spring2016

WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
WISSENSCHAFTLICHE BUCHGESELLSCHAFT
including the imprints
LAMBERT SCHNEIDER
KONRAD THEISS
PHILIPP VON ZABERN
FOREIGN RIGHTS CATALOGUE
SPRING 2016
1
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Contact
WBG – Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft
Ms Isabella Erb
Foreign Rights Manager
Hindenburgstraße 40
64295 Darmstadt
Germany
[email protected]
Phone: +49 (0)6151 3308 159
Fax: +49 (0)6151 3308 212
Contact: [email protected]
2
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
History. .....................................................................................................................................................4
Archaeology ........................................................................................................................................... 26
Theology ................................................................................................................................................ 37
Earth Sciences........................................................................................................................................ 42
Natural Sciences .................................................................................................................................... 47
Education............................................................................................................................................... 49
Music ..................................................................................................................................................... 50
Modern Language Studies ..................................................................................................................... 51
Art History ............................................................................................................................................. 55
Architecture........................................................................................................................................... 57
Contact: [email protected]
3
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
The Roots of Xenophobia
Die Angst vor dem Fremden.Die Wurzeln der Xenophobie
by Erhard Oeser
© Autumn 2015
Imprint: WBG
480 pages, 80 b/w images
ISBN 978-3-8062-3151-9
Why do so many people fear and reject strangers?
Xenophobia has accompanied man from his very
beginnings. While it can be constitutive for
groups, societies and states, its aggressive form
has led time and again to the most terrible
excesses.
Erhard Oeser examines xenophobia from the early
beginnings of mankind up to Islamic State and the
attacks in Paris in January 2015. He analyzes the
various shapes of xenophobia and traces the
turning points when rejection of strangers reverts
to violence and the desire of annihilation.
He searches for mechanisms that make a return to
a peaceful co-existence possible: It is of great
importance to talk to each other again instead of
about or against each other. In view of today’s
many escalating confrontations this important
work calls for a return to constructive dialogue
and debate - instead of leaving the stage to
populists and radicals.
Erhard Oeser is an Austrian philosopher of
science.
Contact: [email protected]
4
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
The German Forest
A History of Ideas
Der deutsche Wald. Eine Ideengeschichte
by Johannes Zechner
© April 2016
Imprint: Zabern
432 pages, 10 b/w images
ISBN 978-3-8053-4980-2
It all started with Tacitus: The Roman historian
portrays in his “Germania” the area to the East of
the Rhine River rather unflatteringly as “horrifying
because of those woods”. He goes on to report
how Arminius of the Cherusci became the
“liberator of Germanic lands” through his victory
in the “battle of the Teutoburg Forest”.
When a German national consciousness started to
evolve around the year 1800, poets and
philosophers alike referred to this very myth of
the German forest. The forest as unspoilt nature
becomes the German ideal and is contrasted to
the rotten, urban civilization of France. This
opposition remains formative – up to National
Socialist times.
Johannes Zechner devotes himself to this central
German theme and presents its characteristics
and peculiarities from Romanticism to National
Socialism. His work is a great history of ideas that
critically reconstructs this concept of identity.
Johannes Zechner studied history, political
science and philosophy and worked as a research
assistant at the United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum and the German Historical Museum in
Berlin.
5
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Beer
A History from the Stone Age to the Present
Bier. Eine Geschichte von der Steinzeit bis heute
by Gunther Hirschfelder and Manuel Trummer
© March 2016
Imprint: Theiss
271 pages, 17 b/w images
ISBN 978-3-8062-3270-7
The history of beer is a history of our civilization.
Since the Neolithic Age, man has been brewing
beer. Time and again, ingredients, brewing
methods, quality and purity laws changed
fundamentally. Who was consuming beer and
when and why has also changed over the course
of the centuries.
Beer was central for religious rituals of the early
civilizations of Mesopotamia as well as for a
typical worker’s pub in the German Empire. Even
today, the history and development of beer is not
over yet: Modern society has discovered beer
anew as a lifestyle-product.
Gunther Hirschfelder is professor for Comparative
Cultural Studies at the University of Regensburg.
Manuel Trummer is a research assistant at the
University of Regensburg.
6
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Notes from the War of Extermination
The Eastern Front 1941/42 in the Records of General Heinrici
Notizen aus dem Vernichtungskrieg. Die Ostfront 1941/42 in den Aufzeichnungen des Generals
Heinrici
by Johannes Hürter (ed.)
© Mai 2016
Imprint: WBG
272 pages, 4 b/w photos, 2 maps
ISBN 978-3-534-26769-9
Gotthard Heinrici’s notes on the war between
Germany and the Soviet Union are unique in that
they are exceptionally honest for the work of a
combatant. The letters and diaries of this general,
who commandeered a battalion and later an
army, offer deep insights into the events of the
first year of the war.
It was here that Hitler tried to implement his
criminal plans of destroying “Jewish bolshewism”
as well as the conquering of “Lebensraum” in the
East. The annihilation hit Jews, communists,
soldiers, civilians, cities and the countryside of the
Soviet Union, and Germans as well. Heinrici
recorded it all.
Through Johannes Hürter’s careful editing and
annotations the reader is presented with an
authentic picture of the impressions and emotions
of a Wehrmacht general.
Johannes Hürter is a research assistant at the
Institute for Contemporary History in Munich as
well as professor for history at the University of
Mainz.
7
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
The Shoa in the Kraków District
German Occupation and Jewish Acts of Self-Assertion in Tarnów 1939-1945
Die Shoah im Distrikt Krakau
Deutsche Besatzung und jüdische Selbstbehauptung in Tarnów 1939-1945
by Melanie Hembera
© May 2016
Imprint: WBG
352 pages, 16 b/w images
ISBN 978-3-534-26786-6
The city of Tarnów in Galicia near Kraków was one
of the most important centers of Polish Jewry with
a Jewish population rate of almost 50%. Life in this
both economically and culturally prospering city
changed radically with the invasion of the
Wehrmacht in September 1939: Harrassment,
sanctions and the destruction of synagogues
started forthwith. Around 30,000 Jews lived in
Tarnów before the first deportations started in
June 1942 – at the end of the war only a few
hundred had survived the shoah.
Melanie Hembera has written the first
comprehensive account of the “Judenpolitik”
(“Jewish policy”) in Tarnów between 1939 and
1945 as well as on the mass killings which were
disguised as resettlement efforts. It is an
exemplary study based on extensive and basically
unpublished sources that show how a huge,
flourishing Jewish community was virtually
extinguished.
Melanie Hembera is a research assistant at the
Research Center Ludwigsburg which is dedicated
to the investigation of crimes committed in the
Nazi era.
8
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
In the Shadow of Auschwitz
German Massacres of Polish Civilians 1939-1945
Im Schatten von Auschwitz. Deutsche Massaker an polnischen Zivilisten 1939-1945
by Daniel Brewing
© April 2016
Imprint: WBG
400 pages
ISBN 978-3-534-26788-0
Germany’s brutal occupation of its neighbor
Poland lasted for 2,078 days. In historical
retrospect it oftentimes seems as if there had
been mainly two groups of victims: At first Polish
Jews, and later German deportees. However,
around a million non-Jewish Poles fell victim to
German terror.
