Handbook of Imperial Germany

[joerookery]

They have started selling this book rather rapidly even though amazingly, we have yet to see our copy! A number of people have been very kind in their words awaiting this release. You can buy it for $25 from the publisher online. They have a printer in England which should help the postage costs somewhat. So I guess if you order from Europe they have told me they would print it in England. If you wait for the retailers to stock it it will cost $30.

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

The purpose of this book is to provide a one-volume resource for collectors and historians with an Imperial German army interest. The more we researched, the more we found there were more stories, myths and misunderstandings about Imperial Germany than there were facts. Different authors addressed different aspects: collectors, historians and educators all had their own area of expertise, but there was no readily available resource to give a general overview of Imperial Germany. Though it is convenient to call it "Germany," at the start of the First World War, there was still no united Germany, no German army, and no German officer corps. At 333 pages with 183 pictures and over 670 footnotes, this is an attempt to explain the intricacies of how the country worked -- militarily, politically and socially.

If you order it online: When you get to step three the requirement for your e-mail address is buried in the middle of the form. If you do not put in an e-mail address it will hang up. Janet and I are just shaking our heads, figuring that the review copies, and the general public will have theirs before we get ours!

Edited October 2, 2009 by joerookery

[Ulsterman]

Hmmm...I am trying to click on the link and receiving a "bad request" message.

However, I googled "authorhouse" and managed to order the book in 2 minutes flat! You've made sale #1 today!

Now I'll haunt my mailbox for the next week.

[Guest Rick Research]

Joe was kind enough to let me see this "in progress" and I must recommend it very highly indeed.

Presuming that they actually send YOU a box, Joe-- I want mine from you-- suitably inscribed of course! Let me know when you get some and will send you Murcan money domestic.

It's worth the wait for those of us who don't "online." :cheers:

[W McSwiggan]

Oh Boy!

Been watching this one grow!

And now it's grown!

Will be adding to collection posthaste.

[joerookery]

Hmmm...I am trying to click on the link and receiving a "bad request" message.

Thanks for pointing that out. I think I fixed it!

Joe-- I want mine from you-- suitably inscribed of course! Let me know when you get some and will send you Murcan money domestic.

Yours is a complementary copy all of the review and work you did, which was significant! My only complaint is if you get yours before I get mine. But if you do get it first it will not be inscribed.

We will fix that if that turns out to be the case.

I have been asked repeatedly to post the table of contents.

[Mike Dwyer]

I just ordered mine, Joe....looking forward to receiving it.

[bob lembke]

Joe;

Congratulations! Something which is sorely needed; even those of us who have studied Imperial Germany for years often scratch our heads over one thing or another. Will certainly engineer getting a copy.

Bob Lembke

[W McSwiggan]

Just got mine today and am pleased to have it.

This will be a very useful addition to my library answering many questions I was too shy to ask.

Thanks Joe for researching and writing this book.

[epaminondas]

It looks like a terrific resource, but I just can't come at a $36 shipping fee for a $25 book. Not complaining - just regretting.

[joerookery]

I'm sorry about the shipping! The book weighs 1.7 pounds. Perhaps there is another way to skin the cat. The book is now available at Barnes & Noble's, Amazon, etc. perhaps ordering through them might be somewhat cheaper for the shipping to Australia. $36 is pretty shocking. The retail price of the book goes up five dollars, but perhaps the shipping goes down quite a bit. isbn 9781449021139

They have profoundly mucked up the review copies. Both time and money will go to try to fix this problem.

[epaminondas]

I'm sorry about the shipping! The book weighs 1.7 pounds. Perhaps there is another way to skin the cat. The book is now available at Barnes & Noble's, Amazon, etc. perhaps ordering through them might be somewhat cheaper for the shipping to Australia. $36 is pretty shocking. The retail price of the book goes up five dollars, but perhaps the shipping goes down quite a bit. isbn 9781449021139.

Thanks joe, that's well worth a try.

[sef1962]

Hello Joe just received my copy superb book fills in a lot of the gaps in my meagre knowledge Thanks Mark

[Guest Rick Research]

Received my copy from Joe today.

For everyone puzzled by the exotic (and largely forgotten) intracacies of military structure and organization at the individual State's and citizen's levels-- this is the key One Source volume to have in your library.

It has been two generations since Karl Demeter's "The German Officer-Corps in Society and State 1650-1945." I am fortunate to have lived long enough to still have Demeter on my shelves and now to add "Robinsons" to them.

Among the many areas I had always been completely unaware of, THIS book sets out the political and dynastic relationships between the various Imperial states in clear and often surprising ways. (Who knew bank loans could.... ) The truly FEDERAL nature of the Second Reich is laid out here in ways that go beyond earlier "monolithic" studies which emphasized the Prussian Model when right up to the very end, other parts of Wilhelmine Germany were going their own way. The social organization here--as well as the military organization--makes for a readable, reliable source for the often baffling depths beneath what we know of the Imperial German military.

You should have this book.

[joerookery]

Thanks for the kind words! As they are on eBay , and they can be shipped from our house to the international community the book fits in an international priority mail envelope and goes to Australia for I believe $15. Look at the American eBay listings.

Sample pages by request.

[Schwyz]

Ordered my copy from the publisher on the 8th October — arrived today (16th) in Canada.

Just starting to go through and at this early point would say this is a must have reference.

The information contained in this single volume should benefit collectors in a very real way.

Gary

[dond]

Ordered mine on 13 Oct and it arrived on 14 Oct, via normal shipping. Do you live right down the street from me?

[Chris Boonzaier]

Ordered mine on 13 Oct and it arrived on 14 Oct, via normal shipping. Do you live right down the street from me?

...at the latest now it is time to feel a bit paranoid ;-)

[Paul C]

I received my copy Firday and have read about 60 pages so far. THIS BOOKS IS ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! Joe, you and Janet did a great job. One thing I was very happy to see is that you have sited your sources. This is the way a book like this sould be done. I look forward to reading the balance.

[christerd]

And one ex of the book has now a honor place in my bookshelf in Sweden !

Amazing work, this will be read over and over again I promise

Christer

[joerookery]

Thanks for the kind words! I am really glad it is delivering for you. I have had a few e-mails asking why we didn't do the Navy. That was an intentional act. The intent of the book was to focus on the Army. As we didn't think there was anything in the English language that explained the Army in this way. While not the same, I think Holger Herwig did the Navy some justice in his book "luxury fleet". While he didn't do the social stuff, or the political stuff. It is still a good read about the Navy. We will try to include that if there ever is a second edition. If we do that, we will also increase the size of the pictures to help the contrast on some of the maps and our biggest gripe of all.--- We did not include an index at the end. That makes it harder for people to look things up. Just goes to show how much of a rank amateur operation we are! But we have had fun.

[joerookery]

Got this today -- from the American Journal of WFA

available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the publisher.

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

[Mike Dwyer]

Very nice, Joe! :beer: