Foreign Rights Guide Spring 2019
wbg Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft Foreign Rights Department Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt Germany
Contact
“Wissen verbindet” – Connecting people through knowledge… wbg is a publisher as well as a book club with more than 85.000 members. In the original German, wbg stands for Knowledge (Wissen), Education (Bildung) and Community (Gemeinschaft). Since 1949, the association wbg has been a byword for voyages of discovery to the world of knowledge. Our non-profit focus enables us to give visibility to topics which enrich our society. All of our profits flow back into new projects.
Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159 Rights Website www.wbg-wissenverbindet.de/foreignrights wbg Online Bookshop www.wbg-wissenverbindet.de/buecher-mehr/
Every year, around 120 publications appear under wbg’s different publishing imprints. wbg Theiss is the home for popular non-fiction, while books specialising in the ancient world appear under the wbg Philipp von Zabern imprint. The new imprint wbg Edition offers reprints and complete editions. wbg Academics, which is also new, focuses on academic, study course and research literature. We look forward to hearing from you! If any of our books spark your interest, if you have any further questions, or if you would like to discuss backlist opportunities, please contact us anytime. We are happy to provide you with reading copies in PDF format and with additional information on specific titles or on our program in general.
Translation (pp. 3–25): So to Speak. International Publishing Services and Media Consulting Cover illustration:
With best wishes, Rebecca
Network © koto_feja/iStock
TITLES FOR TRANSLATION
SPRING 2019
Ancient Sciences Burandt The Roman Legionary ................................................................................................. 4 Song / Leitdorf / Heller Aerial Archaeology............................................................................ 5 Fischer Have you just found more broken old junk again? ................................................ 6 Barceló The Old World ................................................................................................................ 7
Biographies Rasch / Wagner Aldous Huxley ................................................................................................ 8 Knechtges-Obrecht Clara Schumann ...................................................................................... 9 Grunewald A Princess in Disgrace ......................................................................................... 10 Mülcher Napoleon ......................................................................................................................11 Kittstein Gottfried Keller .......................................................................................................... 12
Geography & Natural Sciences Blum A Short History of Mathematics ................................................................................... 13 Börner Chemistry ....................................................................................................................... 14 Richarz Bird Migration .............................................................................................................. 15
History Fittkau / Werner The Conspirators ......................................................................................... 16 Polian Letters From Hell........................................................................................................... 17 Bringmann The People rules itself.......................................................................................... 18 Knipp The Fascists’ Commune ............................................................................................... 19
Modern Language Studies & Art Von Arnauld / Klein Because Books Change our World..................................................... 20
Philosophy & Theology Vogt Christians in the Middle East ........................................................................................ 21 Vasek A Country of Drivers ..................................................................................................... 22
Selected Backlist Titles ................................................................................................. 23
Boris Burandt © private
The Roman Legionary: Clothing, Equipment and Weapons during the Period from Augustus to Domitian The Roman Legionary is just as much a part of Ancient Rome as the Colosseum and the toga. Wearing iron plate armour over his red tunic, a helmet with cheek flaps and the typical rectangular shield, he is still in service today – in books, comics, TV documentaries and, of course, films. Irrespective of whether he is fighting a battle in the Teutoburg Forest, participating in the Marcomannic Wars or the battle against Attila’s Huns, the Roman Infantryman’s appearance is almost identical. And yet his equipment was almost constantly changing. Boris Burandt’s archaeologically based research into the Roman Legionary paints a more differentiated picture: he accompanies him through the first century and meticulously tracks the evolution of his weapons and equipment. Detailed reconstructions of individual pieces of equipment, fresco paintings and mosaics illustrate impressively the description of the findings which have mainly been handed down in fragments. In doing so, this book manages to preserve the glamour of the Roman Legionary and to fascinate readers with the variations in his battle attire.
The archaeologist Dr. Boris Burandt is carrying out research as a postdoc in the DFG-funded research training group “Wert und Äquivalent” (Value and Equivalence) at the University of Frankfurt. He is an expert in the Roman military.
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The star of the Roman Army through the ages
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Brought to life by many highly detailed reconstructions
112 pages 100 color illus. 2019 Original Title: Der römische Legionär. Kleidung, Ausrüstung und Waffen in der Zeit von Augustus bis Domitian ISBN: 978-3-8053-5183-6
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Ancient Sciences page 4
Baoquan Song / Klaus Leidorf / Eckhard Heller
Aerial Archaeology
The authors are the aerial archaeologists Baoquan Song and Klaus Leidorf, as well as the surveyor, Eckhard Heller.
Tracing the Past from the Air
The methods and techniques behind aerial archaeology are developing at lightning speed. Digital photography, computer-based air photogrammetry, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), LIDAR (airborne laser scanning) and 3D technology, to name just a few examples, can all be applied to archaeology. The access to diverse geodata such as WMS, Geobasis, Google Earth and many other tools open up limitless opportunities for research. The aerial archaeologists, Baoquan Song and Klaus Leidorf, as well as the surveyor, Eckhard Heller, use practical examples to present an overview of the potential methodological applications of aerial archaeology in various natural and cultural landscapes. The case studies originate from research projects in China, Germany, France, Georgia, Iran, Italy, Spain, South Africa and Hungary.
