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An introduction to Germany, its mountains, rivers, agriculture, schools and family life. Illustrated with colour photographs a new title in the ON THE MAP series. Supports the National Curriculum. ... Read more

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An introduction to the geography, history, government, economy, people, and culture of West Germany. ... Read more

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Text and illustrations introduce the geography, history, people, and culture of Germany. ... Read more

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Come to Bregshausen and stay with a German family. Come and practise your circus skills at the local youth club. Visit a snack stall and try some tasty bratwurst. Learn how to make some December biscuits - Moritz will show you how. Experience real life through the eyes of Moritz Parisus and his family. ... Read more

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For children from the age of seven, titles in the "Countrywise" series provide contains information about the country and it's people, including famous places, food, history and money. In addition, many of the items talked about are written both in English and in the language of the country, making these ideal first guides to languages for children. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great book - slightly dated
I just ordered and received this book and have only begun to put it to good use. But from what I can see, it is going to be a lovely addition to my extensive collection of German books for children - packed with quality material that is put forth in a way that is appealing to children.

I did notice one very dated piece of information in the book, however -- it still refers to the Deutsch Mark and the Pfennig as the German currency. Germany has used the Euro for some time now. This makes an interesting bit of history, actually, and I don't mind it too much, but it could disappoint someone who is looking for the most up-to-date info. That's why I gave the book only 4 stars.

Lighting the spark
I asked my son, age 12, about all the materials we had purchased over the years about learning German. He told me honestly that most of the language computer programs were boring. So while he learned a bit, it did notfire up his interest. What turned him on to learn more than anything else was "Getting to know Germany and German." The small book is "packed" with lots of cultural details (24 pages), plus an additional section at the end on common phrases. This last section uses easy-to-follow phonetics, and covered the basic mechanics of language. We were amazed at his skill at pronunciation. But most of all, his enthusiasm to learn more German vocabulary from other sources. We've had many other ABC and picture books around the house, and a few audio tapes, but this one rated tops in his mind. ... Read more

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A further title in the FIRST COUNTRIES series, in which colour picture maps illustrate regional areas of Germany and pinpoint things to see and do. Includes special features on topics of local and national interest. Also available in paperback priced at 3.50, ISBN 0 7460 1242 X. ... Read more

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"Brilliantly conceived....[A] tour deforce in historical writing."—IanKershawMajestic and lyrically written, The Conquestof Nature traces the rise of Germanythrough the development of water and landscape.David Blackbourn begins his morality tale in the mid-1700s, with the epic story of Frederick theGreat, who attempted—by importing the greatscientific minds of the West and by harnessingthe power of his army—to transform theuninhabitable marshlands of his scatteredkingdom into a modern state. Chronicling thegreat engineering projects that reshaped themighty Rhine, the emergence of an ambitiousGerman navy, and the development ofhydroelectric power to fuel Germany'sconvulsive industrial growth before World War I, Blackbourn goes on to show how Nazi racialpolicies rested on German ideas of mastery ofthe natural world. Filled with strikingreproductions of paintings, maps, andphotographs, this grand work of modern historylinks culture, politics, and the environment inan exploration of the perils faced by nationsthat attempt to conquer nature. 70 illustrations ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Very Good; 4.5 Stars
An interesting examination of German attitudes towards the natural world and the effects of large scale civil engineering projects on the German landscape.Blackbourn examines attitudes towards nature and civil engineering projects from the second half of the 18th century to contemporary Germany.For much of this period, and despite a fair amount of romanticization of the natural world, the basic attitude was that of control of nature and conquest of nature in the interest of German populations. Blackbourn opens with a discussion of major marsh drainage projects during the reign of Frederick the Great.The latter's military conquests greatly expanded the Prussian state, but as Blackbourn points out, marsh reclamation also greatly expanded the available arable land in Prussia.Prefiguring the character of major civil engineering projects throughout the 19th and 20th century, these projects were expensive, state directed, labor intensive, often accompanied by substantial movements of people onto newly created arable lands, and often produced significant negative unanticipated consequences.

Blackbourn discusses the rationalization of the Rhine watershed, the development of the port of Wllhelmshaven, the construction of dams in many, many German watersheds, the complex relationship between Nazi ideology & practice and views of nature, and the more recent rise of environmental movements in Germany.The quality of writing is very good and Blackbourn's documentation is excellent, drawing on large variety of German primary and secondary sources.The latter are mainly unavailable in English and this book is partly an insightful summary of what appears to be a substantial German literature.