Daniel Brewing’s innovative study is dedicated to
the first-ever scientific analysis of the massacre of
Polish civilians under national socialist rule. Using
contemporary German and Polish sources, reports
and testimonies of survivors as well as court
records he illuminates the complex historical
processes that led to these crimes.
Daniel Brewing is a research assistant for history
at the University of Aachen/Aix-la-Chapelle. He
was a scholarship holder of the German Historical
Institute in Warsaw, of the United States
Holocaust Museum and the Fondation pour la
Mémoire de la Shoah.
9
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
The Naval War 1914-1918
The Imperial Navy during the First World War
Der Seekrieg 1914-1918. Die Kaiserliche Marine im Ersten Weltkrieg
Selected by Christian Jentzsch, Jann M. Witt
© March 2016
Imprint: Theiss
192 pages, 110 b/w images, maps
ISBN 978-3-8062-3272-1
The First World War was not exclusively fought
onshore. German war ships were engaged in
battle from the Baltic Sea to East Asia.
Two well-known naval historians portray the naval
war fought from 1914 to 1918. Highlights include
the initial achievements of the imperial navy like
the sinking of a British squadron near the coast of
Chile in 1914, the battle of Jutland in 1916, the
November revolution of 1918 in Germany that
was initiated by mutinying sailors and - at the end
- the scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow
in 1919.
Numerous photographs, many of them as yet
unpublished as well as maps top off this highly
readable book.
Jann M. Witt is a historian focusing on maritime
history and works for the German naval corps.
Christian Jentzsch is a historian focusing on
maritime history and head of a naval college.
10
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
1866
Bismarck’s War Against Habsburg
1866. Bismarcks Krieg gegen die Habsburger
by Klaus-Jürgen Bremm
© March 2016
Imprint: Theiss
312 pages, 26 b/w images, 2 maps
ISBN 978-3-8062-3287-5
The German War of 1866 turned out to be
decisive in the struggle for hegemony between
Prussia and Austria. The war which climaxed in the
victory at Königgrätz 150 years ago was won by
Bismarck’s rational realpolitik and Moltke’s
outstanding military competency. Or so popular
opinion would have us believe.
Bismarck’s victory, however, was not at all
inevitable and Prussia’s triumph meant an end to
the idea of German unity within a Greater German
Solution. Bismarck paved the way for the German
Empire but only in its Lesser German Solution.
Klaus-Jürgen Bremm presents all the aspects of
the war: Its prehistory and escalation, the various
battles as well as warfare in these times of new
weaponry. He presents the reception of the
unfolding events in the participating states and
shows how this war shaped the further
development of Europe.
Klaus-Jürgen Bremm is a historian who specializes
in military and technological history.
11
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Mondo Veneziano
Of People and Palaces at the Grand Canal
Mondo Veneziano. Menschen und Paläste am Canal Grande
by Heidrun Reinhard
© March 2016
Imprint: Lambert Schneider
272 pages, 43 b/w images, 2 maps
ISBN 978-3-650-40136-6
Venice is famous for its palazzi – and the most
well-known are situated along the Grand Canal.
What are the stories behind these houses and
their oftentimes famous inhabitants?
Heidrun Reinhard throws a light on those who
have left indelible traces in this city. She takes the
reader on a journey from the palace of the famous
doge Francesco Foscari to the big merchant
families from Augsburg and Nuremberg who lived
in the Fondaco dei Tedeschi. She writes about
Richard Wagner who died in the palazzo
Vendramin-Calergi and the poet Gabriele
d’Annunzio who resided in Casetta Rossa during
the First World War.
An absorbing portrait of Venice emerges that
revives the proud republic of yore as well as the
ruined Venice of the 19th century.
Heidrun Reinhard studied art history and German
literature and worked as an editor and author.
“Mondo Veneziano” is the result of intensive
studies on her second home Venice.
12
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Louis XIV
The Commander-in-Chief from Versailles
Ludwig XIV. Der Kriegsherr aus Versailles
by Martin Wrede
© Autumn 2015
Imprint: Zabern
300 pages, 10 b/w images
ISBN 978-3-8062-3160-7
Louis XIV, le Roi de Soleil, shaped his epoch more
than anyone else. He is the embodiment of the
early modern, absolutist monarch. Under his
reign, between 1643 and 1715, France became
Europe’s supreme cultural power. Every European
sovereign tried to emulate the display of splendor
and the European aristocracy conversed in French.
However, Louis XIV lost the political hegemony
over Europe. He expanded the French frontiers in
several wars while at the same time creating a
European alliance that showed him his limits.
Louis’ contemporaries never doubted his
magnificence. His real political achievement is
more difficult to assess, however. Neither was he
a proper commander-in-chief nor a legislator. Yet,
he embodied the power and authority of the
state. Without him, European history would have
taken a different course entirely.
Martin Wrede takes stock of his reign and
influence on the shaping of France.
Martin Wrede is professor for Early Modern
History at the University of Grenoble.
13
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Regulating Power
Form and Rules of Political Counseling in the Middle Ages
Kontrolle der Macht. Formen und Regeln politischer Beratung im Mittelalter
by Gerd Althoff
© January 2016
Imprint: WBG
360 pages
ISBN 978-3-524-26784-2
Counseling has been central to the exertion of
power since Antiquity. The consensual rule of the
Middle Ages is based on the principle that
decisions should be taken unanimously and
through counseling. Due to its confidential nature,
it is naturally not easy to retrace the counseling
process in historic sources. Medieval rule
depended on its opacity and lack of formalities.
In recent times research interest in this topic has
seen tremendous increase. In this overview Gerd
Althoff systematically analyzes sources that focus
on counseling. Concentrating on the Early and
High Middle Ages he describes the rules of
counseling and shows how it offered ways of
political participation. Althoff’s approach offers
many new insights into the theory of medieval
rule and its exercise.
Gerd Althoff, born in 1943, is professor for
medieval history at the University of Münster.
14
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
The Vikings
Die Wikinger
by Claudia Banck
© August 2015, 2nd edition
Imprint: Theiss
176 pages, 106 images
ISBN 978-3-8062-3222-6
They were the terrorists of the Middle Ages,
oftentimes considered to be a punishment from
God. They appeared out of nowhere in their agile
long-boats and terrified Europe. Armed to the
teeth they conquered huge swathes of land and
ruthlessly eliminated everyone who happened to
come their way.
Then again – were the Vikings really just a bunch
of heathen barbarians with horned helmets who
drank mead from skulls and destroyed Europe’s
cultural centers? In her differentiated and well
structured book Claudia Banck debunks these
ideas. She presents an overview of Viking history
and lifestyle. They were not only successful as
robbers and conquerors but also as clever traders,
daring pioneers and skilled artisans.
Claudia Banck studied history and Scandinavian
studies. She is an expert on the historic,
archaeological and literary sources of the Viking
Era.
