21st May 1937
Bücherfreunde

Volksverband der Bücherfreunde

(People's Association of Book Lovers)

From Wikipedia:

The Volksverband der Bücherfreunde (VdB) was a German book community that had its own publishing house.

The People's Association of Book Lovers was founded inBerlinin 1919 by the entrepreneur and publisher Robert Achenbach. The aim of the book community was to make German literature and world literature accessible to the population at low prices despite economically difficult times after the First World War.

The association published the books in its own publishing house: The Wegweiser-Verlag, founded in the legal form of a GmbH, had its headquarters in Berlin, Rankestrasse 34.

Special volumes were published annually, which contained excerpts from the latest works. Numerous volumes of the selection series were also published, but without specifying the year of publication.

From 1923 to 1930 Otto Gysae served as managing director, and from 1925 to 1933 the literary scholar Hugo Bieber was responsible for designing the literary program.

In 1924 the association had 190,000 members, in 1929 almost 600,000 and in 1932 750,000. The association opened a new headquarters in Berlin with 300 employees. At this time, literary and musical evenings were also organized in various cities, including: Friedrich Kayßler, Thomas Mann, Arthur Berger, Ricarda Huch, Hertha Dehmlow and Ernst Wolff gave readings.

After the National Socialists came to power, the association could no longer maintain its principles of apolitical and impartial distribution of literature and lost members and its charitable character. In 1942 it had 135,000 members. In 1961 there were still 35,000.

Literary program from 1933-1945 included:

1933

Guy de Pourtalès: Richard Wagner. Man and Master.

Werner Schendell: A bushel of salt. The deaf flower.

William Quindt: The Tiger Akbar.

Karl Kinndt: Law of chance.

Alfons von Czibulka: The Mint Tower.

Arthur Mendt: Technology in the crisis of our time.

1934

Arnold Krieger: Man without a people.

Margarete Fischer: Boys' teacher Sturm.

Alfred Funke: Paradise in the jungle.

1935

Arthur Theodor Gruelich: Threads of fate across the Atlantic.

Hans Watzlik: The coronation opera.

Werner Heider: The importance of world currents for people and land.

Fyodor M. Dostoyevsky: The Gambler.

Oskar Gluth: Sun over Munich.

1936

Wilhelm Hegeler: The decision.

Rudolf Dammert: Men around Saskia.

Hans Dominik: Atomic weight 500.

Ernst Wolfgang Freißler: The year of thunderstorms.

August Heinrich Kober : Why are you crying, big clown?

1937

Tamara Solonevich: Behind the scenes of Soviet propaganda.

Karl Döhring: Escape from Buddha's Law.

Helvett Hoffmann-Ostenhof : Woman in the hairdryer.

Martin Müller: The path of healing.

Warwick Deeping: Outsider of society.

Hans Dominik: The steel secret.

PC Ettighoffer: Verdun.

Josef Maria Frank: The little novels of the foolish heart.

1938

Lloyd C. Douglas: Green light.

Ursula Kobbe: Palette and mask.

Willi Enke: Origin and nature of the disease.

Erich Schneider: Rays and waves.

Warwick Deeping: The Court of Destiny.

Warwick Deeping: Restlessness of the Heart.

Hans Dominik: Rays of life.

Ludwig Ganghofer: The Unfried.

Kunigunde Baroness von Richthofen: My war diary.

1939

Wolfgang Hartmann: Verena Calonder.

Wilhelm Treue: The change in attitude to life.

Justus Franz Wittkop: Ostracized ships.

Franz Dörbeck: Chemistry and medicine.

Warwick Deeping: Kitty.

Hans Dominik: Heavenly power.

PC Ettighoffer: From Devil's Island to Life.

1940

Frank E. Christoph: The hacienda.

Paul Georg Münch: Frank Anders for goods.

Otto Ehrhart: Troll, the lucky fisherman.

PC Ettighoffer: Ghosts on the Dead Man.

Gustav Frenssen: Jörn Uhl.

Ludwig Ganghofer: The Unfried

Rudolf Haas: The tall Christopher.

Fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm.

Ernst Moritz Mungenast: The Cavalier.

Gustav Schröer: The avalanche of St. Thomas.

Otto Schulz-kampfhenkel: Riddles of the jungle hell.

Hans Stosch-Sarrasani: Through the world in the circus tent.

1941

Margarete Hahn von der Oste: Love, storm and change.

Paul Berglar-Schröer: The fire-breathing mountain.

Werner Beumelburg: The King and the Empress.

Hans Dominik: Fuel SR.

Hans Franck: The endless forest.

Heinrich Hauser: Canada.

Dagobert von Mikusch: Franco liberates Spain.

Karl Springenschmid: Farmers in the mountains.

1942

Michael Zorn: Iron Forever.

Wilhelm Treue, Hildegard, Loyalty: Maria Sibylla.

Ursula Kobbe: The fight with the reservoir.

Bruno H. Bürgel: One hundred days of sunshine.

Susanne Kerckhoff: The magical year.

Fritz Scheffel: Crystal miracles..

Elisabeth Schucht: A woman flies to the Far East.

Hans Wörner: King on Jykän.

1943

Ines Angelika Mosig: My dear husband!

Bertold Keppelmueller: The Law of the Stars.

Ursula Kobbe: Mannus and Manda.

Arnold Krieger: The Dark Order.

Erich Schneider: The starry sky above me.

1944

Arthur Berger: Animal stories from overseas.

FM Fellmann: Tsai-Yong and the poet.

Karl von Frisch: You and life.

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