On May 10th German Specialist Christian Staufenbiel spoke to the Friends of Cambridge University Library about the width and depth of the Library's German collections, and exhibited a selection of material. The display was arranged in three parts, focussing on literature, history and book design.
Currently the Library's holdings of German language material are considered to be very strong, numbering over 300,000 titles, but German language material has not been collected systematically throughout the Library's history. The Royal Library, a core component of the Library's antiquarian collections, was received as a gift in 1715 from King George I, a native German speaker. It consists of 30,000 volumes, but there is not a single title in German. In the area of belles lettres French material was actively collected throughout the twentieth century, but only after 1945 was contemporary German literature acquired comprehensively, and attempts made to plug the gaps for previous periods. That collecting German literature was taken up so late is slightly surprising considering that the Schröder Professorship of German had been established in 1909, although significant quantities of material were available in the Faculty Library.
Literature
The literature component of the talk concentrated on Goethe, Schnitzler, the David Bach collection, and Stefan Heym. The Goethe items exemplified the Library's attempt over the past 30 years to support Goethe scholarship in Cambridge, both by the acquisition of original editions and also material relating to Goethe. On display was a range of pamphlets published to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Goethe's residence in Weimar.
The Library's extensive Arthur Schnitzler archive is currently a key element in the production of a new critical edition of Schnizler's works, the first volume of which, Lieutenant Gustl, appeared last year in both print and electronic form. The David Bach collection was used to demonstrate how major gaps in our coverage of twentieth century literature were filled by this extensive donation. A range of inscribed editions was displayed, presentation copies to David Bach from writers such as Karl Kraus and Franz Werfel.
The Stefan Heym exhibit drew attention to some of the ephemeral material in the collection, complimenting the set of Heym's novels and short stories in print and in manuscript.
Goethe
Goethe's Jubeltag, F182.a.1.1
- Riemer, Friedrich Wilhelm, 1774-1845
Morgengruss an Goethe zum siebenten November 1825
Weimar, 1825 - Müller, Friedrich von, 1779-1849
Zur Feyer des siebenten Novembers 1825 auf der Grossherzoglichen Bibliothek zu Weimar
Weimar, 1825 - Müller, Friedrich von, 1779-1849
Goethen zum goldenen Jubeltage VII. November 1825
Weimar, 1825 - Riemer, Friedrich Wilhelm, 1774-1845
Jubelgedicht am siebenten November 1825
Weimar, 1825 - Schütze, Stephan, 1771-1839
Zu Goethe's Jubelfeste in Weimar den siebenten November 1825
Weimar, 1825 - Brunnquell, Karl
Toast der Theetanzgesellschaft zu Weimar, bei der Feier der 50jährigen Anwesenheit Göthe's
Weimar, 1825 - Müller, Friedrich von, 1779-1849
Prolog zu Goethe's Iphigenie am 7. November 1825
Weimar, 1825 - Eckermann, Johann Peter, 1792-1854
An Goethe
Weimar, 1825
F182.a.1.1 - Goethe's goldner Jubeltag : siebenter November 1825 : mit des Gefeierten Bildniss, seinen Schriftzügen, und einer Abbildung des Festsaales
Weimar, 1826
8002.d.174 - Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 1749-1832
Beyträge zur Optik
Weimar : Im Verlag des Industrie-Comptoirs, 1791-1792
7001.d.3-4 - Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 1749-1832
Zur Farbenlehre
Tübingen : J.G. Cotta, 1810.
F181.b.1.1- - Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 1749-1832
Zur Naturwissenschaft überhaupt, besonders zur Morphologie
Stuttgard : J.G. Cotta, 1817-1824.
F181.d.1.34- - Friedrich August II, King of Saxony, 1797-1854
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 1749-1832
Pflanzen und Gebirgsarten von Marienbad
Prag : Kronberger und Weber, 1837.