15
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Food and Drink in the Middle Ages
Essen und Trinken im Mittelalter
by Ernst Schubert
© January 2016, 3rd edition
Imprint: Zabern
443 pages, 28 b/w images
ISBN 978-3-8053-4974-1
Food and drink is a fundamental topic of
humanity, the more so in times when food was
not available in abundance and people often
suffered severely from a lack of it. Ernst Schubert
turns this subject into a comprehensive cultural
history of the Middle Ages and a study of medieval
mentalities.
He writes about meat and butchers, beer and
wine, herrings and dried cod, about courtly feasts
as well as about the meager fare of the common
man and about famines. There is an abundance of
colorful detail and many references to the sources
used for this study.
At the same time the author does away with many
romantic prejudices about medieval times and
shows what everyday life was really like in the
Middle Ages. His presentation is a broad and vivid
account of a huge spectrum of medieval life.
Ernst Schubert (1941-2006) was professor for the
regional history of Lower Saxony and director of
the Institute for Historical Regional Research at
the University of Göttingen.
16
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Athanasius the Great
The Unfaltering Saint
Athanasius der Große. Der unbeugsame Heilige
by Manfred Clauss
© February 2016
Imprint: Zabern
256 pages, 20 b/w images
ISBN 978-3-8053-4957-4
Athanasius the Great was bishop of Alexandria
and is one of the Church Fathers. During his
lifetime a unified church was starting to emerge.
Athanasius became a passionate opponent of
Arianism and advocate of the doctrine of Nicaea.
Combining his two perspectives as a theologian
and as a historian Manfred Clauss reconstructs the
argument on Arianism that was central in this
formative period of church history.
The unfaltering saint Athanasius was banned five
times as bishop of Alexandria and then recalled
time and again. Manfred Clauss presents a
differentiated and gripping portrait of a great
figure of early Christianity.
Manfred Clauss was professor for Ancient History
at the University of Frankfurt.
17
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Night Life in Ancient Rome
Nachtleben im alten Rom
by Karl-Wilhelm Weeber
© January 2016
Imprint: Theiss
168 pages, 31 b/w images
ISBN 978-3-8062-3271-4
Ancient sources and literature tell us a lot about
the pulsating life in the metropolis of Rome. But
what was its nightlife like? Did most people sleep which, in fact, seems very likely considering the
very modest means of artificial lighting in those
times? This assumption is probably true as far as
life in the country is concerned. The city, however,
offered „night owls“ various opportunities for
enjoyment.
The upper class usually organized entertainment
in their own homes while the lower classes
frequented taverns and bars. That prostitution
was very much a part of Roman nightlife is
revealed in the accounts about the “imperial
whore” Messalina.
In an introductory chapter Karl-Wilhelm Weeber
delimits the general conditions of Roman nightlife:
Who had to work at night? Were the city’s streets
lighted? How secure was it to be outside at night?
What about noise? If you believe the complaints
of inhabitants about the noise then Rome was
definitely “the city that never sleeps”.
Karl-Wilhelm Weeber was headmaster of a
secondary school in Wuppertal. He is now
teaching Ancient History at the University of
Wuppertal and Didactics of Ancient Tongues in
Bochum.
18
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Nero
Nero. Inszenierung der Macht
by Holger Sonnabend
© March 2016
Imprint: Zabern
240 pages, 10 b/w images
ISBN 978-3-8053-4953-6
Nero is one of the most distinctive and prominent
rulers of Antiquity. Due to scheming by his mother
he became emperor of the Roman Empire at an
early age. This was followed by fourteen years of
rule during which he was trying to balance
political duties and his love of art.
Holger Sonnabend presents a gripping biography
of Nero that sums up the newest trends in
research. Apart from the various phases of his rule
the author also illuminates lesser-known aspects
of both the politician and the artist.
This multifaceted picture is rounded off by a
discussion of the question as to how Nero became
the figure that, today, we consider him to have
been. After all, Nero was much more than just the
crazy tyrant that authors of the time portrayed
him to be.
Holger Sonnabend is professor for Ancient history
at the University of Stuttgart.
19
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Myth Alarm!
20 Popular Errors about the Ancient Romans
Alles Mythos! 20 populäre Irrtümer über die alten Römer
by Cornelius Hartz
© March 2016
Imprint: Theiss
192 pages
ISBN 978-3-8062-3273-8
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.
Cornelius Hartz studied classical philology and
works as an editor, author and translator in
Hamburg.
20
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
From Jupiter to Christ
Religious History in Roman Times
Von Jupiter zu Christus. Religionsgeschichte in römischer Zeit
by Jörg Rüpke
© March 2016, 2nd edition
Imprint: WBG
304 pages
ISBN 978-3-534-26757-6
Already sold to England and Italy
The religious history of the Roman Empire is of
paramount significance for the religious history of
Europe. During this epoch the Mediterranean
developed into an intensely interlinked cultural
area that enabled the quick dissemination of
ideas. It was then and there that the first
expansion of Christianity took place.
Previous accounts of religious history confined
themselves to the description of individual cults
and religions. Jörg Rüpke, however, argues that
what makes this epoch stand out is the societal
significance of religion. No longer is religion simply
an answer to individual human problems (illness,
insecurity, death) but it becomes a comprehensive
setting for man’s conduct of life and for framing
group identities and political legitimation.
Jörg Rüpke is professor of Comparative Religion at
the University of Erfurt and a member of the
European Academy of Sciences.
21
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Herod
King of Juda
Herodes. König von Judäa
by Jürgen Zangenberg
© April 2016
Imprint: Zabern
112 pages, 100 images
ISBN 978-3-8053-4950-5
Herod is held by some as one of the great rulers of
Antiquity; others consider him to be no more than
a ruthless killer of innocent women and children.
There are more sources available about him than
about any other king of the Hellenic East: Apart
from the account of Josephus, there remain his
breathtaking constructions like the fortress at
Masada or the luxurious palaces of Jericho and
Jerusalem as well as the founding of new cities
such as Caesarea Maritima. Hellenic architects and
artists from Italy helped Herod become one of the
boldest builders of this era.
Sources and archaeology present a multifaceted
picture of the son of an Arab woman and an
Idumaean who had converted to Judaism. He
became indispensable to the Romans as an expert
of the region and guarantor of its stability. The
senate named him “Friend of the Roman People”,
Augustus received him into his circle of closest
confidants.
He remained in power for almost 40 years – an
unequalled career in those troubled times.
Jürgen Zangenberg is professor for New
Testament and Early Christian Literature at the
University of Leiden.
22
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Dangers at Sea
Pirates of the Antiquity
Gefahr auf See. Piraten in der Antike
by Heidrun Derks
© April 2016
Imprint: Theiss
112 pages, 46 color images, 2 b/w images, 3 maps
ISBN 978-3-8062-3313-1
Starting at around 1000 BC the Mediterranean
region saw the development of mighty
civilizations and gorgeous cities. The source of
their wealth was the sea. Seaworthy ships had
removed the dangers of the sea paving the way
for thriving economic activity. Trade with raw
materials, food and luxury goods flourished, and
competition increased.
On the other hand, economic and political
interests got into conflict. The Mediterranean was
not only of interest to captains and traders but to
pirates as well.
What is known about the pirates of the first
millennium before Christ? Heidrun Derks attempts
to track their history in this fascinating book.
Heidrun Derks is director of the Museum
Kalkriese.
