of the children's book department (Kinder- und Jugendbuchabteilung, founded in 1951) of the Deutsche Staatsbibliothek [German National Library] in what was then East Berlin. Wegehaupt's bibliography not only cataloged the holdings of this collection (6,189 entries) broken down by periods (1507-1850 for volume 1 and 1851-1900 for volume 2), but also provided a solid bibliographical foundation for future research in the field of historical children's literature.

In the years since 1985, this collection has continued to grow, with acquisitions--in German and in other languages--being drawn from libraries and private collections across the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). In 1997, the collection numbered 145,000 volumes, 50,000 published before 1945. Since 1995, a selection of new acquisitions has been made available biannually in accession lists. Not only is this continued growth significant in light of the scope of this latest volume of Alte deutsche Kinderbücher, but also in light of the continued growth in and widespread distribution of children's literature collections throughout the former GDR, with notable holdings in university, college, and state libraries located in Magdeburg, Berlin (Humboldt-Universität), Dresden, Gotha, Halle, Jena, Leipzig, Weimar, and elsewhere.

Despite the impression conveyed by the subtitle of this work, no attempt has been made to catalog these various collections. Instead, as Wegehaupt explains in his introduction, only historical children's books not found in volumes 1 or 2 have been included in volume 3. For these 4,218 titles, however, all locations are noted. Also, Wegehaupt describes many of the libraries in which he did his work, emphasizing that for many, children's books, often received as deposit copies, were once regarded as more of a "burden than an asset."

With the exception of magazines, annuals, and calendars, just about all genres and formats are included. The oldest book is Ulrich Zwingli's leerbiechlein of 1524. Erasmus's De civilitate morum puerilium (1530) is another notable early book for children. In all, there are 34 works from before 1600 and 59 from the 17th century, adding significantly to the corpus of the earliest children's books identified in the first two volumes.

The work is organized alphabetically by author, with anonymous works integrated by title. Access to the first two volumes is facilitated by cross-references. There are eight indexes: chronological overview; publishers by place (though without providing entry numbers for the works themselves); titles arranged by place of publication where no publisher is named; titles with no publisher or place; publisher; title; illustrators and engravers. Finally, an author index for all three volumes is provided, truly integrating the complete work. There are numerous illustrations, many in color, making leisurely browsing an edifying and enjoyable experience--an unusual recommendation for a bibliography!

This is a treasure trove for the specialist. A number of first editions are documented here that are found nowhere else, and very definitely not on the Internet. The volume is furthermore attractively bound, underscoring both its solidity and value. [mmk/jg]

Fränkische Kinderbücher aus fünf Jahrhunderten: eine Ausstellung der Universitätsbibliothek, 19. Oktober-11. November [Franconian Children's Books from Five Centuries: An Exhibit of the University Library, October 19-November 11, 2001]. Ed. Christina Hofmann-Randall. Erlangen: Universitätsbibliothek, 2001. 180 p. ill. 30 cm. (Schriften der Universitätsbibliothek Erlangen-Nürnberg, 40). ISBN 3-930357-46-1: EUR 25.00. (Universitätsbibliothek Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91051 Erlangen, fax [49 9131] 85-9309, e-mail: direktion@bib.uni-erlangen.de ) [01-2-221]

Both the City Library in Nuremberg and the University Library in Erlangen owe the existence of their children's literature collections to a shared historical privilege. Since 1743, publishers in the Franconian cities of Hof, Bayreuth, and Erlangen have had to deposit copies of all publications in these two libraries; in 1840, publishers in Nuremberg and Fürth, e.g., Löwensohn, also became so obliged. Of course, publishing for children in this region precedes both of these dates by more than two centuries; indeed, the oldest children's book from Nuremberg (a children's catechism) dates from 1522. Later in the 16th century, publishers such as Gutknecht, Endter, and Weigel/Schneider were publishing many books for young readers. For those who want to know more, the standard bibliography of children's books in Nuremberg was compiled by Dorothea Rammensee and published in Bamberg by Meisenbach in 1961: Bibliographie der Nürnberger Kinder- und Jugendbücher: 1522-1914.

The present volume is an exhibition catalog featuring 85 Franconian children's books in chronological order, many introduced with full-page color reproductions, from the famous Orbis pictus of Johann Amos Comenius (Nuremberg: Endter, 1666; orig. ed. 1658) to a non-fiction title of the year 2000, Lebendige Geschichte. Fifty of the works are from the 20th century. The actual catalog is introduced by four essays, the best of which is Sibylle Appuhn-Radtke's essay "From the Romantic Period to the Present: Illustrated Children's Books from Franconian Publishers."

Although many of the books come with detailed commentary, this is not a resource that will appeal to scholars. Instead it reaches out to "book lovers," parents, and "especially children," and this will ultimately be the public it best serves. [mmk/jg]

Struwwelpeter macht Reklame: Begleitheft zur Ausstellung des Heinrich-Hoffmann-Museums [Struwwelpeter in Advertising: A Guide to the Exhibit in the Heinrich Hoffmann Museum]. Beate Zekorn-von Bebenburg. Frankfurt am Main: Heinrich Hoffmann Museum, 2001. 48 p. ill. 30 cm. EUR 10.00 (Heinrich-Hoffmann-Museum, Schubertstr. 20, D-60325 Frankfurt, fax [49 69] 742581) [01-2-223]

The Heinrich Hoffmann Museum in Frankfurt, founded in 1977, does a wonderful job promoting its famous namesake, who lived from 1809 to 1894, and documenting the enduring relevance of his most famous book, Der Struwwelpeter (1884). In 1998, for example, the museum published a book on the meaning of Struwwelpeter for an understanding of the 1848 Revolution (Struwwelpeter wird Revolutionär). In this interesting and amusing new publication, we find Struwwelpeter hawking soap, hair lotion, various medications, even political parties and the city of Frankfurt itself. The principal problem in an age in which mascots and logos must be internationally recognized is that Struwwelpeter, despite his many translators, is a figure recognizable only to Germans. [sh/jg]

Bibliographie der in selbständigen Bänden erschienenenWerke der ungarischen Literatur in deutscher Übersetzung(1774-1999) [Bibliography of Hungarian Literary Works in German Translation Published in Separate Volumes]. Comp. Tiborc Fazekas. Hamburg: Fazekas, 1999. 231 p. 21 cm. DM 49.00 (T. Fazekas, Institut für Finnougristik/Uralistik, Bogenallee 11, D-20144 Hamburg, fax [49 40] 42838-6117, e-mail: fs6a006@rrz.uni-hamburg.de) [01-1-010]

Two substantial bibliographies were published in the wake of the 1999 Frankfurt Book Fair, during which Hungary was the featured "guest country:" Werner Schweikert's Bibliographie der ungarischen Literatur des 20. Jahrhunderts indeutscher Sprache appeared in 2000 (see RREA 6:30); Fazekas' bibliography, although published in 1999, has only now come to our attention.

The somewhat misleading title should be clarified as pertaining to translations published as monographs. The bibliography is arranged in two parts: "Anthologies" and "Works." The use of numerous abbreviations makes it difficult to decipher the titles. Relatively few of the entries are based on direct examination of the books in question; for these, the shelf marks of the libraries where they were consulted are given. An alphabetical index of personal names (no distinction is made between authors, translators, and other contributors) and an index of publishers (also strictly alphabetical; one would have preferred an arrangement by place of publication) conclude the volume. Without attempting to compare the "comprehensiveness" of the two bibliographies, one may assume that Fazekas' will be primarily used as a supplement to Schweikert's. [sh/rs]

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