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Impressive and outstanding aerial photos
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The only up-to-date technical and scientific introduction to the topic
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Future essential reading for all relevant disciplines in the humanities and the geo and engineering sciences
168 pages 123 color illus. 2019 Original Title: Luftbildarchäologie. Spuren der Vergangenheit aus der Luft ISBN: 978-3-8062-3887-7
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Ancient Sciences page 5
Jonas Fischer
Have you just found more broken old junk again? An Excavation Journal with Drawings – the Archaeological Excavation of a Large Stone Age Settlement in Stolniceni, Moldova
Is archaeologists’ day-to-day research in exotic countries really as adventurous and romantic as it is made out to be? Meeting different people and cultures and living and working in a confined space are exceptional situations which can deliver unique stories. The expedition takes us to the large Chalcolithic settlement of Stolniceni in Moldova, a so-called mega site, which belongs to the Cucuteni-Trypillia culture. This culture, which spread out across the region of Eastern Europe that comprises the modernday Ukraine, Moldova and Romania between 5000 and 2700 B.C., created the largest known settlements of the time in Europe – large cities with probably as many as 30,000 inhabitants, extending over areas of up to 340 hectares.
Jonas Fischer is studying Communication Design and is working at the Muthesius University of Fine Arts and Design in Kiel. He accompanies archaeologists from the CRC 1266 (Cooperative Research Centre) at Kiel University.
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The graphic novel about archaeology: the daily life of archaeologists during excavations, seen through the eyes of a graphic artist
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An entertaining and charming excavation journal for the twenty-first century
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For all those who always wanted to take part in an archaeological dig and all those who have already done so
156 pages with numerous colored illus. 2018 Original Title: Habt ihr wieder nur altes kaputtes Zeug gefunden? Ein gezeichnetes Grabungstagebuch ISBN: 978-3-8062-3880-8
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Ancient Sciences page 6
Pedro Barceló
The Old World A Story of Land and Sea, Domination and War, Legend, Cult and Salvation The concepts of universality and globalisation are currently at the tips of everyone’s tongues, but they are in fact nothing new. They have their roots in Antiquity, in the cultural realm created by Hellenism and the Roman Empire. As a conclusion to his many years of research into the Ancient World, Pedro Barceló, a leading Ancient Historian, presents a panoramic view of the most important factors in Antiquity’s political, economic, social, religious and cultic developments. In doing so, he distils the elements that characterised the surrounding environment and the cultural and mental constants which defined ancient history for more than two thousand years. Which timeless myths pervaded the Greek and Roman Mediterranean culture? Which notions did they share when it came to divinity, domination or hostility? It was indeed these anthropological factors in particular which turned the cultural realm comprising the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans into a large single entity and which still influence us today – because we are following in their footsteps.
Born in 1950, Pedro Barceló was Professor of Ancient History at the University of Potsdam until 2015. Within the field of Greek and Roman Antiquity, the internationally renowned historian focused, among other things, on the History of Religion and Religious Change, of fringe groups and of the role of Christianity. Among other titles, WBG published his biography of Alexander the Great, as well as short histories of both Rome and Greece.
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The Ancient World as an archive of memories and catalyst for our cultural inheritance
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Written by one of the leading German ancient historians
704 pages 71 b/w illus. 2019 Original Title: Die Alte Welt. Von Land und Meer, Herrschaft und Krieg, Mythos, Kult und Erlösung ISBN: 978-3-8053-5186-7
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Ancient Sciences page 7
Uwe Rasch / Gerhard Wagner
Aldous Huxley The English author Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) is well known to many readers. His novel “Brave New World” became a world classic, with its title soon being turned into a slogan. Its warning about the risks of technological dictatorship remains relevant to this day. For the first time, Uwe Rasch and Gerhard Wagner provide German readers with a comprehensive overview of the influential author and thinker. They describe Huxley’s serious eye disease, defence of pacifism, experiments with drugs, adventures in Hollywood and finally the founding of the Esalen Institute in California. Krishnamurti, Strawinsky, Yehudi Menuhin and Charlie Chaplin were all his close friends. He met Thomas Mann while in exile. Theodor Adorno dedicated an essay to him. Huxley is shown on the one hand to be deeply pessimistic and on the other as a highly committed humanist. His extraordinary significance for a globalised world is striking.
Since 2001, Uwe Rasch has been a research assistant at the Centre for Aldous Huxley Studies at the University of Münster and contributes to the publication of the “Aldous Huxley Annual” and “Human Potentialities”, a series of Huxley monographs. He worked for many years as a cultural journalist. Currently, Uwe Rasch’s main occupation is as a full-time lecturer in Academic English at the University of Münster’s Language Centre.
Gerhard Wagner did his PhD thesis on poetic theory in Aldous Huxley’s essay writing. Previously, he studied English Philology, Modern History and Nordic Philology. He has worked at the Centre for Aldous Huxley Studies at the University of Münster since it was founded in 1998. As his main occupation, he works as a state school teacher.
320 pages 30 b/w illus. 2019 Original Title: Aldous Huxley ISBN: 978-3-8062-3844-0
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Biographies page 8
Irmgard Knechtges-Obrecht
Clara Schumann © private
A Life Dedicated to Music
Clara Schumann (1819-1896) was a concert pianist, wife and mother. She outlived her husband, the Romantic composer and music writer Robert Schumann, by forty years. He was the love of her life but fell ill at an early age with a serious nervous condition. Magnificent successes and severe setbacks accompanied him on his path from child prodigy to legendary composer. Irmgard Knechtges-Obrecht portrays Clara as an independent artist and a fascinating personality who worked hard to provide a living for eight children and a growing tribe of grandchildren. She helps us gain a better understanding of Clara’s relationship with her tyrannical father as well as her close bond with Brahms which remains a puzzle. Letters and diaries which have only recently been published are able to dispel prejudices and clichés. Photographs, which are printed here for the first time, portray a woman’s life that was extremely unusual for that era.