Blackbourn is not a naive Romantic decrying the loss of the natural world.He is very clear on the many considerablebenefits of these large scale projects.He is scrupulous as well in documenting the costs, both financial and human, of these projects.One major theme is the unanticipated negative consequences of projects.Rationalization of rivers and draining of wetlands improved navigation possibilities, increased trade, provided additional farmland, but often increased the risk of major, damaging floods and reduced traditional fisheries.Unanticipated consequences were often dealt with by additional, major civil engineering projects such as larger levees and and additional dams.Another major ironic feature documented by Blackbourn is the way in which earlier transformations of the landscape came to be regarded by later generations as parts of the natural world.

Blackbourn shows very well the somewhat contradictory nature of German attitudes towards the natural world.A combination of Romantic sensibility but also glorification of human achievement and taming of the landscape.The latter often had a strongly racist component with German industry, achievement, and civilization contrasted with the Slavic (and other non-German ethnicities) savagery.He has an interesting discussion of what the Germans intended for Eastern Europe had they won WWII.This would have been a grandiose version of the types of engineering projects practiced in Germany.

Blackbourn concludes with the emergence of environmental concerns in the past few decades.While certainly not without elements of romanticism, this is a much more balanced view of the costs of large scale environmental manipulation, and in important respects represents a qualitative change in German attitudes.Blackbourn is cautiously optimistic about prospects for the future.

A brilliant masterpiece
In this masterful and original account the author takes the reader on a virtual tour de force examination of the way in which nature was changed, conquered, preserved, destroyed and manipulated in Germany between the time of Fredrick the Great and the present.The author notes that to "write about the shaping ofthe modern German landscape is to write about how modern Germany itself was shaped."It begins with the tale of the draining of the Oderburch, a great swamp on the river Oder from Oderberg to Lebus.This swamp along with others was progressively drained and settled in the 18th century.Colonists were brought in and the wolves were hunted to extinction.This was a frontier like any other and the author compares it to other conquests of nature in the New World and South Africa.It was a "conquest from barbarism".This use of science and technology to tame the wild beast of nature is as old as man itself but found a special expression in Germany.

The next section of the book examines the taming of the Rhine river and the harnessing of it to agriculture and the state.The book takes the reader on a wonderful journey alongside the German engineers and statesmen and visionaries who tried the utmost to control flooding and build ports and canals such as Wilhelmshaven. Land reclamation followed. Once again people had to settle and colonize the new areas.The same was being done across Europe, for instance South of Rome where in the 1920s and 1930s colonists would be set to colonizing the Malarial swamps.

But where once colonizing and reclamation were peaceful pursuits they eventually turned sinister with the advent of Nazism and the decision to reclaim the East for German settlers.The idea was that the `barbaric' Slavic peoples could be harnessed as well or removed from the swamps they were `indigenous' to.Propaganda saw them as growing out of the swamps themselves.The `dead space' of the Pripet marshes.Everywhere German `model villages' were designed to replace the `natural' villages that seethed with disease and closed spaces in the `east'.

A brilliant book that weaves together so many topics and is hard to put down, the subject seems staid, but is fascinating.

Seth J. Frantzman

It's a key component of any comprehensive collection on German issues and background.
THE CONQUEST OF NATURE: WATER, LANDSCAPE, AND THE MAKING OF MODERN GERMANY is a recommended pick for any library strong in modern Western history in general and German history and culture in particular. Both college-level and general-interest lending collections will appreciate the fine reproductions of paintings, maps and photos which go into a survey linking culture, politic and environmental issues in German history to modern times. It's a key component of any comprehensive collection on German issues and background.

Changing the Face of Germany
This is quite a book.

There are a number of books on how the he U.S. Army Corp of Engineers has modified rivers like the Mississippi in the United States (with more or less success, witness Katrina). This is the first one I've seen on what was done in Northern Europe. The projects in Germany were monumental in scale, taking some 250 years to accomplish. This is part of what made Germany into a nation.

It is quite interesting as it talks not only about what was done but about other aspects such as the health, econonic, cultural, and political aspects. The Nazi's for instance looked at the work done as proof of the natural superiority of the German people.

