The author of the present book is to be congratulated upon having completed it. Yet he is also to be commiserated for the very simple reason that almost any reader might consider what ever he included wrong. The author has quite probably found himself in an uphill battle when compiling his book. And if that were not enough, there is always the publisher, who in the case of this guide to the regions of Germany deliberately chose a fairy‐tale cover. Neuschwanstein, as well as Heidelberg or Rothenburg, certainly support the idea of a country characterized by half‐timbered houses or the fairy‐tales of the Grimm Brothers or the tourists' idea of travelling Europe in three days.
Of course, the book is not intended for German readers. Or, for that matter, for readers living in Germany who know the country quite well. It certainly aims at a foreign audience with only a rough idea of German history and culture. The author takes a very safe route to approach his subject, the regions of Germany. The country consists of 16 federal states, of varying size, population, wealth, and self‐confidence. Quite a number of these federal states, however, must be considered as somewhat artificial constructions made at the end of the Second World War. It might be misleading, therefore, to assume that there are sixteen “regions” in Germany simply because there happen to exist 16 federal states. Take, for instance, Baden‐Württemberg, a federal state of cultural and monetary wealth and corresponding self‐confidence. And yet to have its two parts in a sort of wedlock, with the “Badener”, in particular from the south, finding themselves to have more in common with the Alsatians and the Swiss rather than the despised “Württemberger”, the reputedly avaricious Swabians.
As the author says, “the present Länder serve as the organizational base in this book” (p. xx). The book itself is quite simply structured: every region its chapter, every chapter, in turn, its identical structure. An introductory section, covering special aspects, regional traits as well as geographic features, is followed by a short description of the main cities. Outlines of the Länder's history and economy are also provided. Little surprise, there are descriptions of tourist attractions and local customs, ranging from festivities to costumes. The final section devoted to each federal state is devoted to Cultural Attributes and Contributions, summarizing works of art, literature, music and culminating in one or two recipes of what the author takes to be regional cuisine. The recipes are, at times, as long as the summaries on culture. Does this make Germany a country where cuisine, if local, is particularly esteemed?
Dieter Buse, professor of history at Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, with a number of publications on the history of the Social Democratic Party to his credit, has made every effort to provide an appealing and interesting book on the regional varieties of Germany. It's not his fault that there are definitely more than 16, if not quite as many as 57. Yet he should pay more attention to this fact in any future edition of this book. That would also enable him to provide a bibliography that would replace the present and deserve that label.