23
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Classical Mythology
Klassische Mythologie
by Steffen Unger
© May 2016
Imprint: Theiss
176 pages, 80 images
ISBN 978-3-8062-2806-9
The era of Greek-Roman Antiquity has left its
marks to this day. Many European languages are
based on Ancient Greek and Latin, while legal and
technical achievements of this epoch continue to
shape our lives. Phrases like “Achilles heel” and
“milky way” go back to the traditional tales of
Zeus, Athena, Hercules or Achilles.
Steffen Unger reveals the connection between
modern times and classical mythology by
presenting a multitude of tales with their
fascinating characters.
Steffen Unger is a historian. He works as an
author and editor and has published on ancient
history for many years.
24
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
The World of Signs
A History of Writing
Eine Welt aus Zeichen
Die Geschichte der Schrift
by Martin Kuckenburg
© October 2015
Imprint: Theiss
192 pages, 110 color images
ISBN 978-3-8062-2627-0
From the early written cultures of the Ancient
Orient to the writing systems of the Maya and
Aztecs to the Latin alphabeth - Martin Kuckenburg
presents the most important scripts of the old and
new worlds: Their variety of signs, their diverse
and unique structures.
How did a particular script develop? And what was
its significance for the society using it? Script
opened up unforeseen opportunities for mankind:
It did not only create information storage
independent of human memory but also made
communication and intellectual exchange
between people independent of personal
encounter.
Illustrated with impressive pictures this work
shows the beauty of various scripts and narrates
thrilling stories of discovery and deciphering.
Martin Kuckenburg studied pre- and protohistoric
history and ethnology and works as a journalist.
He has authored several works of archaeological
and historical nonfiction.
25
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Rome in Full View
Depictions of the City in Literature and Archaeology
Rom im Blick. Darstellungen der Stadt in Literatur und Archäologie
by Ulrich Schmitzer
© March 2016
Imprint: WBG
296 pages, 22 b/w images
ISBN 978-3-534-26768-2
No other city of the Antiquity has been accorded
with so much attention in classical literature as
Rome. The literary sources show a plethora of
different cities, depending on perspective and
intention. Each author develops his own, unique
picture of Rome.
Virgil and Ovid show the city from a distance while
Horace’s Rome is to be found only in a select few
of his satires. Martial and the authors of the
imperial era focus on favors accorded by the
emperors and the wishes of the people. Juvenal
shows the reader a gloomy, foreboding city.
Is it thus possible to retrace the reality of the city
of Rome as regards urban development by
focusing on the descriptions of writers from the
Antiquity? Ulrich Schmitzer is pursuing this
fascinating question in connection with
philological, archaeological and urbanistic
research.
Ulrich Schmitzer is director of the Institute for
Classical Philology of Humboldt University in
Berlin.
26
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Archaeology of Wars
The Battlefields of German History
Archäologie des Krieges. Die Schlachtfelder der deutschen Geschichte
by Thomas Brock
© November 2015
Imprint: Zabern
240 pages, 110 color images
ISBN 978-3-8053-4875-1
Since the Stone Age mankind has been embroiled
in armed conflict. What is it that remains once the
war is over?
A new branch of archaeology specializing on
battlefields has recently emerged, opening up
completely new perspectives on wars and their
aftermath. 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.
In this unique work, archaeologist Thomas Brock
meticulously presents and interprets the central
battlefields of German history as well as some
theaters of war outside its territory.
Thomas Brock studied Prehistoric and
Protohistoric Archaeology and journalism at the
University of Hamburg. He works as an
archaeologist, author and museum education
officer.
27
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Gods, Offerings and Sanctuaries
Roman Religion in Cologne
Götter, Gaben, Heiligtümer. Römische Religion in Köln
by Alfred Schäfer
© April 2016
Imprint: Zabern
128 pages, 70 color images
ISBN 978-3-8053-4949-9
Religion in the Antiquity was neither mute nor
immobile. The attention of the Gods was not to be
captured in silent prayer but with clear signals.
Apart from prayer, singing, music and dance an
important role fell on sacrificial offerings and
material presents. Temple-offerings made from
stone, ceramics, metals or glass attest to how
religious communication was seen in Antiquity.
Using Cologne as an example, this book presents
the significance of Roman religion in urban
everyday life. By focusing on outstanding religious
monuments archaeologist Alfred Schäfer shows
how Roman religion functioned in a big city.
Numerous digitalized images of Cologne in Roman
times embed the sacrificial offerings into their
topographical context and present a
comprehensive picture of public and private
sanctuaries.
Alfred Schäfer is a research assistant at the
Roman-Germanic Museum in Cologne and
assistant professor at the University of Cologne.
28
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
The Parthians
The Forgotten Great Power
Die Parther
Die vergessene Großmacht
by Uwe Ellerbrock and Sylvia Winkelmann
© October 2015, 2nd edition
Imprint: Zabern
290 pages, 55 color images
ISBN 978-3-8053-4828-7
The Empire of the Parthians existed for almost 500
years and - at the time of its widest expansion - it
stretched from today’s Syria to India and from the
Caspian Sea to the Gulf of Persia. Their wars with
Rome have been the source of many legends.
Uwe Ellerbrock and Sylvia Winkelmann convey in
this unique depiction of the Empire of the
Parthians an extensive overview of its historical
and cultural development.
Uwe Ellerbrock PhD is a passionate collector of
Parthian coins.
Sylvia Winkelmann is an archaeologist with a
special focus on Iran, Middle Asia and North West
India.
29
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Mycenaean Palaces
Art and Culture
Mykenische Paläste. Kunst und Kultur
by Josef Fischer
© June 2016
Imprint: Zabern
144 pages, 100 color images
ISBN 978-3-8053-4963-5
In the Late Bronze Age Mycenaean civilization
flourished on the Greek mainland as well as on the
islands of the Aegean. This first European
civilization experienced its greatest phase during
the so-called Mycenaean Koine Era (approx. 14001200 BC). Its political landscape was shaped by
several independent principalities centered
around so-called palaces.
History, archaeology and culture of these palaces
are illuminated in this work using hitherto
neglected sources: their architectural
development as well as their furnishings, their
function as seats of power as well as centers of
administration, economy and religion.
Another focus is on the area surrounding the
palaces, the settlements and necropolises as well
as its integration into the Mycenaean traffic
system. An outlook on the later use of the palaces
rounds off this richly illustrated work.
Josef Fischer is a research assistant at the Institute
for Cultural History of the Antiquity at the Austrian
Academy of Sciences in Vienna.
30
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Ephesus
Archaeology and History of an Ancient Metropolis
Ephesos
Archäologie und Geschichte einer antiken Weltstadt
by Sabine Ladstätter
© May 2016
Imprint: Zabern
144 pages, 100 images
ISBN 978-3-8053-4962-8
Ephesus was one of the most important cities of
the Antiquity. The philosopher Heraclitus and the
geographer Artemidorus hail from there. It started
out as a small Neolithic village, became a central
town in the Bronze Age and later developed into a
Greek city in which an independent culture
evolved. It reached its zenith in the Roman Era
and Late Antiquity.
The city hosted the temple of Artemis, one of the
most significant places of worship of the Antiquity.
