»Wendepunkte der Weltgeschichte«
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Katharina Knorr
Abstract
When academic paperbacks reached print runs of up to 50.000 copies in the mid-1950s, Rudolf Oldenbourg also decided to publish a series of historical paperbacks. From 1957 Oldenbourg published the Janus-Bücher. Berichte zur Weltgeschichte. Oldenbourg based its plans for the academic paperback series on successful academic series from other publishers such as the Urban books (Kohlhammer from 1953), the Kleine Reihe (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht from 1954), the Dalp Taschenbücher (Francke from 1954) and Rowohlts deutsche Enzyklopädie, which was a great success from its launch in 1955. The Janus-Bücher - characterised by »scholarly reliability and lively presentation« - were intended to provide information about turning points in world history and thus make historiographical findings accessible to a broad public with an interest in contemporary historiography. The two right-wing conservative historians Hellmuth Rößler and Gustav Adolf Rein have been commissioned to publish the book. Both were members of the Ranke Society, which was founded in 1950 around a core of former Nazi historians and from whose ranks the idea of an academic series on political history was brought to Oldenbourg. Horst Kliemann put Rudolf Oldenbourg in touch with Hellmuth Rößler, who was primarily responsible for the series from 1957 onwards and whose declared aim was to use the historical paperbacks to convey an awareness of history to the post-war German public that would enable a more precise understanding of Germany’s past. He came into conflict with Hans Altenhein, who supervised the Janus volumes within the R. Oldenbourg publishing house and - like Karl von Cornides - drew attention from the outset to the questionable motives and aims of the conservative historians from the Ranke-Society as well as to the unprofessional and outmoded conception of the series. Altenhein’s criticism relates to the selection of authors as well as the choice of topics and form of presentation. In the end, those responsible at the publishing house felt that the aim of providing the public with an understanding of world politics through the historical paperbacks had not been achieved. The series is discontinued in 1961.
Abstract
When academic paperbacks reached print runs of up to 50.000 copies in the mid-1950s, Rudolf Oldenbourg also decided to publish a series of historical paperbacks. From 1957 Oldenbourg published the Janus-Bücher. Berichte zur Weltgeschichte. Oldenbourg based its plans for the academic paperback series on successful academic series from other publishers such as the Urban books (Kohlhammer from 1953), the Kleine Reihe (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht from 1954), the Dalp Taschenbücher (Francke from 1954) and Rowohlts deutsche Enzyklopädie, which was a great success from its launch in 1955. The Janus-Bücher - characterised by »scholarly reliability and lively presentation« - were intended to provide information about turning points in world history and thus make historiographical findings accessible to a broad public with an interest in contemporary historiography. The two right-wing conservative historians Hellmuth Rößler and Gustav Adolf Rein have been commissioned to publish the book. Both were members of the Ranke Society, which was founded in 1950 around a core of former Nazi historians and from whose ranks the idea of an academic series on political history was brought to Oldenbourg. Horst Kliemann put Rudolf Oldenbourg in touch with Hellmuth Rößler, who was primarily responsible for the series from 1957 onwards and whose declared aim was to use the historical paperbacks to convey an awareness of history to the post-war German public that would enable a more precise understanding of Germany’s past. He came into conflict with Hans Altenhein, who supervised the Janus volumes within the R. Oldenbourg publishing house and - like Karl von Cornides - drew attention from the outset to the questionable motives and aims of the conservative historians from the Ranke-Society as well as to the unprofessional and outmoded conception of the series. Altenhein’s criticism relates to the selection of authors as well as the choice of topics and form of presentation. In the end, those responsible at the publishing house felt that the aim of providing the public with an understanding of world politics through the historical paperbacks had not been achieved. The series is discontinued in 1961.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Inhalt V
- »Für Jeden Etwas« 1
- »Wendepunkte der Weltgeschichte« 51
- Nürnberger Kupferstecher und Kunsthändler des 17. Jahrhunderts als Buchverleger 87
- Die »Pflege der Literatur« als »Lebensaufgabe« 111
- Bücher aus Prag 137
- Ein »gewagtes Unternehmen« 153
- Formatwechsel 181
-
Berichte und Miszellen
- Ernst Umlauff (1896–1976) oder der Gang der Geschäfte 229
- The Library and the Garden 233
-
Rezensionen
- Ursula Rautenberg und Ute Schneider (Hrsg.): Das Buch als Handlungsangebot. Soziale, kulturelle und symbolische Praktiken jenseits des Lesens 243
- Bernhard Fischer / C. Taszus (Hrsg.): Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus – Carl August Böttiger. Briefwechsel 1807–1823 247
- Annika Haß: Europäischer Buchmarkt und Gelehrtenrepublik. Die Transnationale Verlagsbuchhandlung Treuttel & Würtz 251
- Michael Knoche, Georg Kessler u. a.: 300 Jahre Gräfe und Unzer 254
- Katharina Grabbe und Christian Schmitt (Hrsg.): Kolportageliteratur. Medialität, Mobilität und Literarizität populärer Texte im 19. Jahrhundert 259
- Petra McGillen: Der Fontane-Workshop. Realismus- Manufaktur im Zeitalter der Druckmaschinen 262
- Kristina Mateescu: Engagement und esoterische Kommunikation unterm Hakenkreuz 265
- Patricia F. Blume: Die Geschichte der Leipziger Buchmesse in der DDR 269
-
Anhang
- Historische Kommission des Börsenvereins des Deutschen Buchhandels e. V. – Bericht 1. Juni 2023 bis 31. Mai 2024 271
- Register 273
- Anschriften der Autorinnen und Autoren 284
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Inhalt V
- »Für Jeden Etwas« 1
- »Wendepunkte der Weltgeschichte« 51
- Nürnberger Kupferstecher und Kunsthändler des 17. Jahrhunderts als Buchverleger 87
- Die »Pflege der Literatur« als »Lebensaufgabe« 111
- Bücher aus Prag 137
- Ein »gewagtes Unternehmen« 153
- Formatwechsel 181
-
Berichte und Miszellen
- Ernst Umlauff (1896–1976) oder der Gang der Geschäfte 229
- The Library and the Garden 233
-
Rezensionen
- Ursula Rautenberg und Ute Schneider (Hrsg.): Das Buch als Handlungsangebot. Soziale, kulturelle und symbolische Praktiken jenseits des Lesens 243
- Bernhard Fischer / C. Taszus (Hrsg.): Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus – Carl August Böttiger. Briefwechsel 1807–1823 247
- Annika Haß: Europäischer Buchmarkt und Gelehrtenrepublik. Die Transnationale Verlagsbuchhandlung Treuttel & Würtz 251
- Michael Knoche, Georg Kessler u. a.: 300 Jahre Gräfe und Unzer 254
- Katharina Grabbe und Christian Schmitt (Hrsg.): Kolportageliteratur. Medialität, Mobilität und Literarizität populärer Texte im 19. Jahrhundert 259
- Petra McGillen: Der Fontane-Workshop. Realismus- Manufaktur im Zeitalter der Druckmaschinen 262
- Kristina Mateescu: Engagement und esoterische Kommunikation unterm Hakenkreuz 265
- Patricia F. Blume: Die Geschichte der Leipziger Buchmesse in der DDR 269
-
Anhang
- Historische Kommission des Börsenvereins des Deutschen Buchhandels e. V. – Bericht 1. Juni 2023 bis 31. Mai 2024 271
- Register 273
- Anschriften der Autorinnen und Autoren 284
