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Testimonies from the First World War in a special collection
The collection War 1914
The collection contains volumes on the course of the war as well as aerial warfare. All the titles in the collection can be found here
The collection Krieg 1914 comprises more than 40,000 books and journal volumes on World War I and is one of the largest collections of its kind in the world. It was created immediately after the outbreak of the war in August 1914. Among the acquisitions were also maps, posters, and photographs from Germany and abroad. The collection was not limited to only military and historical political topics, but also included social, religious, and economic writings as well as many patriotic poems, dramas, and novels.
The collection’s beginnings
The collection started with an appeal to the public by the Königliche Bibliothek in August 1914. It asked for any publications related to the war, still in its early stages, to be sent to the library. In addition, literature from neutral and enemy countries was acquired by special agents.
The social aspect of the First World War
The aim of the collection was to put together as much diverse material about the war as possible. As a result, the collection has highlighted the social effects of the war.
As the supply chain was severely restricted during the war, many books on useful everyday practices became part of the collection: guides to knitting, suitable careers for war widows and cookbooks.
Turnips in times of war
In 1917, Ida Keller presented a cookbook with a collection of recipes for turnips. Her motto: “May any prejudice towards the turnip disappear”! The book is an example of how facing a lack of nutritious foods and starvation can result in creative ideas for recipes. The root vegetable was steamed, filled, cooked, dried, backed, stewed, and even caramelised.
49 variations of turnip recipes expanded the repertoire of the cooking housewife and provide a tangible insight into the everyday hardships of war. digital copy
Ideas on how to prepare turnips
