The author describes in great detail 293 Sorbian (until 1945 officially called Wendic) associations of all kinds. Beginning with five in the 18th century, the number of Sorbian associations began to grow rapidly in the 1830s, although many of them were dissolved in the wake of the Restoration in the 1850s. Another increase came after the founding of the Reich in 1871, and then again after the end of the First World War, but by 1937 the Nazis had banned many of these associations.

Arranged by year of founding, this work provides details on each organization’s establishment, choice of name, its functionaries, number of members, its organs and location, the year of dissolution or banning, as well as any resurrection, and the association’s purpose (translated in detail or even in toto from the organization’s statute). The work also describes each association’s history and types of activities and includes a list of sources. The person and place indexes are unsatisfactory, mainly because what would have been the most important index—that of Sorbian and German association names—is inexplicably missing. However, there is no other handbook comparable to this one. The work fulfills its aim to impart the awareness of tradition necessary “for maintaining and fortifying the Sorbian national substance.” This handbook is a valuable resource for everyone, whether professionals or others, interested in Sorbian culture. [sh/ga]

“Auch im Krieg schweigen die Musen nicht”: die Deutschen Wissenschaftlichen Institute im Zweiten Weltkrieg [“Even During War the Muses are not Silent:” German Research Institutes during World War II]. Frank-Rutger Hausmann. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2001. 400 p. 25 cm. (Veröffentlichungen des Max-Planck-Instituts für Geschichte, 169). ISBN 3-525-35357-X: EUR 42.00 [02-2-224]

Frank-Rutger Hausmann, a specialist in Romance studies at the University of Freiburg, has published several monographs on the humanities and scholarship under the Third Reich. His present work is a survey of the 16 Deutsche Wissenschaftliche Institute (DWI) [German Research Institutes] founded by the Nazis between 1940 and 1945 in neutral, occupied, or allied nations. The DWI had the following charge: “to explore the neighboring countries with the goal of preparing for their integration into the Reich; to undertake geographical research with the goal of furthering population resettlement and exploitation of resources; to promote collaboration and the winning over of foreign elites to the Nazi cause” (p. 9). In his introduction the author reports on the state of the source material, on the cultural policies of the Third Reich, on the research activities of the DWI, and on the institutes’ fates.

The major part of the book describes the 16 DWI, erected (in chronological order) in Bucharest, Paris, Sofia, Budapest, Belgrade, Copenhagen, Madrid, Athens, Brussels, Helsinki, Stockholm, Zagreb, Bratislava, Lisbon, Venice, and Tirana. For each institute the following data are provided: (1) addresses (changes of location are given, with dates); (2) administrative staff, including directors, deputies, cultural specialists, and librarians; (3) biographical notes for a selection of the persons named in section 2; (4) branch offices (location, address, director); (5) research goals; (6) institutional histories.

Section 6 is the largest of the sections, with a great deal of information packed not only into the text but into voluminous footnotes as well. It covers cultural relations; relations to the German diplomatic offices located in the same city; living conditions of the staff; research production of the staff (lectures, publications, exhibitions); exchange trips. Extensive quotes give insight not only into the institutions’ histories but also into the mindsets of the personnel. This section is a treasure trove of information, although it would have been better to provide a clearer organization or better access in the form of indexes. All in all, this work represents another important cornerstone in the growing edifice of research into the life of the humanities under the Nazi regime. [sh/crc]

Les publications de l’Académie Royale des Sciences de Paris (1666–1793) [Publications of the Royal Academy of Sciences in Paris]. Robert Halleux, James Mc Clellan, Daniela Berariu, and Geneviève Xhayet. 2 vols. Turnhout: Brepols. 556, 128 p. 25 cm. (De diversis artibus, 52 = N.S. 15). ISBN 2-503-51197: EUR 112.00 [02-2-229]

The Académie Royale des Sciences de Paris—founded by Colbert in 1666, reorganized by Louis XIV in 1699, and dissolved in the aftermath of the French Revolution in 1793—devoted itself to the study of natural history, mathematics, and technology and was one of the most significant of the early academies. The extent and longevity of its publishing activity (if not its prestige and quality) were rivaled only by that of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (London). The selection of titles and organization of this bibliography of the Académie’s publications (including titles published as monographs and within series) is based on the study Les publications de l’Académie des Sciences (Paris, 1996). It is divided into two main sections (1666–1699 and 1699–1790, of which the second is by far the larger), with three indexes (authors; names and organizations mentioned in the text; and an augmented keywords-in-title index, with Latin terms also given in French). The accompanying study of the Académie’s publications by James E. McClellan, an American historian of science, is particularly interesting. Although other bibliographies of these titles have been published, this is the first comprehensive listing, and it is thus strongly recommended. [sh/sl]

Le second siècle de l’Institut de France 1895–1995: recueil biographique et bibliographique des membres, associés étrangers, correspondants français et étrangers des cinq académies [The Second Century of the Institute of France, 1895–1995: Bio-Bibliographies of Members, Foreign Associates, and French and Foreign Correspondents of the Five Academies]. Ed. Jean Leclant. 2 vols. Paris: Institut de France, 1999–2001. xxv, 787, ix, 789–1,554 p. 31 cm. ISBN 2-7284-0028-8 (vol. 1), ISBN 2-7284-0030-X (vol. 2): EUR 166.00 [02-2-230]

The Institut de France was founded in 1795, and comprises the following five academies: Académie Française, Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, Académie des Sciences, Académie des Beaux Arts, and Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques. Continuing Le premier siècle de l’Institut de France (Paris, 1895–1896), which covered the first 100 years of this organization, the title under review here contains bio-bibliographies of approximately 4,000 French and foreign members of the Institut in the years 1895 to 1995. Entries include the following information for each person: name, distinction, birth date, death date (if no longer living), date of admission to one of the five academies, occupation, education and career, publications or creative works, and bibliography of secondary sources. There are a number of helpful indexes, although one by country (for foreign members) is lacking. This comprehensive register and bio-bibliography is very useful and contains much more information than one can find on the Internet pages of the organization and the individual academies. [sh/ba]