Books on Bavarian history

I would like to find a book on Bavarian history for my father, who doesn't read German. I asked about this at two local bookstores (a Hugendubel and one on Schellingstr. by the Uni specializing in English language titles) and was told that none exists. Suggestions welcome, and thanks.

have you searched amazon.co.uk?

There are several English language biographies of King Ludwig II, which might be a good start:

http://www.amazon.de/s/ref=nb_ss_w/302-238...rds=king+ludwig

I had a look recently for something like this, but it seems that Ludwig II really is the only aspect of Bavarian history that English-speakers are interested in. There are however a few books on the Wittelsbachs generally that may be worth a look.

Otherwise you have to get a book on the whole of Germany, it seems, such as:

• A Concise History of Germany
• The History of Germany Since 1789
• Origins of Modern Germany
• The Holy Roman Empire

Plenty of books specialise on specific subjects, such as the Romans and Germanic Tribes, Luther/Reformation, the Weimar Republic and of course the world wars. The Cadogan Guide to Bavaria has a brief history section.

or try the English Hugenduble at Salvator Pl by Odeonspl. they have a large selection of history books.

My personal opinion only, but the history of Bavaria is fairly brief (only existed as an independent kingdom after Napoleon) and, um, kinda dull. Loads of stuff happened in this area, but you'll more often find it discussed within the context of German history. A bit like reading a history of Texas.

To actually answer your question, I've seen biographies of Ludwig II, Richard Wagner and loads of books about what happened in these parts during the 40's and 50's. I've probably chanced across an English language book about Bavarian history here in a gift shop or something, but have not seen anything like that anywhere else and it's not for a lack of looking. I always keep my eyes open for books about German history and have a slowly developing shelf of them. If you were interested in Prussia, there are several books I could recommend.

I beg to differ. Before the kingdom of Bavaria there was the Duchy of Bavaria. It´s sovereignty has evolved from a history spanning over one thousand years. First mentioned around 550 AD I think. For a very long time Bavaria had always been one of the most powerful duchies in the "Heiliges Römisches Reich Deutscher Nation". On the other hand I do agree that therefor one will find a lot of information about Bavaria in the German history.

If Ludwig II. hadnt been such a weakling, Prussia would never have dominated germany and we might have been spared WW1 & 2. (ok the last sentence is more or less just my personal bavarian interpretation )

EDIT: just an idea - maybe they would know some english books on bavaria at the Amerikahaus?

For insight into the culture of Bavaria, see:

Against the stream: growing up where Hitler used to live - Anna Elisabeth Rosmus

A man and his dog - Thomas Mann

Caspar Hauser, the enigma of a century - Jakob Wassermann (see also Werner Herzog's 1995 movie)

Success - Lion Feuchtwanger. A thinly-veiled criticism at the Nazi Party published in 1930.

Letters Back to Ancient China - Herbert Rosendorfer. A 10h-century Mandarin travels through time to 1980s Munich.

Thanks, everyone. One of the places I checked is the Hugendubel by Odeonsplatz; they didn't know of such a book in English, so suggestions are still welcome.

After looking around for quite a while, I start to believe that such a book doesnt exist. You might have to confine your search to a certain period or area.

Like:
The Village in Court: Arson, Infanticide, and Poaching in the Court Records of Upper Bavaria 1848-1910
Munich from bridge to city. A short history of 850 years
Oberammergau : A Decade of Experiences in a Bavarian Village
In the Land of Hummel: Traditional Bavarian Life

I havent read any of them, though.

Not Munich, I agree, but "Don't Mention the War: The British and the Germans Since 1890 - The British and Modern Germany" by John Ramsden has just gone to second edition and is a thoroughly good analysis of Anglo-German relations. In a similar line, John Ardaghs book "Germany and the Germans" is an excellent analysis of the German psych.

Forgot to mention The Cambridge Illustrated History of Germany