This encyclopedia contains concise biographical information about all Nobel Prize recipients since the inception of the awards in 1901, including the person's nationality, subject discipline, birth and death dates, and a brief explanation of why the prize was bestowed. Regrettably, the name indexes are divided into six disciplines, rather than being combined into a comprehensive name index. Bibliographical information is given only for winners of the prize for literature. A brief list of further readings, primarily in German, is included. [sh/ldl]

 

In this dictionary of Nobel Prize recipients the names are arranged chronologically. There is a biographical sketch and a photograph of each recipient, as well as a system of color codes and symbols to identify different subject disciplines. Individual entries do not contain bibliographical information, nor is a comprehensive bibliography offered elsewhere in the book. The entries are signed, and some information is provided about the contributors. There is a detailed table of contents, as well as name and subject indexes. This dictionary is clearly intended for a lay audience and is much less scholarly than the Harenberg Lexikon der Nobelpreisträger (see RREA 6:47). [sh/ldl]

 

Updated every three years (see also RREA 1:79 and 4:49), this fourth edition, sporting a slight change in both name and physical form, is offered for the first time in a CD-ROM as well as a printed version. The listings continue to follow the format of the previous editions: a single alphabet of names and cross-references. Each entry contains information based on questionnaires completed by the individual organizations. The 8,367 foundation entries (771 organizations declined a listing) include address and contact information, year of inception, founders, structure of the organization, membership, statement of purpose, financial assets, and annual disbursements. Indexes are by location and by foundation purpose. The latter, with its now 31 categories instead of 17, is still limited in its usefulness by the large number of names that fall under each category. The CD-ROM version, with its capacity for searches combining any of 10 criteria, alleviates the index problems. Since a second directory of German foundations, the Stiftungshandbuch [Handbook of Foundations], seems to have ceased publication indefinitely, this is the sole current resource of its type. [sh/hh]

 

Volume 3 (1986/1994) of this address book having been published in 1994, the need after seven years for an updated edition is obvious, as is borne out by the fact that the number of cultural prizes increased significantly between the two editions, from 2,129 to 2,402. The work covers cultural prizes that are non-commercial, more than local in significance, and intended for professionals. It also includes coverage of foundations that "regularly award prizes, stipends, and similar sponsorships for the cultural professions." New to this edition is an international section listing about 500 prizes for European cultural professionals. The prizes are given in the fields of architecture and historic preservation; fine arts; performing arts; design, photography, arts and crafts; film; literature, media and journalism; music; and socio-cultural and other fields. Each entry includes information on field; geographic scope; official name of the prize; year established; donor and address; intended receivers; award cycle; procedures (or not) for application; amount of the prize; and names of recipients since 1995. Five indexes--by name, sponsor, place, keyword, and recipients--conclude the work. The data are stored electronically, which means that future editions could appear on CD-ROM. [sh/ga]

 

The Hamburg businessman Alfred Toepfer founded the F.V.S. (= Freiherr [Baron]-vom-Stein) Foundation in 1931, which following his death in 1993 was renamed the Alfred-Toepfer-Stiftung F.V.S. After 1945 it developed into one of the most active European foundations funding initiatives in the areas of European understanding and union, cultural exchanges, and environmental and historic preservation. Aside from research awards and scholarships, it bestows cultural prizes for individual language and cultural regions of Europa, documenting these awards in yearly publications.

During the period 1935-1945, the Foundation and several of its subsidiaries awarded a total of 84 prizes, cooperating in the case of "German national" prizes with renowned universities, such as those in Breslau, Freiburg im Breisgau, Königsberg, Prague, and Vienna. That such prominent awards could not take place without the participation of the cultural ministry of the Third Reich is clear, but was not discussed until publication of the monograph Alfred Toepfer, Stifter und Kaufmann [Alfred Toepfer, Philanthropist and Businessman] (Hamburg, 2000), which was followed by Jan Zimmermann's research discussed here. The Foundation agreed with the characterization in the monograph that its work "began in a time after the First World War that was biased by nationalist thinking, and it followed the mistaken path of nationalistic solidarity during the thirties and forties, before finding its way to strong support of a European unity that preserves cultural diversity and fosters understanding among nations."

Zimmermann's work thoroughly documents the prizes that were awarded in the period 1935-1945. His descriptions make use of all available records, and other sources if necessary. Entries include details about each prize, such as name and year of establishment; amount, target group and purpose; university that bestowed the prize; list of recipients; award committee; and board members. An annual listing is given as well for each prize, with information on the recipient and the date and circumstances of receipt; a reproduction of the award document; biographical information, including other honors and secondary literature; reproductions of press reports on the prize, and a list of sources used. Also included are the texts of speeches that were given at the award ceremony and a report on it. This work is useful for its detailed and thorough presentation of the variety of prizes given by the Foundation during this time, and supplements the more general information given in Eva Dambacher's Literatur- und Kulturpreise 1859-1949: eine Dokumentation [Literary and Cultural Prizes 1859-1949: A Documentation] (Marbach am Neckar, 1996). [sh/nb]

 

This is the third edition of a title that was first published in 1985. It is a directory of addresses, telephone numbers, and brief descriptions of institutions and organizations involved in promoting cultural affairs in Europe. The first of its three sections covers international, intergovernmental, and regional and local European organizations, as well as European foundations. The second section lists governmental departments and other organizations responsible for cultural affairs in the 48 nations (up from 23 in 1985) that belong to the European Cultural Convention. The third section briefly covers 14 other countries (including Canada) that are part of the broader "European region" but are not members of the European Cultural Convention. As the listings in the second section were compiled by researchers from the countries themselves, one can assume that they are accurate. Entries are in both English and the language of the respective country. This useful directory of addresses relating to European cultural affairs should be acquired by larger research and public libraries. [sh/ba]