The monumental temple was one of the Seven
Wonders of the Ancient World and attracted lots
of pilgrims and visitors.
Sabine Ladstätter, who has been directing the
excavations in Ephesus since 2010, presents the
history of this UNESCO World Heritage Site by
means of recent research findings, which are in
part published in this work for the very first time.
Three-dimensional reconstructions and up-to-date
aerial photographs complete this interesting
presentation.
Sabine Ladstätter has been director of the
Austrian Archaeological Institute since 2009. In
2011 she was named “Austrian Scientist of the
Year”.
31
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Pergamon
History and Constructions of an Ancient Metropolis
Pergamon. Geschichte und Bauten einer antiken Metropole
by Wolfgang Radt
© May 2016, 3rd edition
Imprint: Zabern
392 pages, 73 color images, 98 b/w images, 77 drawings
ISBN 978-3-8053-4989-5
Pergamon is one of the most significant
archaeological sites of Antiquity and played an
important role as residence of the Attalid dynasty
from around 280 to 133 BC.
Pergamon gained fame about 100 years ago when
archaeologists excavated the so-called Pergamon
Altar which is the main attraction of Berlin’s
Pergamon Museum. Since then German
excavations have gone on continuously. Recent
years have seen extensive works concerning
restauration and reconstruction, especially of the
temple of Trajan. Their results extend to all fields
of classical art, architecture and culture.
This book discusses the history of Pergamon’s
“discovery” and the territory and history of the
surrounding area. The main part is dedicated to
the Antiquity, followed by the Byzantine era and a
chapter about destruction and conservation of
ancient ruins as well as biographical notes of the
main excavators of Pergamon.
Wolfgang Radt, born in 1940, was scientific
director of the Istanbul Department of the
German Archaeological Institute and head of the
excavation team in Pergamon from 1971 to 2004.
32
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Glass
From the Beginnings to the Early Middle Ages
Glas
Von den Anfängen bis ins frühe Mittelalter
by Christiane Herb and Nina Willburger
© February 2016
Imprint: Theiss
112 pages, 109 color images
ISBN 978-3-8062-2858-8
The authors show the interesting history of glass
from its beginnings in Mesopotamia and Egypt in
the third millennia BC to the Early Middle Ages.
Over the centuries, the multifold application of
this material was demonstrated time and again:
from transparent or translucent glass to fully
opaque products; glass in the form of jewelry,
vessels, window panes and mirrors.
The authors present a general overview of the
cultural and historical significance of glass and
focus on several outstanding findings of each era.
Chrstiane Herb focuses her research on the
history of glass production.
Nina Willburger works at the Landesmuseum
Württemberg in Stuttgart.
33
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Treasures of Antiquity
Fascinating archaeological finds
Schätze der Antike
Faszinierende Funde der Archäologie
by Frank Hildebrandt and Stephan Faust
© September 2015
Imprint: Zabern
160 pages, 120 color and b/w images, 1 map
ISBN 978-3-8053-4919-2
Treasures have been forever fascinating and exert
an irresistible pull on the human imagination. For
archaeologists, however, they are much more
than simply the metals out of which they consist
but valuable keys to the exploration of old
cultures. How did they get into the ground? To
whom did they belong? What do they tell us
about long bygone times?
Following these and other questions the wellknown archaeologists Stephan Faust and Frank
Hildebrandt recount the histories behind
significant treasures of gold, silver and bronze
from the Bronze Age to late antiquity. In this
gorgeously illustrated book they portray famous
but also less well-known treasures and the
background to their discovery: from Heinrich
Schliemann’s “Priam's Treasure” or the gold of the
Skythians to the silver find of Hildesheim.
Stephan Faust is professor at the archaeological
institute of the University of Hamburg.
Frank Hildebrand is curator of the antiquities
collection at the Museum for Art and Crafts in
Hamburg.
34
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Classical Archaeology
Klassische Archäologie
by Tonio Hölscher
© December 2014, 4th edition
Imprint: Theiss
368 pages, 178 b/w images, 2 maps
ISBN 978-3-8053-4876-8
Already sold to Italy and Greece
This title offers - in concentrated form - an
overview over the most important areas of Greek
and Roman archaeology. There are
representations of: Political, social and cultural
history, historical geography and division into
periodization, basic facts on art and culture in the
Antiquity, important terms, methods and
resources which are used in scientific research.
This book helps university students as well as
interested laymen to quickly acquire basic
knowledge as a foundation for further productive
studies.
This new edition has been extensively updated
and complemented by topics like Etruria and new
technological developments in archaeology.
Tonio Hölscher was professor for classical
archaeology at the University of Heidelberg.
35
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Latin Epigraphy
An Introduction
Lateinische Epigraphik. Eine Einführung
by Manfred G. Schneider
© July 2015, 3rd edition
Imprint: WBG
160 pages, 34 b/w images
ISBN 978-3-534-26755-2
This introduction offers a systematic depiction of
the epigraphic method and its results, its history
and the current research status. After introducing
various classes of inscriptions, the author presents
an extensive collection of examples (photo or
drawing, critical edition, translation, annotation).
The reader is thus shown how a critical edition
evolves out of archaeological, mostly fragmented
remnants by using the epigraphic method:
Reading the inscriptions, writing out the
abbreviations and using necessary or useful
additions.
Manfred G. Schmidt is head of “Corpus
Inscriptionum Latinarum” at the Academy of
Sciences of Berlin-Brandenburg.
36
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Belief and Doubt
Modern Man and God
Glauben im Zweifel. Der moderne Mensch und Gott
by Norbert Scholl
© March 2016
Imprint: Lambert Schneider
232 pages
ISBN 978-3-650-40145-8
God and natural science: Are they reconcilable?
For many people today the answer is clear: God is
a relic from an archaic time and superfluous in
modern society. On the other hand there is a
growing longing for a higher being and a desire for
an individual belief that is not tied to the rigidity
of the church.
With these thoughts in mind Norbert Scholl
attempts an “update” of the notion of God. He
shows that God is quite compatible with the
insights of natural sciences and why believing in
God is no irrational act. He develops a modern
notion of God which overcomes old formulas and
symbols and gives prayer a new meaning.
Norbert Scholl was Professor of Catholic Theology
and Religious Education at Heidelberg University
of Education. He has been Emeritus Professor
since 1996.
37
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
The World of Buddhism
From India to Japan
Die Welt des Buddhismus. Von Indien bis Japan
by Hermann-Josef Frisch
© January 2016
Imprint: Theiss
208 pages, 170 color images
ISBN 978-3-8062-3277-6
Follow the author Hermann-Josef Frisch in this
extraordinary book on his journey through the
world of Buddhism: Discover icy high plateaus in
the Himalaya in Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan adorned
with colorful prayer flags, explore India and China
and subtropical South East Asia with its golden
pagodas and the ruined city of Angkor. Experience
Buddhism in the industrial centers of Japan.
This book presents a topography of Buddhism and
portrays its significant religious locations. A focus
lies naturally on the religious diversity of the area
in question. Buddhist religion is as diverse as the
countries and peoples it thrives in.
With his exceptional photographs the author
visualizes the manifestations of Buddhism in its
various facets in the different countries.