Irmgard Knechtges-Obrecht studied Music, Theatre, Film and Television as well as History at the University of Cologne. She wrote her PhD thesis on Robert Schumann. Until 1990, she worked as a research assistant for the new edition of Schumann’s complete works. Since 1991, she has been working as a freelancer. Knechtges-Obrecht is Vice-President of the Robert Schumann Society in Düsseldorf.
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200th anniversary of Clara Schumann‘s birth on 13 September 2019
256 pages 20 b/w illus. 2019 Original Title: Clara Schumann. Ein Leben für die Musik ISBN: 978-3-8062-3850-1
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Biographies page 9
Ulrike Grunewald
A Princess in Disgrace The Scandal surrounding Queen Victoria’s outcast Mother-In-Law, Louise
An unhappy marriage, scandalous affairs and the enforced exile from the court of her husband, Ernst von Sachsen-Coburg, all left their mark on her life. Branded “Disgraced Louise”, Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Queen Victoria’s mother-inlaw, was quickly forgotten after her early death. Ulrike Grunewald presents this woman’s life and links her story to the rise of the House of SaxeCoburg and Gotha from a tiny unimportant principality to one of the most powerful dynasties of the nineteenth century. When Louise’s son Albert found recognition at the side of Queen Victoria in England, he had to struggle with his mother’s legacy – as rumour had it, Albert was an illegitimate child of the hedonistic Louise. The book does not only provide us with a greater understanding of a life which had, until then, not been researched, but also gives us an insight into the social conventions and constraints of the early nineteenth century, which Louise flouted on several occasions.
Ulrike Grunewald, who was born in 1958, is Deputy Director of ZDF’s editorial department for contemporary history. She worked as a ZDF presenter and reporter for “heute-journal”, the channel’s news show, and the lunchtime news programme “Mittagsmagazin”. In 1987, she accompanied Charles and Diana on their visit to Germany. She either co-wrote or co-edited a number of major TV documentaries, largely about contemporary Germany and the families of European monarchies, such as “Die Wölfe” (which was awarded the International Emmy in 2009). Ulrike Grunewald has written a number of popular biographies on similar topics with the publisher VGS und Knaur (“Rivalinnen”, “Der Fluch des Hauses Windsor”, “Hauses Windsor”, “Auf Rosamunde Pilchers Spuren”, “William & Kate”).
288 pages 12 b/w illus. 2019 Original Title: Die Schand-Luise. Der Skandal um Queen Victorias verstoßene Schwiegermutter ISBN: 978-3-8062-3889-1
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Biographies page 10
Günter Müchler
Napoleon
He came from nowhere, first had to learn French, and rose through the ranks from Artillery Officer to First Consul: the Corsican, Napoleon Bonaparte. The revolutionary went on to become the Emperor of France. Günter Müchler eloquently outlines the life story of a man who himself recognised his own limitations most clearly in his defeat on Saint Helena: the creator and power broker was just as much a prisoner of the conditions which the revolution dictated to him as he was of the European battle between the old order and the new. “The truth is that I was never in control of my movements. I had plans but never had the freedom to execute them. Whatever I did was always determined by circumstance”. This is a remarkable portrayal which casts a new light on the revolutionary on the imperial throne depicting both his meteoric rise and his devastating downfall.
© private
A Revolutionary on the Emperor’s Throne
Born in 1946, Günter Müchler studied History and Political Science. Following posts with a number of newspapers, he moved into radio in 1987 and, until 2011, was Programme Director of the German public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk, the culture-oriented radio station Deutschlandradio Kultur and DRadio Wissen, a radio station targeting young people.
The 250th anniversary of Napoleon Bonaparte‘s birth is on 15 August 2019
642 pages 32 b/w illus.
2019
Original Title: Napoleon. Revolutionär auf dem Kaiserthron ISBN: 978-3-8062-3917-1
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Biographies page 11
Ulrich Kittsein
Gottfried Keller A Middle-Class Outsider
Alongside Fontane and Storm, Gottfried Keller (18191890) is seen as the most important representative of German-speaking Realism. Marked by the tradition and culture of his home city, Zurich, and by the ideas of Swiss liberalism, he developed his very own ideal of middle-class life. Nevertheless, as an author and critic of his times, Keller remained a social outsider, who also revealed the deep chasms of middle-class life in his works. Ullrich Kittstein describes Keller’s personality and career, his ideological and political stance and his poetics. He looks in detail at “Green Henry”, “Martin Salander” and “The People of Seldwyla”. In 2019, Keller’s jubilee year, Kittstein has written a multifaceted portrayal of an author whose virtuoso storytelling and psychological shrewdness never cease to fascinate readers to this day.
Ulrich Kittstein is Professor of Modern German Literature at the University of Mannheim. He was awarded the University of Mannheim’s Prize for Language and Science for his post-doctoral thesis. His work focuses on German literature from the eighteenth century until the present, with a focus on poetry, historical narration, Friedrich Schiller, Eduard Mörike, Gottfried Keller and Bertolt Brecht.
