This is the first (and only) unabridged translation of Theodor Fontane’s Der deutsche Krieg von 1866 (The German War of 1866) Volume 2, Books 1, 2 & 3, Bohemia and Moravia, and as such represents a significant contribution to the literature of the period. Cited as source material in every major history of the Austro Prussian War, it is now available for the first time in English. Fontane’s celebrated study covers all the major and minor battles that took place between the Prussians, the Austrians and their Saxon allies, in Bohemia, Moravia and Galicia. It ranges from the political origins of the war, to detailed accounts of the actual fighting, to lyrical descriptions of the land, customs and traditions of the Bohemians and Moravians themselves. The text is accompanied by Ludwig Berger’s superb, specially commissioned illustrations, all of which have been included.
This work has been painstakingly translated by Frederick Steinhardt and edited by Gerard Henry. Their exceptional knowledge of the period and meticulous attention to detail is evident throughout, particularly in the provision of extensive footnotes which provide the reader with an abundance of background material indispensable to a fuller understanding of the text and indeed of the war. This work is an essential addition to the library of any serious student of the period. AUTHOR: Throughout his long and productive life, Theodor Fontane (1819
1898), embraced many literary disciplines. He is probably best known today for his novel Effi Briest, but he was also a newspaper editor, travel writer and noted chronicler of the German wars of unification, the Schleswig - Holstein War 1864, the Austro - Prussian War 1866, and finally the Franco - Prussian War, 1870 - 1871. Fontane’s background as a journalist and novelist is evident in The German War of 1866, the amount of detail is unsurpassed while the narrative has a pace and colour rarely if ever found in historical works of this kind.