Hermann-Josef Frisch is a retired clergyman and
teaches didactics of religious studies at the
University of Bonn. In more than 50 journeys he
explored various Buddhist countries.
38
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Speaking about God and Faith
Current Theories and Intellectual Profiles
Glauben denken. Zur philosophischen Durchdringung der Gottrede im 21. Jahrhundert
by Klaus Viertbauer/Heinrich Schmidinger (eds.)
© April 2016
Imprint: WBG
400 pages
ISBN 978-3-453-26773-6
Talking and writing about God has always been
embedded into the framework of the respective
philosophical approaches and cultural
environments of the time. In contemporary
pluralistic society this process is therefore very
multifaceted.
This work offers an orientation into this
polymorphy. Renowned theologians explain which
form they have chosen when talking about God
and which methodic and philosophical foundation
they based their decision on.
This book is thus a unique and representative
compendium, informing about current approaches
in contemporary German-speaking theology. It
allows for comparisons and offers an access to the
works of the authors.
With contributions by Kurt Appel, Edmund Arens,
Georg Essen, Roland Faber, Johannes Hoff, Markus
Knapp, Armin Kreiner, Klaus Müller, Friedo Ricken,
Thomas Schärtl, Perry Schmidt-Leukel, Hansjürgen
Verweyen, Klaus von Stosch, Klaus Viertbauer,
Saskia Wendel, Jürgen Werbick und Josef
Wohlmuth.
Klaus Viertbauer is a research assistant at the
Catholic Private University of Linz.
Heinrich Schmidinger is professor for Christian
Philosophy at the University of Salzburg.
39
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
Marriage, Partnership and Sexuality
From Sexual Morals to the Ethics of Relationships
Ehe, Partnerschaft und Sexualität
Von der Sexualmoral zur Beziehungsethik
by Konrad Hilpert
© September 2015
Imprint: WBG
176 pages
ISBN 978-3-534-74012-3
With Pope Francis an intensive discussion about
cohabitation outside of church marriage has
recommenced. Should remarried or same-sex
couples be allowed to partake of the Holy
Communion? Should it be permissible for them to
be active in church or be employed by institutions
of the church? Is it possible for the Catholic
Church to view partnerships like these in a
positive light?
These and other questions were discussed in a
synod in Rome in autumn 2014 that is going to be
continued in October 2015.
Konrad Hilpert’s book is coming out just in time
for the Roman synod in 2015. The well-known
theologian advocates new, up-to-date relational
ethics that do justice to varying life realities.
Konrad Hilpert, born in 1947, was professor for
moral theology at the University of Munich. He is
one of Germany’s foremost moral theologians.
40
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
A Religious History of Israel
From Prehistoric Times to the Beginnings of Christianity
Religionsgeschichte Israels
Von der Vorzeit bis zu den Anfängen des Christentums
by Michael Tilly and Wolfgang Zwickel
© September 2015, 2nd edition
Imprint: WBG
220 pages, 1 b/w image
ISBN 978-3-534-15927-7
Already sold to Japan
The people of the Bible - how did they live and
what did they believe in? In this unique and
interdisciplinary book two well-known experts
introduce the reader to the most significant
epochs, people, problems and theories.
With numerous textual sources and archaeological
findings, Michael Tilly and Wolfgang Zwickel
outline the religious history of the Holy Land from
the beginnings of human settlements 10,000 years
ago to the rise of Christianity in the second
century AD as well as the formation of the
rabbinate. It thus becomes clear how our world
came to be shaped by Judaism and Christianity. A
commentated bibliography of sources rounds off
this important work.
Michael Tilly is Professor for New Testament
Studies and Judaism of the Antiquity at the
University of Tübingen.
Wolfgang Zwickel is Professor for Old Testament
Studies and Biblical Archaeolgy at the University of
Mainz. One of his research interests revolves
around the cultural history of Israel.
41
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue Spring 2016
Meadows
Die Wiese
by Bruno P. Kremer
© February 2016
Imprint: Theiss
192 pages, 337 color images
ISBN 978-3-8062-3101-4
On seeing green pastures and colorful meadows,
when strolling through a park or hiking on alpine
pastures: Meadows are for many of us the
epitome of nature in its purest stage. Interestingly
enough, however, natural meadows are very rare
in Central Europe. Even though meadows and
pastures belong to the most common habitats in
our present cultural landscape, as ecosystems,
they are relatively young.
Bruno P. Kremer portrays meadows and pastures
in all seasons. Readers are led through the various
types of meadows and the abundant flora and
fauna of meadows.
Bruno P. Kremer taught at the University of
Cologne. He has published extensively on
environmental education and regional studies.
42
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue Spring 2016
Urban Planning
An Illustrated Introduction
Stadtplanung. Eine illustrierte Einführung
by Gerd Albers and Julian Wékel
© July 2016, 3rd edition
Imprint: WBG
192 pages, 202 color images
ISBN 978-3-534-26244-1
This introduction explains the basics of urban
planning. Furnished with maps, graphics and city
views it presents a lively picture of our cities, their
transformation in recent years as well as their
future development.
This book has been very popular with students,
planning officials and architects. Its third edition
has been updated with a perspective on
sustainability.
Gerd Albers is professor at the University of
Munich and is considered to be the doyen of
German urban planning. He served as president
for the German Academy of urban and rural
development.
Julian Wékel was a leading planning expert on the
urban development of Frankfurt and Hamburg and
served as Berlin’s topmost urban planning official.
He is currently professor at the University of
Darmstadt.
43
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue Spring 2016
East Africa
Geography – History – Economy – Politics
Ostafrika. Geographie – Geschichte – Wirtschaft - Politik
by Andreas Eberth and Andreas Kaiser (eds.)
© April 2016
Imprint: WBG
208 pages, 120 color images
ISBN 978-3-534-26775-0
East Africa – Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda
and Burundi – is one of the most dynamic regions
on Earth and this is not restricted to economic
growth only. Investments from abroad have
driven an upturn and brought about modern
developments – these are, however, not always of
a sustainable nature. What is more, East Africa is
one of the most visibly affected regions of the
world when it comes to climate change.
This book offers an abundance of information
about this multifaceted and fascinating region.
The authors cover all relevant topics from
biogeographic and climatic conditions, economic
and agricultural developments to cultural and
social features of the respective countries.
Andreas Eberth is a research assistant at the
Institute for the Didactics of the Natural Sciences
at the University of Hannover. He is chairman of
ELIMU – Education for East Africa.
Andreas Kaiser is a research assistant at the
University of Freiberg. He is board member of
ELIMU – Education for East Africa.
44
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue Spring 2016
The Geological Revolution
How the Discovery of Earth’s History Changed our Way of Thinking
Die geologische Revolution
Wie die Entdeckung der Erdgeschichte unser Denken veränderte
by Gottfried Hofbauer
© October 2015
Imprint: WBG
160 pages, 40 b/w images
ISBN 978-3-534-26728-6
In the 18th and 19th century people’s worldview
changed fundamentally. Till then their concept of
time had been shaped by the biblical story of
Creation which in turn had led to the belief that
past and future were of short duration olny.