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200th anniversary of his birth on 19 July 2019
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Unrivalled overview of his life and work
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The first detailed overall assessment of the writer’s life for thirty years
512 pages 2019 Original Title: Gottfried Keller. Ein bürgerlicher Außenseiter ISBN: 978-3-534-27072-9
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Biographies page 12
Wolfgang Blum
A Short History of Mathematics
In our daily lives, we are constantly surrounded by mathematics without noticing it. It can be found in our smartphones, cars, electric toothbrushes or in a snow crystal. It recognises what is essential, classifies, and reveals new connections. One of its special characteristics is that once something has been discovered, it applies forever. Two times two will always make four and the angles of a triangle will always add up to 180 degrees, just as they did in ancient times and will continue to do in centuries to come. But where was calculation discovered? Why do we need logarithms or algebra? And what is behind the beauty of mathematics? Wolfgang Blum goes back in time and tells us the story of mathematics, starting with the first numbers in the Stone Age and continuing through to the twenty-first century’s Sudoku puzzles.
Wolfgang Blum has a PhD in Mathematics. Following his university education, he carried out research for several years at the University of Erlangen. He then worked as an economics journalist for the German publications “Die Zeit”, “Geo” and “Süddeutsche Zeitung” and for the broadcaster WDR. Since 2002, he has also been teaching Mathematics and Physics at a secondary school.
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A high-speed journey through the history of mathematics
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An easily understandable introduction to mathematics and its history
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Understandable without any particular specialist knowledge of mathematics
200 pages 33 b/w illus. 2019 Original Title: Eine kurze Geschichte der Mathematik ISBN: 978-3-8062-3877-8
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Geography & Natural Sciences page 13
Armin Börner
Chemistry
Dare to venture into a world in which there is a connection between sugar and decisiveness or cave drawings and formula language. See for yourself how Chemistry structures the world and how the knowledge of Chemistry can contribute to a better understanding of where we live. You have learned much of what you read in this book in Chemistry lessons – you have probably filed it in a corner of your brain and forgotten it. Either because you think that you did not understand it or because you believe that it is irrelevant for your daily life. The reality is quite the opposite. Chemistry is the common thread that links all areas of our lives.
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Finally get to grips with Chemistry!
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Links Chemistry to our everyday lives
© private
Connections for Life
Armin Börner has been Full Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Rostock since 2000 and also works as Head of Department at the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis. He was awarded the Descartes Prize in 2001.
392 pages 23 color illus.
2019
Original Title: Chemie. Verbindungen fürs Leben ISBN: 978-3-8062-3884-6
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Geography & Natural Sciences page 14
Klaus Richarz
Every year, an estimated fifty billion birds head off to their winter quarters, often thousands of kilometres away, before embarking on their return journey in spring, when they return to their breeding grounds. During their long and dangerous journeys, they often achieve extraordinary things, need to cross mighty oceans and overcome huge mountain ranges. Bird migration provides an endless source of fascination to humans. Whenever we spot flocks of cranes or swallows in the autumn sky and marvel at their formations, which have been created seemingly by chance, we ask ourselves many questions: how do they communicate with each other while they are flying, how do birds find their way on their long journey, who actually travels and who stays at home? Klaus Richarz introduces us to the most important migratory birds, describes their flight paths, explains and decodes the bird satnav and touches upon the consequences of climate change for bird migration. Finally, he provides some tips on how to protect our migratory birds and where it is best to observe them. Read all about one of the most fascinating natural phenomena on earth.
Š private
Bird Migration
Klaus Richarz has a PhD in Biology. Between 1980 and 2013, he worked full-time in the field of nature conservation and, until 2013, headed up the Hesse, Rheinland-Palatinate and Saarland Ornithological Institutes in Frankfurt for twenty-two years. He continues to play an active role in nature conservation (as an advisor to several nature conservation foundations and more). Richarz has been writing non-fiction books about birds, bats, nature conservation and the experience of nature for many years, which have been translated into more than ten languages.
192 pages 218 color illust. 2019 Original Title: Vogelzug ISBN: 978-3-8062-3885-3
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Geography & Natural Sciences page 15
Ludger Fittkau / Marie-Christine Werner
The Conspirators The Civil Resistance behind the Events of 20 July 1944
Stauffenberg’s headquarters, the “Wolf’s Lair”, provided the stage for the assassination. The Bendlerblock building in Berlin was the conspirators’ military control centre. This is one – extensively researched – side of the events of 20 July 1944. This book takes a look at another, much less well known story behind the assassination. It looks at nonmilitary participants and their secret meeting places – courageous business people, Catholic women’s rights activists or left-wing pacifists who met secretly. The story is told of the supporters of Trade Union Leader Wilhelm Leuschner, of several hundred trade unionists and social democrats, of police officers and betting shop operators. Of experienced underground activists who were preparing to occupy public administrations and radio stations, following a successful assassination of Hitler. Marie-Christine Werner and Ludger Fittkau trace the structures of the conspirators’ civilian wing on 20 July 1944 and tell the on-site story of the participants’ intertwined destinies.
