(Dennis J. Nicklaus) on Sept 27. 1996.
Attached below is a list of publications of the Max Kade Institute for German-American studies. I
have no affiliation with them, except that I've received some help through them. See their
homepage at:
http://www.wisc.edu/mki
They have a pretty small staff, so I don't think they do much helping other than in person, but it is
a nice resource if you're in the Madison area. The following books are available for purchase
through the Max Kade Institute unless otherwise noted.
To order, send check or purchase order for price of book, plus $3.00 shipping & handling for first
book, and $1.00 for each additional book shipped to the same address. Wisconsin residents add
5% sales tax.
The German-American Press
[270]pp. hardcover $22.50
Edited by Henry Geitz
Though it will never be possible to establish an exact number, scholars of the German-American
press have estimated that about 5000 newspapers and periodicals have been published in
German in the more than 300 years of German immigration to the United States. This collection
of essays on various aspects of the German-American press shows clearly the role of that press
in the process of acculturation of German immigrants on the one hand, and on the other,
retention of some of the old institutions, most notably the German language. Bracketed between
articles on the press of the colonial period and that of the present is a rich collection of essays on
various aspects of the topic. While no one volume can adequately deal with all, or even nearly all
aspects of the phenomenon, this contribution to the field of German-American Studies does
present a rather broad spectrum of topics and, thus, serves as both a source of valuable
information and an introduction to further work. ~Friends of The Max Kade Institute 1992. ISBN 0-
924119-50-0.
The German Forty-Eighters in the United States
[305]pp. hardcover $54.95
Edited by Charlotte L. Brancaforte
Between 1845 and 1854 over one million German citizens left their homes and emigrated, many
of them as a result of the failed revolution of 1848 and its aftermath. The "Forty-Eighters" who
came to the United States both for political and economic reasons went through different stages
of adaptation to the new country. The immigrants contributed to the political, social and cultural
life of their new homeland by transforming staid communities on the East coast, by founding new
settlements in the Midwest and West, and by swelling the number of politically conscious artisans
and workers in the big cities. Their voting power and personal sacrific were of great importance in
the abolition of slavery in the U.S. They participated in the debate about the women's vote and in
stressing the concepts of free and general education. The contributors to this volume of essays
illustrate a new direction in Germa American studies. By bringing together the expertise of many
disciplines, they show that this powerful group among nineteenth century immigrants helped
shape U.S. communities in ways which can still be felt today. ~Peter Lang, 1989. ISBN 0-8204-
1010-1. Available for purchase through Peter Lang Publishing, Inc. 62 W. 45th Street New York,
N.Y. 10036.
The Golden Signpost
[391]pp. hardcover $22.50
Translated from the German by Colin D. Thomson
This translation of an extremely popular guide for immigrants appeared in several editions in the
1880s in Cleveland. It was writte in German to help recent arrivals in the United States cope with
their new and different cultural surroundings. Advice is offered on just about every facet of life,
from furnishing a home and what sorts of greenery to purchase, to proper social and occupational
ethics and behavior, to activity of a political nature, to marriage and family life. Very little is left
without a practical word of advice. The book gives today's reader fine insights into the values and
codes of behavior in late 19th century America within a specific ethnic group whose numbers were
at that time being swelled by yet another massive wave of immigration. In his translation, Colin D.
Thomson has managed to recapture in English the tone of the original German. The book has an
introduction which provides a historical context and a preface that analyzes the content of the
work itself. ~Friends of the Max Kade Institute 1993. ISBN 0-924119-30-6.
Dictionary of German Names
[641]pp. hardcover $22.50 by Hans Bahlow
Translated by Edda Gentry
This volume makes available in English for the first time the work of the noted German scholar
Hans Bahlow. The book, in dictionary form, lists over 15,000 German names, together with
variant spellings, and gives the meanings and history of each name, often citing occurences of
the names and where the names appeared. This book will be invaluable to those doing
genealogical research and of considerable interest to a general public wanting to know what
names mean. Some entries will provoke a chuckle, others a bit of embarrassment, still others a
sense of wonder and even pride. Everyone will feel the sense of satisfaction that inevitably comes
with knowledge. ~Friends of The Max Kade Institute 1993. ISBN 0-924119-35-7.
The Life and Works of Charles Sealsfield (Karl Postl) 1793-1864
[302]pp. hardcover $22.50
Edited by Charlotte L. Brancaforte
This book, with contributions in both German and English, investigates the life story, and the
manifold interests and achievements, of one of the most enigmatic writers of the 19th century.
