german army book

[Guest]

hello,

I am reading a good book at the moment, " War Experiences in Rural Germany" 1914-1923. Benjamin Ziemann about the Bavarian rural soldier during the war.

Academic and tough going but excellent , I am interested in any books on the German Army, I feel that it is a neglected area and after a century I think it is important to understand Germany and the structure of its society.

I unfortunately do not speak German, maybe with the forth comming centenary commemorations more books will become available in English, apologies to any German contributors .

[David Filsell]

There is a very much larger selection of works than you might think which have been translated into English - not least about 140 novels and personal accounts by other ranks and junior officers as well as the 'herographies' and 'not me guvs' by members of the brass.David

[kaiserknight]

David,

How goes your book?

Regarding translations of German works, how does one go about it legally?

Is this an online guide by chance?

[bob lembke]

When I was young my mother made sure that I did not learn German, so I taught myself to speak German (after a fashion) only when I was 27, in 1967, when I was working in Ljubljana, Slovenija. In 2000 I found a trove of about 50 family letters, mostly from my father and grand-father at the front, and so I taught myself to read German, to read Fraktur, and also Suetterlin and Kurrent, the two handwriting systems. So I self-taught at age 60. English is a Germanic language, if the one the furthest from German. So it is possible to pick it up. (My wife, at work, estimates that she works in 40 languages in any given year, and has worked in a total of 80. But that is something else, as she is.)

Copyright law is astonishingly complex, but in my experience the Germans tend to be very laid back about it, in contrast, for example, to my experience and observation in the British Library. Perhaps they have had so many things happen in the last 100 years that disputing rights to a 90 year old book whose author died 50 years ago seems small potatoes. As a rule of thumb something in print for over 70 years is probably fair game. (I expect to get an avalanche of e-mails and posts on exceptions to this in seconds.)

[David Filsell]

KK

Slowly. I have completed a bibliography an written about 100 or so commentary pieces, but no bites from publishers. Work continues and knowledge grows. All the books I have found have already been translated.

David

[kaiserknight]

Bob, always a fountain!!!!

David - perhaps the 'Pals' can take up a crowd funding venture - for a self-published effort.

[joerookery]

Wintgens,

There is a 2009 English language book entitled Handbook of Imperial Germany. It is print on demand and covers the political, social history and army of Imperial Germany.

http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/ItemDetail.aspx?bookid=60521

In the spring of 2014 (with perhaps the first book coming out later this year) there is a set entitled – The Great War Dawning

Imperial Germany and its Army Before the First World War--to be published in English by Militaria-Verlag.

[David Filsell]

And very , very good it is too!

[joerookery]

Thank you for your kind words David. I think the new one will be very interesting – certainly a new look at the start of the war from the German side. If you are willing to do a review on this one I might actually be able to give you a review copy that you don't have to pay for this time!

[David Filsell]

Joe,

Reply sent.

Regards

Davis