Marie-Christine Werner was born in 1971 and holds joint German and French nationalities. She studied Comparative Literature, Italian, International and European Law in Saarbrücken. Following a traineeship in Journalism at SDR/SWR, she has been an editor and presenter with the SWR2 radio station in Mainz since 2000. She is also the author of longer-running programmes, frequently about the National Socialist period. Ludger Fittkau, who was born in Essen in 1959, has been working as a freelance correspondent since 1994 for, among others, the public broadcasters WDR and Deutschlandfunk (DLF). He studied Social Sciences at the Fernuniversität in Hagen and did a PhD in Sociology in 2006. Since 2013, Ludger Fittkau has been working as the Hesse correspondent for DLF. Prior to this, he had been DLF’s correspondent for the Rhineland-Palatinate region in Mainz from 2009.
336 pages 36 b/w illus. 2019 Original Title: Die Konspirateure. Der zivile Widerstand hinter dem 20. Juli 1944 ISBN: 978-3-8062-3893-8
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
History page 16
Pavel Polian © Ingo Schneider
Letters from Hell The Records from the Jewish Auschwitz Special Unit When state-of-the-art technology enabled Marcel Nadjari’s testimony to de decoded for posterity in 2017, it was a real sensation: the last of the “Letters from Hell”, the secret records compiled by Jewish prisoners in the Special Unit in Auschwitz-Birkenau, had become decipherable once again. The Special Unit’s members were forced by the SS to help with the mass murder in the crematoria, the burning of corpses and the disposal of the ashes of hundreds of thousands of people. The fact that some of them felt the need to provide written testimony of the horror is an unbelievable act of humanity. That some of these testimonies would be handed down to posterity did not occur to the National Socialists. This volume is the first collection of all nine of the preserved testimonies in German translation and includes detailed essays to place them in the context in which they originated. These are key documents relating to the murder of the Jews – and to deeply moving humanity.
Pavel Polian is a Jewish Russian historian and literary scholar. He lives and works in Moscow and Freiburg. His numerous publications on the holocaust ensure that he is recognised as an expert also in Germany and is well connected both to fellow historians and the press.
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The essential holocaust documentation – for the first time in full, with all nine reports available and a German commentary
544 pages 20 b/w illust.
2019
Original Title: Briefe aus der Hölle. Die Aufzeichnungen des jüdischen Sonderkommandos Auschwitz ISBN: 978-3-8062-3916-4
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
History page 17
Klaus Bringmann
The People rules itself
Klaus Bringmann, who was born in 1936, is Emeritus Professor of Ancient History at the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main.
A History of Democracy
Relatively speaking, our Western democracy is fairly new. Great Britain, for example, has only belonged to the club of fully legitimate democracies since 1928. Philosophers from the Age of Enlightenment were still in favour of a republic and were suspicious of democracy – as was Aristotle, the Greek philosopher. Athens was, however, the cradle of democracy. In an important late work, the Ancient Historian, Klaus Bringmann, describes the ideals and shaping of Athenian democracy and demonstrates its fundamental difference from modern-day systems. He traces its concept and practice via the class system of the early modern period, the enlightenment, the birth of the first real democracy during the United States’ early days through to today. He clearly analyses and identifies the strengths and weaknesses of different options and criticises some over-hasty reform ideas which are being developed in light of democracy’s current crisis. Those who value our liberal system’s future need to know about its history and evolution.
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Democracy – its historical principles, development, strengths and risks
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A book which takes due account of the current unease about our democracy
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A plea for the achievements of the western world
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The defining work of a leading historian and observer of contemporary issues
336 pages 2019 Original Title: Das Volk regiert sich selbst. Eine Geschichte der Demokratie ISBN: 978-3-8062-3872-3
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
History page 18
Kersten Knipp
The Fascists’ Commune How the Republic of Fiume tested the 20th Century
In September 1919, 2500 franc-tireurs under the leadership of the eccentric, poet and war hero, Gabriele D’Annunzio, occupied a small Croatian coastal town and established the Republic of Fiume there on the ruins of the Habsburg Empire. They enacted a bizarre spectacle with many contradictory elements: military parades, torchlight processions and events which glorified war, combined with a nonstop celebration of free love, drugs and nudism. The Republic of Fiume marked the start of a violent century. It became a laboratory of fascist aesthetics and an early location for the counter culture of 1968. In his historical essay, Kersten Knipp describes how all of these contradictory elements came together to create a dangerous populism accompanied by mass hysteria and demonstrates how this extraordinary episode hinted at the paths and wrong turns that the twentieth century was to take.
Kersten Knipp, who was born in 1966, is a publicist and journalist. He is a freelance political editor at the German broadcaster „Deutsche Welle“ and works for Deutschlandfunk and other stations belonging to the broadcaster ARD. He also writes for the Swiss newspaper „Neue Zürcher Zeitung“. He focuses on contemporary history as well as politics in the Middle East and the Arab World.
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100th anniversary of the Republic of Fiume in September 1919 (continues to the start of 1921)
140 pages 30 b/w illus. 2019 Original Title: Die Kommune der Faschisten. Wie die Republik von Fiume das 20. Jahrhundert probte ISBN: 978-3-8062-3914-0
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
History page 19
Andreas von Arnauld / Christian Klein
Because Books Change our World From the Nibelungenlied to Harry Potter
Books have shaped our history, thinking and selfconception to a considerable extent. The authors present ninety-nine books that have had a significant influence on Germany as a cultural nation. They focus on texts from many different areas of knowledge: literary works are juxtaposed with scientific treatises; lexicons with philosophical works and political diatribes. The special features of the book in question are emphasised. Entertaining episodes are used to convey interesting information about the book’s origins and historical background. The authors include Martin Luther, Immanuel Kant, J.W. Goethe, Karl Marx, Konrad Duden, Max Planck but also J.K Rowling and Thomas Hobbes. The enthralling, brief profiles in chronological order allow readers to approach important landmarks in German history from an original angle. What we know for certain is that books are indispensable for understanding what constitutes Germany today.
