Bibliographie zur Gesicht der Navigation in deutscher Sprache

Wolfgang Köberer

Bibliographie zur Gesicht der Navigation in deutscher Sprache is a very valuable tool for any researcher into the art of navigation, both historically and at present. The fact that it documents only German sources does not diminish its value because its coverage is so wide.

The study divides itself into two sections. The first is a detailed bibliography of books on navigation published in German up to 1800. There are about twenty-five such works (plus several that appear in multiple editions). The most intriguing fact that emerges from this list is that most of the books were of Dutch origin, a further testament to the vast influence of the Netherlands on shipping in the period.

The second section documents secondary sources published in German that discuss the whole gamut of navigation and its history in the broadest possible sense. The bibliography encompasses both books and articles published from the late nineteenth century to recent years. It is organized topically, so there are descriptions of material covering the western tradition of navigation, practices in other parts of the world, charts, and navigational instruments. In all there are close to 3,400 citations. Köberer’s Bibliographie zur Gesicht der Navigation in deutscher Sprache is far from being the most exciting of reading. Nevertheless, it will be very useful, even to non-German speakers, because of the breadth of its coverage and the detail it provides for accessing the sources.

Reviewed by Harold G. Unwin, Chicago, Illinois