Karl Postl was the son of an Austrian bourgeois family, and a Catholic cleric who was caught up
in the resistance to the post-Napoleonic restoration. In 1823 he exiled himself from his name and
his homeland. A restless traveller through the Americas, a much-read literary critic, a social
visionary, and a sometimes diplomatic courier for the exiled Bonaparte family, Karl Postl became
"Charles Sealsfield, Citizen of the United States, Clergyman, Native of Pennsylvania." His literary
reputation never really faded even though tastes have changed many times. His search for
common human traits in the political and social systems of Europe and the Americas has been
relevant through the last 150 years. Quite apart from the literary merits of his works, his
dispassionate observations on non-European races and their customs and aspirations have
aroused the interest of scholars in the academic disciplines of anthropology and ethnic history.
~Friends of The Max Kade Institute 1993. ISBN 0-924119-72-1.
The German Language in America, 1683-1991
[337]pp. hardcover $22.50
Edited by Joseph C. Salmons
This volume presents 17 articles, revised and expanded from a Max Kade Symposium, on the
German language in North America. It includes historical studies (colonial German in contact with
Native American languages, the language of Pietism among colonial immigrants), dialect
descriptions (Donau-schwäbisch in the Midwest, Low German in Kansas, Volga German in
Kansas) and investigations into the impact of German on English (German ethnic varieties
of English, German in advertising, German loanwords in American English). Research on
language maintenance and shift is especially well-represented, with a general, theoretical
contribution and case studies of Alberta, Black Sea Germans in the Dakotas and the Amana
colonies. Methodological and theoretical issues include case loss and morphosyntactic change
(East Franconian in Indiana), a comparative study of German in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as
well as several papers on Pennsylvania German, treating linguistic convergence, language
attitudes and sociolinguistic variation. ~Friends of The Max Kade Institute 1993. ISBN 0-924119-
61-6.
The German-Speaking 48ers: Builders of Watertown, Wisconsin
[110]pp. paperback $11.95
By Charles J. Wallman
In this book the author follows those Forty-Eighters who fled German-speaking countries in the
aftermath of the failed revolution of 1848 and influenced the building of Watertown, which grew to
be the second largest city in the State of Wisconsin. By consulting source materials in English and
German Charles Wallman has skillfully unravelled the threads that tie the Forty-Eighters and their
descendents to the history of Watertown; he has chronicled not only the Forty-Eighters who
subsequently became prominent in the German-American community of the United States but
also those who never moved again and helped make their new hometown a thriving place. He has
shown that energy and industry, the love of intellectual and cultural life, and the capacity for
friendship were outstanding traits of the Forty-Eighter families. This book with some 60
illustrations is an indispensable guide for anyone who wants to understand the past and the
present of the Watertown community. ~Friends of the Max Kade Institute 1992, reprinted 1994.
0- 924119-23-3.
Also available for purchase through Mallach's Bookstore, 107 N. Third Street, Watertown, WI
53094.
German Influences on Education in the United States to 1917
[301]pp. hardcover $64.95
Edited by Henry Geitz, Jürgen Heideking & Jurgen Herbst
This book represents the result of recent historical research by German and American scholars
on German influences on education in the United States during the 19th century. The authors deal
with all aspects of education, from kindergarten through primary and secondary education to
universities. In analyzing German educational influences on the United States, the essays are
concerned with reports of American visitors to Germany, as well as with accounts and activities of
German educators in the United States. The book shows that in the context of an immigrant
culture, the question of influence needs to be considered in an interdisciplinary setting. At the
same time, the account recognizes that both Germany and the United States were mutually
affected by the development and progress of their relevant educational theories and practices.
~German Historical Institute 1995. Available for purchase through
Cambridge University Press, 110,
Midland Ave. Port Chester, NY 10573.
ISBN 0-521-47083-8.
Witness to History: A Refugee from the Third Reich Remembers
[416]pp. hardcover $18.95
Joachim von Elbe
This book helps the reader understand and appreciate the author's work in the legal profession
both in his native Germany and in the United States. The downfall of the Weimar Republic
and the rise of Nazism are described, as is the post-World War II era that led, ultimately, to West
Germany's participation in NATO as a sovereign nation. This volume originally appeared in
German with the title **Unter Preußenadler und Sternenbanner **[Under the Prussian Eagle and
the Stars and Stripes], with a most appropriate subtitle **Ein Leben für Deutschland und
Amerika** [A Life for Germany and the United States]. The author's background and varied
experiences make him uniquely qualified to present the reader with an extremely interesting and
stimulating, and highly personal, account of a tumultuous era. ~Friends of The Max Kade Institute
1989. ISBN 0-924119-00-4. Available for purchase through
University of Wisconsin Press, 114 North Murray Street, Madison, WI 53715.