Christian Klein is a private lecturer and Academic Councillor for Modern German Literary History and General Literary Studies at the University of Wuppertal and is a member of the university’s Narrative Research Centre. He is the author of a study on cult books and, in addition to writing numerous essays on literature from the nineteenth to the twenty-first centuries, has written works of reference in the fields of non-literary narration and the theory and practice of biographical writing. Andreas von Arnauld is Professor of Public Law with a focus on International and European Law at Kiel University and Managing Director of the Walther Schücking Institute for International Law. Mr. von Arnauld is Co-Editor of “Die Friedens-Warte - Journal of International Peace and Organization”, and has written numerous books and scientific essays about human rights, European integration and the foundations of Law. 400 pages 2019 Original Title: Weil Bücher unsere Welt verändern. Vom Nibelungenlied bis Harry Potter ISBN: 978-3-8062-3747-4
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Modern Language Studies & Art page 20
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Matthias Vogt
Christians in the Middle East Between Martyrdom and Exodus
2018: Iraqi Christians return to their villages, from where the so-called “Islamic State” had banished them four years previously. A hundred years before that, Christians in the region had already had to start again from scratch. During the First World War, hundreds of thousands in Anatolia were evicted and murdered. What has happened in the hundred years since the end of the Ottoman Empire? What impact did the construction of independent Arab states, Jewish immigration and the founding of Israel have? Which role does Lebanon play as a state influenced by Christianity? How did secular Turkey deal with Christians? What consequences did the fall of Saddam Hussein have for Iraqi Christians? How do Christians see the revolution in Egypt and what consequences does the civil war in Syria have for them? The book describes the path steered by Christians in the Middle East between integration, social participation, separation and emigration as well as the challenges facing them today.
Matthias Vogt, who was born in 1975, studied Jewish, Semitic and Islamic Studies in Heidelberg, Paris and Halle (Saale). In 2004, he took a PhD in Islamic Studies at the universities of Sorbonne in Paris (Paris IV) and Halle-Wittenberg. Among other things, he has published works on the situation of Christians and Jews in the Islamic World in the past and the present. Since 2005 he has been working as a country consultant for Missio, the international Catholic mission in Aachen; since 2011, as the expert for North Africa and the Middle East and also as the Deputy Leader of the “Foreign Countries” department. He has lived and travelled widely in the region. 504 pages 35 color illus. 2019 Original Title: Christen im Nahen Osten. Zwischen Martyrium und Exodus ISBN: 978-3-534-27069-9
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Philosophy & Theology page 21
Thomas Vašek
A Country of Drivers The Germans and their Cars
The key issues of our time, from globalisation to climate change via digitalisation, lie at the heart of the debate about the crisis in the automotive industry. With the end of the combustion engine in sight, the industry is facing a comprehensive technological transformation.
Thomas Vašek, born in 1968, has held leading journalistic functions with several publishers and was most recently employed as Editor-inChief of the German popular science magazine P.M. He is now Editor-inChief at the Philosophy magazine “Hohe Luft” (literally: “High Air”) and has also made a name for himself as an author of successful non-fiction books on philosophy.
At the same time, the car is closely linked to the German identity. To this day, German cars stand for engineering ingenuity, quality and reliability, as well as for the country’s economic strength. Germany depends on the car: the automotive industry generates annual sales of more than 400 billion Euros. Around 1.5 million jobs depend directly or indirectly on the automotive industry. In light of this, a fundamental debate about the importance of cars to the German people is long overdue.
192 pages 10 b/w illus. 2019 Original Title: Land der Lenker. Die Deutschen und ihr Auto ISBN: 978-3-8062-3928-7
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Philosophy & Theology page 22
Spring 2019
Selected Backlist Titles
Burkhard Madea / Wilfried Rosendahl (ed.)
Crime Scenes from the Past
They are ever-present on our television screens: forensic scientists, who, with state-of-the-art technical equipment and scientific analyses, find the smallest clues to be able to reconstruct a crime. Archaeology also uses forensic methods to reconstruct events from long ago.
Professor Burkhard Madea (M.D., PhD) is Director of the Institute of Forensic Science at the University Hospital Bonn and is the author of countless non-fiction and specialist books.
Professor Wilfried Rosendahl (PhD) is Director of the Reiss-Engelhorn Museum and of the Curt Engelhorn Centre of Art and Cultural History, both of which are in Mannheim. The “German Mummy Project”, which he leads, is one of the research units in the Centre.
Burkhard Madea and Wilfried Rosendahl have brought numerous experts together, who present the diverse possibilities that forensic science offers, and its uses for archaeology. From the Palaeolithic Age to the Second World War, famous and illustrious cases are represented which cover the full spectrum of possibilities: from toxicology to forensic ballistics via facial reconstruction and autopsies. Each topic is explained in a clear and understandable way by means of a meaningful case study from current archaeological research. 144 pages 133 color and 20 b/w illus. 2017 Original Title: Tatorte der Vergangenheit. Archäologie und Forensik ISBN: 978-3-8062-3645-3
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Selected Backlist Titles page 24
Alexander Emmerich / Philipp Gassert
America’s Wars
The US does not only have the oldest democratic constitution in the world: since its independence, the country has been almost permanently involved in military conflicts. How does that fit together – democracy and war? “To make the world safe for democracy”: it was with this goal in mind that President Wilson made the case for America’s entry into the First World War. Since then, entering and waging wars have been part of a propaganda drive which tries to create the image of an America fighting all of the evil in the world. But can a “democratic way of war” exist? For the first time, this book presents a complete and critical overview of America’s wars, from the early beginnings of colonial societies through to the present day. It reveals similarities and patterns in American foreign policy and looks at the historic parallels to be found in the reasons for going to war, justifications and rhetoric of American politicians.
