Featuring the German-Americana Collection

Located in the Archives and Rare Books Library, the German-Americana Collection is a special archive of books and materials dedicated to documenting this aspect of our national heritage.

One of America’s largest collections of its type, it was initially formed in 1974 and was based upon the University of Cincinnati Libraries’ 1935 acquisition of Cincinnatian H. H. Fick’s personal library. Fick was a poet, writer, activist, historian, and director of the German language program in the Cincinnati Public Schools. His library contained a wide array of German-American pamphlets, histories, political tracts, and journals, many of which are available only in this archive. UC students and faculty, as well as scholars from around the country and from abroad, make wide use of these materials.

Over its first few decades, the German-Americana Collection focused on literary and historical culture, chronicling the impact of Germans on the history of the United States. Recent years have seen an emphasis on documenting aspects of daily German-American life, from almanacs and foodways to newspapers and institutional records of churches, singing societies, community festivals, and businesses. Full archival cataloging is an ongoing project for the manuscript collections, including that of the Saengerfest holdings, the Fairview German Language School, the Gerhard Schade Papers, and other personal and organizational holdings.

Materials are acquired through both gift and purchase, and in the past year, several rare titles published in Germany about Germans in America have been added. Some of the notable acquisitions in recent months include:

Berghoff, Carolyn. The Berghoff Family Cookbook: From Our Table to Yours,
Celebrating a Century of Entertaining. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing,
2007. A history and cookbook of the famous Berghoff German restaurant in Chicago.
ARB Fick TX721 B473 2007

Bluhende Hoffnungen und verwelkte Freuden/aus dem Englischen ubersetzt. Cincinnati: L. Swormstedt & A. Poe, 1856. A book of moral stories for children written by Methodist authors. ARB Fick PT3916.S4 B483 1856

Glier’s Goetta Recipe Book. Covington, KY: Glier’s Meats, 2006. A history and
cookbook for Cincinnati’s quintessential German meat.
ARB Fick TX749.5 .S28 G54 2006

Jacobsen, Johan Adrian. Capitain Jacobsen’s Reise an der Nordwestkuste Amerikas,
1881-1883. Leipzig: Max Spohr, 1884. Description and travel in the United States,
discussing social conditions, politics and government, religious identity, and public
opinion of German Americans. ARB Fick F908.J17 1884

Neuer amerikanischer Dollmetscher, oder: Anleitung, die englische Sprache in kurzer Zeit zu erlernen, nach einer ganz einfachen un leichten Methode. Mainz: Le Roux’sche Hofbuchhandlung, 1853. A textbook for foreign speakers, emphasizing the studying and teaching of glossaries and vocabularies for German immigrants to America.
ARB Fick PE1129.G3 N483 1853

Walz, Ernst Ludwig. Allegemeine Beschreibung der Welt… Philadelphia: J.G. Wesselhoeft, 1835. An historical
geography of the United States. ARB Fick G115.W34 1835

Warnefried, Carl Borrom. Pilgeerfahrt nach den Vereinigten Staaten von Nord-Amerika… Cologne: J.P. Bachem, 1857.
Advice for Catholics in Germany planning immigration to the United States. ARB Fick E166.W27 1857

Zoczek, Wilhelm. Die Verbreitung der katholischen Religion in Nord-America. Vienna: Druck und Verlag der Mechitaristen Congregations-Buchhandlung, 1829. An oration on Catholic Church missions in America.
ARB Fick BV2788.C3 Z63 1829

For more information on the holdings of the German-Americana Collection, exhibits, and research links, visit the Archives and Rare Books Library Web site at <www.libraries.uc.edu/libraries/arb/>.

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