AK-04 - Varia

2004

AK -- Varia

Bibliographie des oeuvrages érotiques publiés clandestinement en français entre 1880 et 1920 [Bibliography of French-Language Erotic Writings Published Secretly between 1880 and 1920]. Jean-Pierre Dutel. Paris: Dutel, 2002. 669 p. ill. 25 cm. ISBN 2-9517742-0-6: EUR 171 (J.-P. Dutel, 16, rue Jacques-Callot, F-75006 Paris) [04-1-010]

From the 18th century to the first part of the 20th, France was a leader in the production of erotic literature, which also found a market in other countries. When bans and censorship were enforced more rigorously, the trade moved to locations with weaker laws, such as—especially between about 1880 and 1920—Belgium and Holland. These editions appeared in small press runs and are quite rare, making them popular with collectors, whom we can thank for most of the bibliographies of the genre.

The newest is this publication covering works from a period of particularly prolific production. By carefully comparing typefaces and other identifying characteristics, the author has decoded the fictitious publishers and places of publication and has determined which publications originated from the same publisher. There are indexes of authors and works, and publishers and their publications. This normative bibliography belongs in all libraries that hold collections on the history of publishing. [sh/ldl]

Alte deutsche Kinderbücher [Old German Children’s Books]. Heinz Wegehaupt. Stuttgart: Hauswedell. 28 cm. ISBN 3-7762-1003-6 (4-vol. set) [04-1-011]

Vol. 4. Bibliographie 1521-1900: zugleich Bestandsverzeichnis der in Berliner Bibliotheken befindlichen Kinder- und Jugendbü cher sowie der Kinder-und Jugendzeitschriften, Almanache und Jahrbücher [Bibliography 1521-1900: A Catalog of Children’s and Young Adult Books, Children’s and Young Adult Periodicals, Almanacs, and Yearbooks Located in Libraries in Berlin]. 2003. 363 p. ill. ISBN 3-7762-0903-8: EUR 198

More than 40,000 books for children and young adults were published in Germany from the mid-16th century to 1900. More than 13,000 of these titles are listed in a series of bibliographies authored by Heinz Wegehaupt, former director of the children’s and young adult book collection at the German State Library in (East) Berlin. The first three volumes are primarily a catalog of the historical collection of children’ s and young adult books at that library (for volume 3, see RREA 7:15). Volume 4 lists the antiquarian materials added to that collection since 1988; the children’s and young adult book holdings of the former Prussian State Library; holdings of libraries and museums in what was formerly West Berlin; and the children’s and young adult serials in the State Library and in other West Berlin libraries. The holdings of the State Library make up the largest number of titles in this bibliography. The bibliography consists of two parts: a listing of children’s and young adult books, and one of children’s and young adult periodicals, yearbooks, and almanacs. It is estimated that about one third of all German historical children’s and young-adult periodicals are listed in this bibliography.

Arrangement in the first part is by author or anonymous title and in the second part by title. Many entries contain brief notes. The volume concludes with a chronology and a number of indexes. The color reproductions of title pages and other illustrations from the books and periodicals listed add to the value of this bibliography. Heinz Wegehaupt has been very active since the 1960s, publishing bibliographies of children’s and young adult literature. Research in the history of German children’s and young adult literature would hardly be possible without his work. [mmk/ba]

Rumäniendeutsche Kinder- und Jugendliteratur 1944-1989: eine Bibliographie [Romanian-German Children’s and Young Adult Literature, 1944-1989: A Bibliography]. Ed. Annemarie Weber, Petra Josting, and Norbert Hopster. Köln: Böhlau, 2004. xiv, 415 p. 24 cm. + CD-ROM. (Schriften zur Landeskunde Siebenbürgens, 29). ISBN 3-412-19003-9: EUR 36.90 [04-2-406]

This bibliography deals with children’sand young adult literature, translated into German (more than 60 percent of the titles) or written in German, that was published in Romania during the Communist period. It includes literature written especially for children, as well as literature that would be of interest to children, but it excludes school textbooks. The 1,290 entries contain not only detailed bibliographic information but also information about content (style, themes, major characters) and frequently about the location of individual volumes. The supplementary CD-ROM provides additional bibliographic and other information that is not found in the printed text (e.g., tables of contents for anthologies; names of editors; and reception indications, such as book reviews and numbers of volumes sold). There are several indexes, but unfortunately no title index. This is a very significant bibliography, augmented by a substantial introductory essay, of otherwise neglected material. [mmk/ldl]

Das Astrid-Lindgren-Lexikon: alles über die beliebteste Kinderbuchautorin der Welt [The Astrid Lindgren Encyclopedia: Everything You Wanted to Know about the World’s Most Popular Children’s Author]. Manuela Bialek and Karsten Weyershausen. Berlin: Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, 2004. 543, 16 p. ill. 19 cm. ISBN 3-89602-534-1: EUR 14.90 [04-2-408]

The publishing house of Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf has specialized in encyclopedias dealing with popular culture, an area of interest that largely marks this reference work, as well. Besides featuring articles on Astrid Lindgren's literary works, characters, and locations, the alphabetical main body of this paperback also contains a filmography and individual entries on illustrators, publishers, translators, actors, film directors and producers, theater productions, and even literary prizes named after her. The colorenhanced filmography section is central to an understanding of Lindgren's work, as she often wrote the screenplays herself and occasionally allowed the film version of a story to precede the book. Frequently in this work, though, a chatty narrative tone and remarks about relatively unimportant details diminish the value of the entries, while logical focus and consistency are lost in quirky topic selections. This encyclopedia can be used as a reference work only to a limited degree; it more often resembles a series of disjointed folios promoting the Lindgren myth and mystique. For that reason, publications other than this one offer more solid information on the life, personality, and work of the author. [mmk/rdh]

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