Alexander Emmerich was born in 1974, did his PhD in Medieval and Modern History at the University of Heidelberg with a focus on the US. He has published widely on German and American History. He lectures at the University of Mannheim.
Professor Philipp Gassert (PhD) holds the Chair of Contemporary History at the University of Mannheim. Prior to that, he carried out research and lectured at the German Historical Institute Washington DC (DHI) and at the University of Heidelberg, the LMU Munich, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Augsburg. In 2014 he was the Sir Peter Ustinov Guest Professor of the City and University of Vienna. Since 2011, he has been a member of the board of the German Association for American Studies (DGFA).
264 pages 11 b/w illus. 2014 Original Title: Amerikas Kriege ISBN: 978-3-8062-2675-1
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Selected Backlist Titles page 25
Clauß Peter Sajak
Among the most important issues confronting religious education – now and in the future, considering current demographic developments – is interreligious education. In any culturally and religiously pluralistic society, religious education cannot be content to impart the beliefs of one’s own faith community, but must also impart some knowledge of the other religions. In this way, religious education may contribute to greater understanding and cooperation among people of different denominations and religions, particularly among Christians, Jews and Muslims. What is needed now are new forms of interreligious learning which reduce knowledge gaps and enable learners to meet and communicate in dialogue.
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Interreligious Learning Clauß Peter Sajak is Professor of Religious Education at the Faculty of Roman Catholic Theology at the University of Münster. He has been reflecting on questions of practical theology for many years, focusing in particular on the didactics and methods of interreligious teaching and learning.
Clauß Peter Sajak has written the first compact and practical introduction to such an interreligious education which can contribute, in the religiously pluralistic societies of today, to a deeper understanding of other faiths and to a more respectful life together. 148 pages 52 illus. 2018 Original Title: Interreligiöses Lernen ISBN: 978-3-534-74325-4
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Selected Backlist Titles page 26
Dieter Radaj
Philosophical Concepts and the Natural Philosophical and scientific thought are connected by a number of shared concepts. These convey notions that transcend sense perception and make possible the kind of abstract thinking which, in the sciences, has led to mathematical theorems, while natural philosophy remained language-bound. In addition, there is the use of those concepts and terms in everyday speech. This book focuses on complementary pairs of concepts: being and becoming, space and time, causality and correlation, chance and necessity. Further discussion treats the notion of natural laws in physics and biology as well as the higher “forms of determination” applying to the realm of the animate world. Throughout, Dieter Radaj’s account is based in a contemporary ontology and pays particular attention to the concepts of modern physics, the principles of evolution and molecular genetics, as well as the evolution of the cosmos in space and time.
Dieter Radaj (b. 1935) received his doctoral and postdoctoral degrees from the Technical University of Brunswick before working, in a managerial capacity, in research, teaching, and industry. He has authored a number of specialist books as well as several books on current issues of theoretical and practical philosophy.
233 pages 2017 Original Title: Philosophische Grundbegriffe der Naturwissenschaften ISBN: 978-3-534-26941-9
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Selected Backlist Titles page 27
Hermann-Josef Frisch
What happens when people set out, looking for God and – possibly – finding themselves? When they set out, that is, non in a metaphorical sense, but literally “hitting the road”, on foot, travelling light, a pilgrim’s staff in hand? The appeal of going on a pilgrimage persists to this day, and even people who do not consider themselves religious are fascinated by the idea of a fresh departure for new experiences on the road. As a globetrotter in the matter of religion, HermannJosef Frisch knows the pilgrimage traditions of the world’s great religions like few others. From firsthand experience, he tells of how life “along the way”, with its rites, rhythms, and austerities, may sharpen one’s focus on what is truly important, and may open up a space for leisurely encounters with fellow pilgrims and others. At the same time, his book presents a masterful overview of different pilgrimage traditions, with stunning photographs that take readers on a journey to the most famous pilgrimage sites around the globe.
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On Pilgrimage
Hermann-Josef Frisch is a retired parish priest and a former Lecturer in Religious Education at the University of Bonn. He has written or contributed to more than 200 books on religious education, pastoral care, adult education in theology, and religious studies. On more than fifty journeys to Asia, he has explored Buddhist culture and traditions.
240 pages 130 color illus. 2017 Original Title: Man ist dann mal weg. Über das Pilgern ISBN: 978-3-8062-3625-5
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Selected Backlist Titles page 28
Lothar Machtan © Milena Taplan
Chancellor of the End Times Prince Max of Baden and the Fall of the Second German Empire
During the dramatic final phase of the First World War, Prince Maximilian of Baden is named German chancellor. His mission is to save the Empire from impending catastrophe. He fails, however, thus sealing the fate of an entire era. With riveting narrative force, Lothar Machtan guides readers through the life of a man whose personality was marked by contradictions: “Prince Max” (as he was known) maintained close contacts with the Richard Wagner Circle at Bayreuth as well as with the Britishborn racialist ideologue, notorious anti-Semite and Wagner’s posthumous son-in-law, Houston Stewart Chamberlain. At the same time, the Prince’s closest confidant was a scion of the Jewish haute bourgeoisie. Max of Baden was conscious of his rank and station, yet, as a homosexual, he led a life outside of the prevailing social norms. He was said to be a cosmopolitan and peaceable man, yet he despised democracy.