With all of the success of the projects, the book at the end turns to the problems the efforts have caused: flooding, fish habitat destroyed. In essence all of the problems we are having with these same areas in the United States.

An excellent environmental history.
There are many fine environmental histories of North America but seemingly very few of Europe. Following a brief description of how the end of the Ice Age produced the sodden, water-filled plains of central and northern Germany, this book explores how man created the modern German landscape by straightening the Rhine River and "reclaiming" the southern coast of the North Sea and other watery regions. The maps are useful. Great stuff, I wish there were more books on the transformation of the European environment over the past 12,000 years. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Quick Deliver
The package arrived in four days in standard shipping.The only problem is that it was not packaged well and was damaged in the process.The back upper corner of the book was folded.

an important work of history
A splendid historical work examining the unexpected mingling of Germans, occupiers and (returned and displaced person) Jews immediately after World War II. Focusing on gender and the politics of the body, the study discloses unexpected linkages and relationships between populations of people whose war experiences do not necessarily result in predictable outcomes. Fascinating reading that challenges many of the assumptions about post-war Germany and draws a provocative picture of gender relations -- especially in Berlin. Deserves to be widely reviewed and discussed in the general media as well as professional journals. ... Read more

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Uses the numbers one through ten in German to introduce aspects of the history and culture of Germany. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Ein schönes Büchlein ist Count Your Way Through Germany!
This little book is quite unique.Although written in English, it presents some interesting snippets of German culture.I love the cover: a picture of Der Rattenfänger von Hameln (The Pied Piper of Hamlin).I havemy own language school, and hold a Master's degree and PA TeachingCertification in German. This will be a great text for me to use tointroduce German culture to children OR adults.Gott sei dank, the authordoes not depend on stereotypical examples, such as the Alps, Lederhosen,Wurst, Bier, to present the numbers from 1-10. Whether he is wellacquainted with Germany's culture and history through his own study ofGerman, or not, the author, nevertheless, reflects his wish to provideaccurate information.I offer kudos to him for his attention to correctEnglish grammar as well. I can't wait until Count Your Way Through Germany1-20 comes out!

A wonderful book to introduce German culture!
As a teacher of German in an elementary school, it is always difficult to find appropriate (if any) books to use in the classroom.Although this book is written in English, therefore technically off-limits in myGerman-only program, it has wonderful cultural ties that can be used atsome point in my classes.The pictures, if nothing else, give a lot ofinformation about German culture.This is also a great book for regularclassroom teachers wanting to introduce a new culture to their students. What a thrill to find! ... Read more

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The long history of the German people traces back to 2000 B.C. This new book illustrates its people from the powerful Roman Empire through to the twentieth century's division and reunification of Germany. Vivid photographs depict what village and city life is like today including traditional German food and customs. ... Read more

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Hitler's autobahn was more than just the pet project of an infrastructure-friendly dictator. It was supposed to revolutionize the transportation sector in Germany, connect the metropoles with the countryside, and encourage motorization. The propaganda machinery of the Third Reich turned the autobahn into a hyped-up icon of the dictatorship. One of the claims was that the roads would reconcile nature and technology. Rather than destroying the environment, they would embellish the landscape. Many historians have taken this claim at face value and concluded that the Nazi regime harbored an inbred love of nature. In this book, the author argues that such conclusions are misleading. Based on rich archival research, the book provides the first scholarly account of the landscape of the autobahn. ... Read more

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Part of a comprehensive series for the study of localities in countries around the world, this book looks at Germany. ... Read more

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Introduces the climate, industry, agriculture, religion, culture, and education of West Germany. ... Read more

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Text and photographs introduce the topography, history, society, economy, and governmental structure of Austria. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This book was very infromational, but it needed more visuals
This book was very good.I learned things I could not even dream of! I enjoyed the pictures very much.I enjoyed them so much that I thought there should of been more pictures.But it was still a good book. ... Read more

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This study uses the experience of Cracow to illuminate general patterns of trade and urban growth in Central and Eastern Europe over several centuries. Dr. Carter describes the regions and places of special significance for Cracow's trade development, and examines the principal trading flows and commodity movements within the overall context of European economic and social change. Trade and Urban Development in Poland will make a major contribution to our understanding of the historical geography of Central and Eastern Europe. ... Read more