BOOKS FOR GERMANY
SIR,—Alan Ross in his article Books in Germany speaks of "the throiring open, of the gates to European influences" as being accomplished in Germany at present by the translation of many well-known foreign books into German. This, under present conditions, can hardly be called "an open gate " ; it is, at best, a swing-door, heavily braked. For lack of paper these translations are published in very small editions (considering the vast demand), and for lack of currency—for buying copyrights—only a few titles are actually acquired. To reach a wide public, "European influences," as far as they originate from England, need not be squeezed through these bottle-necks. Many tens of thousands of Germans in the British zone, from all walks of life, read English well. There is, conse- quently, a very great and almost desperate demand for English books, classic and contemporary—and one way to satisfy this demand is to open "English sections" in the public libraries of the main urban centres of the zone.
The "Agency for Intellectual Relief in Germany," under the patronage of Cardinal Griffin, the Bishop of Chichester and the Master of Balliol, are actually doing this' Their work has the full approval and support of the Control Commission. For success, they depend on the generosity of the public. Both money and books are needed-0,000 for the first year and as many books as possible. The Agency's libraries are run by the Germans themselves, who will also select new titles. A first selected list of titles, based on suggestions from German readers, and covering the last ten years, has been prepared, and will be sent to anyone who writes to the A.I.R.G., Room 12, Foreign Office, Norfolk House, St. James's Square, S.W. 1. Contributions in kind will be used chiefly to provide a first stock for new libraries, while the money will be needed to keep up supplies and to fill in gaps. Cheques should be made payable to the Hon. Measurer, C. P. Kininmonth, 4 Chapel Row, Wheeler End, High Wycombe. For obvious reasons, the number of reader-members for these "English sections" must not exceed half the total number of books available in the section. This means that for every two books from the list that are sent to the Agency, one more German can be admitted to the use of the whole range of books made available in the section. Surely, Sir, there could hardly be a greater encouragement to generosity than this felicitous proportion between one man's sacrifice and another man's (General Secretary, Agency for Intellectual Relief in Germany). Worth Priory, Crawley, Sussex.
Previous page
