Modern Germany : an encyclopedia of history, people, and culture, 1871-1990 /

Distilling in encyclopedic form the essence of several German nation-states is a formidable undertaking. In Modern Germany, 400 contributors discuss 1,300 topics dealing with Germany, 1871-1990. Entries treat personalities, events, and institutions, as well as fields such as literature, music, art, religion, science, philosophy, economics, technology, society, and the media. Entries are treated at appropriate levels of detail and are accompanied by cross-references and a short bibliography. The entry choices are admirably conscientious and evenhanded, even when readers' preferences with regard to the inclusion or exclusion of particular entries may differ from the editors'. For example, Doris Dorrie and Marcel Reich-Ranicki would seem to merit their own entries, given the book's far-reaching cultural scope, and it seems inconsistent that Peter Handke would merit inclusion but not Thomas Bernhard, and the Vienna Circle and Ludwig Wittgenstein, but not Rudolf Carnap. A subject guide and the index are very useful. The volumes themselves are physically well made, and an aesthetically pleasing page design encourages browsing. Despite its cost, highly recommended for reference collections concerned with German studies. M. P. Olson Harvard University

Germany, as a nation, has experienced some of the best and worst of modern civilization. It has produced some of the world's greatest scientists and, with the interwar Weimar Republic, a model of a politically progressive society. Yet it is also the nation that produced the horrors of the Nazi era and holds a strong responsibility for the outbreak of World War I. For 45 years after World War II, a divided Germany was the symbol and the ideological battleground of the cold war. Since reunification in 1990, it has fought some old demons and taken a strong leadership role in the European Union. Simply put, Germany is a difficult nation to understand. The editors of this work recognize that Germany's complex paths to its present state need to be drawn together. The result is an encyclopedia of some 1,300 entries by more than 400 international scholars that draws a wonderfully detailed picture of the German nation from its political unification in 1871 to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Arranged alphabetically, the entries look at significant people, places, events, institutions, and issues. Coverage is broad, embracing the arts, the economy, the media, the sciences, and society as well as politics. Entries are necessarily concise, generally from one-half page to two pages, but quite detailed in coverage. Each entry is signed and appended with a short bibliography. To ease access, a subject guide in volume 1 arranges entries under broad themes, such as Regions and Political Territories, Sculpture, Women and Women's Movements, and Workers and Working Class. A general index is provided at the end of volume 2. Each entry is also fully cross-referenced, making for a highly accessible work. This is the first such work on modern Germany to be printed in English. As such, it is highly recommended for all academic and large public libraries. It is an invaluable starting point for the researcher interested in learning more about Germany and its people, history, and vibrant culture.