Bishop James Ussher’s calculation that the earth
was created on the eve of the 23rd of October in
the year 4004 BC was very popular indeed.
NOMINATED FOR
AUSTRIAN SCIENCE BOOK OF THE
YEAR 2016
(NATURAL SCIENCES/TECHNOLOGY)
With the discovery that rocks bear testimony of
the long and eventful history of the earth and
after Darwin’s presentation of his concept about
the evolution of the different species this
perception began to dissolve. And with the loss of
trust in biblical history the expectation of the
world coming to an end soon faded as well.
Gottfried Hofbauer shows how this directed
people’s thinking into viewing the future as
interminable - a concept that is self-evident for us
today - and how scientific insights effectively
changed people’s thinking and their awareness of
and attitude towards life.
Gottfried Hofbauer has been involved in several
projects of the German Research Foundation.
Recently, he participated in various projects on
geoscientific public relations.
45
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue Spring 2016
A History of our Environment
Sixty Journeys through Time
Geschichte unserer Umwelt. 60 Reisen durch die Zeit
by Verena Winiwarter and Hans-Rudolf Bork
© November 2014
Imprint: Primus
191 pages, 149 color images, 63 b/w images
ISBN 978-3-8631-2069-6
Already sold to China
Torn between worship and exploitation - these are
the two poles between which the relationship of
humans towards nature has been vacillating since
oldest times. Since then have we been influencing,
shaping and transforming our environment. From
the earliest societies of hunters and gatherers to
the first examples of agriculture, from
industrialization to nuclear power stations and
tropical deforestation - man has always interfered
with the natural cycle.
On the other hand, the environment has
influenced our development, our behaviour and
our history as well. By means of sixty examples,
Verena Winiwarter and Hans-Rudolf Bork depict
the interdependency between nature and humans
in this unique and richly illustrated book.
PRIZEWINNER 2015:
“BEST BOOK ON THE
ENVIRONMENT”
BY DEUTSCHE UMWELTSTIFTUNG
AUSTRIAN SCIENCE BOOK OF THE
YEAR 2015
(NATURAL SCIENCES/TECHNOLOGY)
Verena Winiwarter is professor for history of the
environment and director of the Center for
Environmental History at the University of
Klagenfurt, based in Vienna. She was president of
the “European Society for Environmental History”
and was voted “Scientist of the Year 2013” by the
club of education and science journalists of
Austria.
Hans-Rudolf Bork is professor for ecosystems and
director of the Center for Ecology at the University
of Kiel. From 2008 to 2013 he was president of the
“German Society of Geography”.
46
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue Spring 2016
Superbrains
How Neurotechnology is Revolutionizing Our Lives
Das nackte Gehirn
Wie Neurotechnik unser Leben revolutioniert
by Mario Markus
© March 2016
Imprint: Theiss
224 pages, 5 b/w images
ISBN 978-3-8062-3278-3
Telepathy from one brain to the next, prostheses
and wheelchairs steered by the mind only and the
reading of dreams – what was considered to be
science-fictional or esoteric only a short while ago
seems to be within reach today.
We will soon be able to see without eyes and
listen without ears – simply by electrical
stimulation of the brain. It will be possible to fight
illnesses like depression or Parkinson in a more
efficient way.
This new technology entails a huge ethical
responsibility, however. Mario Markus presents
the results of current research and explains what
is already possible today and what will be possible
very soon. He shows how brain research is about
to fundamentally change our lives.
Mario Markus is a physicist who worked as a
researcher at the Max-Planck-Institute for
molecular physiology in Dortmund.
47
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue Spring 2016
Genius Construction
Industrious Ants and Other Architects in the Animal World
Genial gebaut
Von fleißigen Ameisen und anderen tierischen Architekten
by Mario Ludwig
© August 2015
Imprint: Theiss
240 pages, 35 b/w images
ISBN 978-3-8062-3145-8
Already sold to China
Did you know that the biggest building in the
world was constructed by tiny animals? The Great
Barrier Reef - just like the Chinese Wall - can be
viewed from the moon. Animals do not, however,
just build their own houses, they construct
architecturally clever traps for catching prey.
Well-known biologist Mario Ludwig tells us about
exceptionally gifted builders and constructors in
nature. Gripping, well researched and with a high
entertainment factor he depicts how prairie dogs
construct metropolises for millions of their kind
underneath the surface of the earth, how male
animals use their architecture to impress females,
or how antlions hunt for prey with their perfidious
sand pit traps. Find out what beavers are up to
below the water’s surface and what the baya has
got in common with social housing.
Mario Ludwig is a biologist and has published
twenty books so far. He runs a regular radio show
on extraordinary facts of the animal kingdom.
48
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue Spring 2016
Introduction into Intercultural Education
Einführung in die interkulturelle Pädagogik
by Georg Auernheimer
© December 2015, 8th edition
Imprint: WBG
178 pages, 7 b/w images
ISBN 978-3-534-26776-7
Already sold to Poland
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.
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.
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.
49
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue Spring 2016
Forever Yours
Great Composers and their Immortal Lovers
Ewig dein
Große Komponisten und ihre unsterblichen Geliebten
by Hans-Georg Klemm
© August 2015
Imprint: Lambert Schneider
176 pages, 10 b/w images
ISBN 978-3-650-40074-1
What could be more beautiful than love? What
could be more moving than music? Music and love
are - to use the words of Hector Berlioz - the “two
wings of the soul“.
Hans-Georg Klemm honours the memory of those
“immortal lovers” who were the source of
inspiration to composers like Beethoven, Chopin,
Liszt or Schumann. Their influence on the
creativity of the artists cannot be over-estimated.
Without the passion that they ignited, many a
master piece like Beethoven’s Moonshine
Serenade or Chopin's Nocturnes might not have
come forth. The author shows these great
musicians from their most private side.
Hans-Georg Klemm is a teacher and writer of
works of nonfiction. For many years, he has been
studying the biographies of Beethoven, Wagner
and Mahler.
50
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue Spring 2016
Michael Ende
Michael Ende
by Birgit Dankert
© January 2016
Imprint: Lambert Schneider
312 pages, 19 b/w images
ISBN 978-3-650-40122-9
“The Neverending Story“ was a worldwide success
and brought Michael Ende stardom. “Jim Button”
and “Momo” were extremely popular as books
and as a puppet theater version, movie and
musical. Ende popularized fantastic fiction for
children and youths in Germany and fascinated
adult readers as well. He was not uncontroversial,
however. His critics accused his works of escapism
and denial of reality.
Birgit Dankert analyzed extensive archived
material and spoke to companions of Michael
Ende. She retraces his life carefully: His childhood
in Munich, the Second World War, an
unsuccessful attempt to make his career as a
theater actor, the breakthrough as author, crisis
and a new start in his later years.
She discovers tragic elements as well. Michael
Ende saw himself as an artist but he could never
attain the much desired recognition as playwright
and movie director. He fulfilled the expectations
of his fans but remained trapped in a role that was
alien to him.
Birgit Dankert , born in 1944, was professor of
library and information science at the University
of Hamburg.