8002.d.222
Arthur Schnitzler archive
- Schnitzler, Arthur, 1862-1931
Lieutenant Gustl (manuscripts)
MSS.Schnitzler.A152 - Schnitzler, Arthur, 1862-1931
Lieutenant Gustl : Novelle
Berlin : S. Fischer, 1901
S746.d.90.4 - Schnitzler, Arthur, 1862-1931
Lieutenant Gustl : historisch-kritische Ausgabe
Berlin : De Gruyter, c2011
S950.b.201.431 - Schnitzler, Arthur, 1862-1931
Fink und Fliederbusch : Komödie in drei Akten
Berlin : S. Fischer, 1917.
747:35.d.90.5 - Schnitzler, Arthur, 1862-1931
Die Schwestern, oder, Casanova in Spa : ein Lustspiel in Versen
Berlin : S. Fischer, 1919.
747:35.d.90.9 - Schnitzler, Arthur, 1862-1931
Der tapfere Cassian : Puppenspiel in einem Akt
Wien : Karl König, [1922]
S746.c.92.4
David Bach collection
F.T. Csokor : Besetztes Gebiet (Berlin, 1930), 747:35.d.90.166
- Arnold Schönberg zum fünfzigsten Geburtstage, 13. September 1924
Wien : Universal Edition, 1924.
MRS.31.28 - Balázs, Béla, 1884-1949
Der sichtbare Mensch, oder, Die Kultur des Films
Wien : Deutsch-Österreichischer Verlag, 1924
Uc.6.3151 - Csokor, Franz Theodor, 1885-1969
Besetztes Gebiet : historisches Stück aus der Gegenwart
Berlin : P. Zsolnay, 1930
747:35.d.90.166 - Kraus, Karl, 1874-1936
Wolkenkuckucksheim
Wien : Fackel, 1923
S746.d.93.10 - Unruh, Fritz von, 1885-1970
Phaea : eine Komödie
Berlin-Wilmersdorf : F. Bloch Erben, 1930
747:35.c.90.44 - Werfel, Franz, 1890-1945
Paulus unter den Juden : dramatische Legende in sechs Bildern
Berlin : P. Zsolnay, 1926
S746.d.92.34 - Zweig, Stefan, 1881-1942
Joseph Fouché : Bildnis eines politischen Menschen
Leipzig : Insel-Verlag, 1929.
S560.c.92.7
Stefan Heym collection
- Heym, Stefan, 1913-2001
The crusaders
Boston : Little, Brown and Co., 1948
Heym.4.1 - Heym, Stefan, 1913-2001
Kreuzfahrer von heute
Leipzig : Die Buchgemeinde, 1950
Heym.4.25 - Heym, Stefan, 1913-2001
Les croisés
[Paris] : Gallimard, 1954
Heym.4.86 - Heym, Stefan, 1913-2001
I crociati in Europa
Torino : Einaudi, 1954
Heym.4.95 - Collection of leaflets dropped from aircraft during World War II
Heym.H1
History
The history display concentrated on the Acton library, the World War I collection and Cambridge's collections of national socialist material. On display were items with a strong visual appeal, some of these being very ephemeral - newsletters, satirical magazines, leaflets and handbills.
Acton Library
- Universität München
Chronik der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München für das Jahr 1871/72
München : Druck von C.R. Schurich, 1872
Acton.b.35.74 - Döllinger, Johann Joseph Ignaz von, 1799-1890
Christenthum und Kirche in der Zeit der Grundlegung
Regensburg : G.J. Manz, 1868
Acton.c.22.78
Kladderadatsch, 28 May, 1916, WRA.580
- Brandt, Karsten
Sturmumbraust! : Stimmungsbilder vom Ausbruch des Weltkrieges 1914
Leipzig : Schloessmann, 1916
WRD.42.2 - Bassermann, Ernst
Tirpitz
Berlin : Reichsverlag, 1916
WRC.35b.492 - Köster, A. (Adolf), 1883-1930
Die stille Schlacht : Kriegsberichte aus dem Grossen Hauptquartier
München : A. Langen, 1915
WRC.17.102 - Geiser, Alfred
Das perfide Albion
Bielefeld : Velhagen & Klasing, 1915
WRB.35b.311 - Kladderadatsch
Berlin, 1915-1919
WRA.580 - German flysheets issued during November Revolution
WRA.46.310
National Socialist material
Die Olympischen Spiele 1936 (Diessen a. A., 1936) F193.b.1.5
- Goebbels, Joseph, 1897-1945
Kampf um Berlin
München : F. Eher, 1939
CCC.26:3.70 - Reichspropagandaleitung der N.S.D.A.P.
