BOOK REVIEWS

      I have dispensed with my 'Books of the Year' postings  which covered the years 2009 and 2010, and now attempt to review a selection of books that I have read both good and bad, in editions old and new. Much of what I buy is often based on suggestions by others, or some train of thought that makes me think "maybe I should try..." so they are not necessarily all strange/supernatural fiction.
       With many small press books costing around £35-£40 each, and some seemingly worthy tomes changing hands on the second hand market for many times that, these reviews may also give the potential purchaser some indication of what they might receive for their money. Needless to say, my opinions should not be given any great value as I bring my own foibles to every review and these may change at any time.

'Gesamtkunstwerk Expressionismus'

The Total Artwork in Expressionism.
art, film, literature, theatre, dance and architecture 1905-1925
(Mathildenhöhe Darmstadt 2011)
512 pages  £45.00

    This is a catalogue (in German) from a recent Frankfurt exhibition of art and artifacts relating to expressionism between 1905 and 1925. The huge size (and weight!), plus the 400+ illustrations (many in colour) already mark this book out as special.

    Of course all the standard 'greats' of the genre are represented; Dix, Schiele, Grosz, Kokoshka, and Kirchner as well as films such as '...Caligari', and 'The Golem' but the book illustrates them by the most obscure images, set shots, posters, and magazine images, many of which I have not seen before. These alone are worth the asking price of the volume.

   But this catalogue also explores territories largely unknown to me, primarily those of theatre and architecture. I cannot imagine what audiences viewing Ernst Toller play 'Die Wandlug' (1919),

 'Die Wandlug'
 

  a dance by Sebastian Droste and Anita Berber,

or  Fritz Högers Chile Haus (1924)

in Hamburg must of made of them. The contemporary photos are still electrifying almost a century later.

     I am not a German reader so cannot comment on the texts, but the images, which are of course self explanatory, make this an essential book for any lover of the period. I used the net to find out more in English - and, believe me, there is so much in this book that will inspire further research.


     I believe it to be one of those volumes labeled 'essential' to own.



     Sadly it is quite expensive at £40.00 and upwards, so perhaps it is a purchase best made by others for your birthday or Christmas gift. You might baulk at the price tag, but you will be ecstatic when someone else hasn't and bought it for you.

     A link to the gallery itself is here but you can order it from the usual sources.