Lothar Machtan is Emeritus Professor of Modern History at the University of Bremen. He has written articles for Der Spiegel, Die Zeit and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as well as numerous well-acclaimed history books for a general audience and the script of a TV documentary about the end of German imperial rule in 1918.
686 pages 39 b/w illus. 2018 Original Title: Der Endzeitkanzler. Prinz Max von Baden und der Untergang des Kaiserreichs ISBN: 978-3-8062-3660-6
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Selected Backlist Titles page 29
Andreas Hafer / Bernd Bühler
From Pythagoras to Quantum Physics A Short History of the Natural Sciences
From their first beginnings in the ancient Greece of Thales and Pythagoras, through the times of Newton and Darwin to the most recent developments in quantum mechanics and genetic engineering, the natural sciences have worked their way through almost 3,000 years of turbulent history. However, that history of scientific models, theories, and research practices was neither constant nor continuous, but marked by times of comparative calm as well as periods of revolutionary upheaval.
Andreas Hafer took his doctoral degree in History and teaches mathematics, history, and philosophy at secondary-school level. He has published numerous articles and books on the history of science and other topics.
Bernd Bühler took his doctoral degree in Physics and theaches physics, biology, astronomy, and psychology at secondary-school level.für Physik, Biologie, Astronomie und Psychologie. He, too, has published numerous articles and books on the history of science and other topics.
In their innovative short history of the sciences, Andreas Hafer and Bernd Bühler highlight the great revolutions in scientific thought, tracing both their causes and effects. Phrased in layman’s terms, their account of the fascinating history of the sciences offers authoritative orientation without getting lost in the detail. The result? a truly breathtaking historical journey! 244 pages 50 b/w illus. 2016 Original Title: Von Pythagoras zur Quantenphysik. Eine kurze Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften ISBN: 978-3-8062-3387-2
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Selected Backlist Titles page 30
Georg Auernheimer
Introduction into Intercultural Education
The 8th edition of this standard work presents the newest developments in intercultural education. An overview of the development of the subject is followed by an explanation of key terms like multicultural society, education and cultural identity, acculturation, ethnocentrism, prejudice, racism and intercultural communication. The author then portrays the objectives of intercultural education: social learning, dealing with differences, the ability to communicate, an education guided by multiple perspectives, multilingualism and antiracist education.
Georg Auernheimer, born in 1939, was professor for educational science at the University of Marburg and for intercultural socialization and migration at the University of Cologne.
Polish rights sold
The book also considers research results of cultural studies and depicts concepts of a multicultural society as well as models of intercultural learning and communication.
178 pages 7 b/w illus. 2015 (8th edition) Original Title: Einfßhrung in die interkulturelle Pädagogik ISBN: 978-3-534-26776-7
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Selected Backlist Titles page 31
Cornelius Hartz
Myth Alarm! 20 Popular Errors about the Ancient Romans
Cornelius Hartz studied classical philology and works as an editor, author and translator in Hamburg.
Was Rome indeed founded in 753 BC as a popular German rhyme would have it? Did all Romans speak Classical Latin? A toga belongs to a Roman like the laurel wreath to Caesar, or doesn’t it? Speaking of Caesar – was he not murdered by a certain Brutus? Anyway, what were they like, those ancient Romans? Were they an especially cleanly people who visited the public baths on a daily basis? Or is the opposite true? After all, they did not know soap but supposedly used urine for cleaning their teeth and laundering their clothes. In this highly entertaining book, Cornelius Hartz debunks 20 popular myths about the Ancient Romans and Ancient Rome.
190 pages 2016 Original Title: Alles Mythos! 20 populäre Irrtümer über die alten Römer ISBN: 978-3-8062-3273-8
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Selected Backlist Titles page 32
Thomas Brock
Archaeology of Wars The Battlefields of German History
Thomas Brock studied Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology and journalism at the University of Hamburg. He works as an archaeologist, author and museum education officer.
Since the Stone Age mankind has been in armed conflict. What is it that remains once the war is over? As of later a new branch of archaeology is concerned with battlefields and offers completely new perspectives. Finds reveal the terrifying events of former times and give us a closer understanding of the people and their fates that often remain hidden behind historic facts. Identification tags identify nameless dead, remaining munition retraces the course of battles, weapons, perpetrators and victims re-emerge. Archeologist Thomas Brock meticulously presents and interprets in this unique book central battlefields of German history. Some theaters of war outside of Germany are also depicted.
240 pages 105 color illus. 5 b/w illus. 2015 Original Title: Archäologie des Krieges. Die Schlachtfelder der deutschen Geschichte ISBN: 978-3-8053-4875-1
wbg (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft) Hindenburgstr. 40 64295 Darmstadt, Germany Foreign Rights Department Rebecca Ruth Ruth@wbg-wissenverbindet.de +49 6151 3308 159
Selected Backlist Titles page 33
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