Der "ewige" Jude
Berlin : Verlag für Kultur- und Wirtschaftswerbung Daenell & Co, [1938]
CCA.26:3.518 - Hoffmann, Heinrich, 1885-1957
Berlin
Berlin : Verlag Heinrich Hoffmann, [1936]
CCA.26:3.511 - Haymann, Ludwig, b. 1902
Die Olympischen Spiele 1936
Diessen a. A. : Raumbild-Verlag Otto Schönstein, c1936
F193.b.1.5 - 'Und sie bewegt sich doch!' : freie deutsche Dichtung
London : Free German Youth, 1943
CCC.26:4.581
Book design
The section on book and type design drew on the small but significant German language component in predominantly English language collections such as Broxbourne and Morison. A range of illustrated items were shown from the Library's Insel Bücherei collection. The Waddleton collection of colour printing includes cookery, agriculture and gardening, and a range of children's books. On display was a particularly striking volume depicting elaborate desserts.
Broxbourne collection
Albrecht Dürer : Underweysung der Messung, mit dem Zirckel unnd richt scheyt, in Linien ebnen unnd gantzen Corporen (Nuremberg, 1525) Broxbourne.b.64
- Dürer, Albrecht, 1471-1528
Underweysung der Messung, mit dem Zirckel unnd richt scheyt, in Linien ebnen unnd gantzen Corporen
[Nuremberg : s.n.], 1525
Broxbourne.b.64 - Dorn, Max
ABC Kästchen
Offenbach am Main : Max Dorn Presse, [1932]
Broxbourne.e.17 - Koch, Rudolf, 1876-1934
Das ABC Büchlein
Leipzig : Insel-Verlag, 1934
Broxbourne.e.19 - Wolpe, Berthold
Handwerkerzeichen
Frankfurt-M. : Bauersche Giesserei, 1936
Broxbourne.d.90 - Kredel, Fritz, 1900-1973
Fünfhundert Jahre Buchdruckerkunst, 1440-1940
Frankfurt am Main : Bauersche Giesserei, 1940
Broxbourne.e.20
Morison collection
- Koch, Rudolf, 1876-1934
Die Schriftgiesserei im Schattenbild
Offenbach am Main : Klingspor, 1918.
Morison.a.86.10 - Grimm, Jacob, 1785-1863
Die Märchen der Brüder Grimm in der Urform
Offenbach a. M. : Gebrüder Klingspor, 1924
Morison.74.40 - Klingspor, Karl, 1868-1950
Über Schönheit von Schrift und Druck
Frankfurt am Main : G. K. Schauer, 1949
Morison.86.44 - Rodenberg, Julius, b. 1884
Die Schrift das Spiegelbild der Kultur
Leipzig : Druck von Oskar Zech, 1953.
Morison.86.164
Insel-Bücherei
- Insel-Bücherei (illustrated volumes)
Leipzig : Insel-Verlag, 1913-
CCD.30.1-184 - Schmoller, Hans
Illustrated volumes of the Insel-Bücherei : a note
CCD.30.2
Süsse Speisen und Eisbomben (Nordhausen, 1907) Waddleton.b.1.298
Waddleton Collection
- Scharrer, Karl
Süsse Speisen und Eisbomben
Nordhausen : Heinrich Killinger, 1907
Waddleton.b.1.298 - Eschmann, Ernst
Ein Festzug dem Gedächtnis unserer Dichter Gottfried Keller und Conrad Ferdinand Meyer gewidmet
[Zürich] : Zentralkomitee der Zünfte Zürichs, [1926]
Waddleton.b.3.6