I just went to another bookshelf, and what I got was Wolfram Siebeck, Die Kaffeehäuser von Wien. Eine Melange aus Mythos und Schmäh. Great photos, but a rather opinionated text – as was to be expected.
Transblawg
Weblog on German-English legal translation, no longer from Fürth
I look forward to reading the book. Usually I tend to sigh when people give me these types of books as presents. In the past, whether they’re written about Germany or the UK, I’ve often found them an incredible bore. So many seem to be an excuse to moan (albeit comically) about the shortcomings of the country concerned. Of course we all have a sense of humour, but why not emphasise the good things too? This ones sounds like a refreshing change.
Well, I do have mixed feelings.
There are two other books on my list to write about Germany. One is called The German Genius and is first-class but long – it fills in what we have forgotten about Germany’s past greatness. The other is Germania and is weird, a history based on visiting Germany, by a man who speaks virtually no German. Both pro-German. I’m sure more can be found about them online. I assume that UK publishers see a demand for books on the new Germany.