51
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue Spring 2016
Gorch Fock – A Biography
The Man behind the Myth
Seefahrt ist not! Gorch Fock – Die Biographie
by Rüdiger Schütt
© March 2016
Imprint: Lambert Schneider
224 pages, 46 b/w images
ISBN 978-3-650-40123-6
He became a mythical figure: Gorch Fock was born
in 1880 as Johann Kinau and died in the battle of
Jutland in 1916. He stands for courage and a thirst
for adventure, noble ideals and the battle for
survival on the high seas. His novel “Seefahrt ist
not!” turned him into a bestselling author. Ships,
schools and beer brands are named after him to
this day.
The Nazis appropriated his memory – the
consequences of which still prevail today. He is
either glorified or demonized. But who was Gorch
Fock really? Was he a militarist and precursor of a
national socialist ideology? Or was he a talented
writer and critical observer of an untrammeled
industrialization?
Rüdiger Schütt shows the man behind the myth
for the first time. His book brings to the fore a
radically conflicted man who was torn between
desire and reality and was ultimately doomed to
failure.
Rüdiger Schütt is a librarian at the University of
Kiel. He has written numerous books on authors
of the 19th and 20th century.
52
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue Spring 2016
Charlotte Brontë
Between Conformation and Rebellion
Charlotte Brontë
Zwischen Anpassung und Rebellion
by Katharina Pink
© March 2016
Imprint: Lambert Schneider
272 pages, 20 b/w images
ISBN 978-3-650-40121-2
Charlotte Brontë gained success as a writer only
late in life. She grew up in poverty and social
isolation. The life of this English clergyman’s
daughter remained continuously overshadowed
by illness and death. This tale of woe is mirrored
in her novels which have not lost any of their
timeliness over the centuries.
Charlotte Brontë wavered between conformation
and rebellion, between defiance and obedience.
Katharina Pink has written an emphatic portrait
that shows Charlotte’s precarious position in a
world dominated by men using her letters and
diaries to provide an insight into her inner life.
Katharina Pink is a lecturer for English literature
at the University of Munich.
53
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue Spring 2016
Gustaf Gründgens und Klaus Mann
Tanz auf dem Vulkan. Gustaf Gründgens und Klaus Mann
by Renate Berger
© March 2016
Imprint: Lambert Schneider
320 pages, b/w images
ISBN 978-3-650-40128-1
Author Klaus Mann’s erstwhile intimate friendship
with actor Gustaf Gründgens did not prevent him
to later portray him as a ruthless careerist in his
work “Mephisto”.
The lives of Gustaf Gründgens and Klaus Mann are
closely intertwined. It was not only Gründgen’s
marriage to Mann’s sister Erika that brought the
two together. What linked them even more was
the experience of an upheaval which meant the
end of individual and artistic freedom. In 1933
both of them became a target for the national
socialists who confronted them with censorship
and a maximum of control.
How differently the two of them dealt with this
threat and how former friends turned into
embittered adversaries, is shown by Renate
Berger in this brilliant double biography.
Renate Berger is professor for cultural studies at
the University of Arts in Berlin. Her research focus
is on female artists from the 18th century to today,
art and cultural history of the 1920s, Russian
ballet, theories of the avant-garde and history of
film.
54
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue Spring 2016
The Complete Graphical Works of Alexander von Humboldt
Alexander von Humboldt. Das graphische Gesamtwerk
by Oliver Lubrich (ed.)
© October 2015, 3rd edition
Imprint: Lambert Schneider
800 pages, 1.576 color images
ISBN 978-3-654-40132-8
Alexander von Humboldt published two dozen
books and more than 700 essays and articles. Less
known is the fact that the natural scientist and
travel writer was also an illustrator and graphic
artist. More than 1,500 pictures illustrate his
writings and are as diverse as his interests: As an
ethnographer and cultural scientist he made
sketches of people, buildings and everyday
objects. As a botanist, zoologist and anatomist he
drew plants, animals and body details. As a
geologist, geographer and cartographer he
charted mountains, water bodies and continents.
This highly acclaimed, extravagantly illustrated
work presents Alexander von Humboldt’s
complete graphical works in an attractive special
edition. More than 1,500 extraordinary
illustrations in excellent quality are shown,
especially from his world-famous South American
travelogue. An introduction by Humboldtspecialist Oliver Lubrich and an appendix with an
overview of Humboldt‘s works, descriptions of the
illustrations and a chronology complete this
beautiful edition.
Oliver Lubrich is professor for German Literature
and Comparative Literature Studies at the
University of Bern. He has edited and co-edited
several works by Alexander von Humboldt: Central
Asia, Kosmos, and the first German version
of Vues des Cordillères, the Chimborazo Diary, the
ethnographic and political essays as well as two
volumes on Humboldt’s international
reception: Alexander von Humboldt in World
Literature, Alexander von Humboldt in Cultural
Criticism. He is currently directing an edition of
Humboldt’s essays (in ten volumes), funded by the
Swiss National Foundation.
55
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue Spring 2016
Collecting Art
A History of Passion and Power
Kunst sammeln
Eine Geschichte von Leidenschaft und Macht
by Hans-Ulrich Thamer
© October 2015
Imprint: Zabern
256 pages, 20 b/w images
ISBN 978-3-8053-4915-4
Archduke Wilhelm Leopold amassed exactly 1,397
paintings, 343 drawings and 542 sculptures. At the
time of her death, Catherine the Great possessed
almost 4,000 paintings and tens of thousands of
drawings. The industrialist Peter Ludwig of Aachen
distributed his treasures to 21 museums
worldwide. Passionate art collectors there have
been many over the times. They were driven by
piety, lust for power and the pride of ownership.
Hans-Ulrich Thamer follows the history of
collectors and patrons from the late middle ages
to today. He examines early ecclesiastical and
dynastic collections, baroque cabinets of wonders
and the public museums of the 19th century as
well as the contemporary expansion of the art
market. Not only are the collectors themselves
portrayed, but also agents, curators and critics.
Hans-Ulrich Thamer is professor for history at the
University of Münster. His focus of research is on
the cultural history of collections and museums.
56
Contact: [email protected]
WBG – Foreign Rights Catalogue Spring 2016
Medieval City Fortifications
in German-Speaking Territories
Die mittelalterlichen Stadtbefestigungen im deutschsprachigen Raum
by Thomas Biller
© May 2016
Imprint: Zabern
2 volumes, 688 pages, 500 images and maps
ISBN 978-3-8053-4975-8
The most obvious attribute of any medieval city
was its fortification, its city wall. Thomas Biller’s
work is the first systematic and comprehensive
presentation on medieval city fortification.
In the first volume Biller focuses on all aspects of
medieval urban fortifications: Their development
from early simple forms to their demise in the age
of artillery. He depicts all elements of urban
fortifications as well as their funding, construction
and maintenance.
In the second volume Biller describes all city
fortifications whose existence can be confirmed
by findings in current and former Germanspeaking territories, including Pomerania, East
Prussia, Austria and Switzerland.
Thomas Biller (PhD in architecture and PhD in
architectural history) is one of the most
distinguished researchers on castles in Germany
and has written numerous works on architectural
history.
57
Contact: [email protected]
WBG- Foreign Rights Catalogue – Spring 2016
58
Contact: [email protected]