Switzerland Books

If you love the mountains, their glory, their beauty and deceit, then this is the one book you need to have. Not only does it read like a thriller at times, it also has some of the most fabulous mountain photographs one can imagine. And what better mountain than the fascinating Eiger is there? Well, maybe the Matterhorn... but it does not hold such climbing fascination as the treacherous wall of stunning Eiger. So if you plan a vacation in the Bernese Oberland or just want to play couch mountaineer, this is one hell of a book. Go for it!

The Eiger is a 3970 m mountain that looms above Grindelwald in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland. Its north face has been quite literally a ca. 2000 meter-high 'vertical arena'. Although the mountain itself was first climbed in 1858 by Charles Barrington, Christian Almer, and Peter Bohren, the north face ('Nordwand' in German) was not conquered until 1938 (when Heinrich Harrer, Anderl Heckmair, Fritz Kasparek, and Wiggerl Vörg were finally successful). In the early 1930s, it was deemed one of the 'last remaining problems' of the Alps and was truly a 'vertical area', as onlookers (including reporters who made sure the rest of the world was also able to vicariously participate) were able to follow the progress of several tragic expeditions from the comfort of the patio of a hotel on an easily-accessible meadow far below. Part of the great difficulty of the climb is that the wall's north-facing aspect means that it remains snow- and ice-covered year round. The rotten rock and ice that coats the Nordwand makes things even more complicated and afternoon rock avalanches are common and treacherous. The weather is also extremely unpredictable and changeable, a condition that is caused in part by the fact that the wall is part of the northern boundary of the Alps.

The combination of extremely challenging climbing conditions with high visibility has led to a century of high drama centered about the Eiger's north face and this book does an excellent job of summarizing many aspects of this highly notorious and celebrated mountain. The book consists of an eclectic collection of short chapters by different authors about different aspects of the Eiger (and not just the north face). Each chapter is named after one of the distinctive points along the first successful route, but tells a different aspect of the story. Chapters include descriptions of the varied routes, the myriad tragedies and dramatic rescues, the debates about the morality of even attempting to climb the mountain, the controversial politics of the first successful climbers (one of whom, Heinrich Harrer, carried a Nazi flag with him), a summary of the Eiger's appearances in books and the movies, tales of people who skied and snowboarded down the mountain, and the uniquely Swiss engineering feat that is the railway tunnel bored through the mountain and on up to the Jungfrau Joch. There is also a section at the end providing information for visitors (including suggestions for alternative walks and climbs in the area for those who would rather wear sandals or are otherwise not quite ready for the north face itself) and an extensive bibliography.

My favorite feature of the book is the fantastic and abundant illustrations that range from dramatic contemporary photographs to historical photographs to artwork of various sorts, all of which serve to nicely complement the text. I should mention, however, that the quality of the printing appears to be a bit worse in the English edition than in the German-language original, which probably will detract a bit from the impact of the pictures.

I wanted this book to inspire me, not necessary be an historical reference book. It did what I wanted, and so this is a happy customer. It is an oversize book, and the photos are nothing short of stunning.

Magnificent photos of ethnic jewelry. On a par with The Splender of Ethnic Jewelry, but the text is not as detailed.

Isabel Vincent masterfully relates, in an objective and balanced manner, the gripping story of the Hammersfeld family and their quest to recover property stolen by the nazis and their inheritance deposited in Swiss banks by their grandfather, a wealthy Austrian merchant. The story revolves around their fight for justice, aided by a young crusading lawyer, amidst a flurry of world events that brought attention to the revision of Switzerland's conduct during WWII , and a thorogh examination of the myths of Swiss neutrality and banking secrecy. Vincent's account is balanced and fair, and she is careful not to blame Switzerland for all the evils of the war, while at the same time, scrutinizes the scandalous conduct of the banks towards Holocaust surivors and account heirs over a period of 50 years following the end of the war. Vincent also gives an insightful account of the political mileage sought by politicians and organizations dealing with this issue. Vincent's book is the winner of the Canadian Society for Yad Vashem prize, and has been widely acclaimed by the press in France, Germany, adn Switzerland itself, as a result of its carefully researched and balanced account of the events.

In this fascinating, well-researched and highly accessible book, journalist Isabel Vincent more than adequately covers the mind-boggling spectacle of the selfishness, inhumanity, and well-organized corruption of the European fellow travelers of the Nazis, who aided and abetted the progress of Germany's preparations for and later prosecution of the Second World War. Far from being the nonaligned neutral countries they claimed to be, Swiss, Portuguese, and other bankers and financers from supposedly neutral countries unscrupulously served the insidious purposes of the Third Reich by dealing with the ill-gotten goods extorted from displaced Jews, the gold bullion of the conquered countries, and the stolen art work looted from all of Europe. One finds it hard to comprehend the degree to which the Swiss in particular deliberately decided to collude with the Nazis in accepting gold in exchange for the hard currency the Germans needed to finance the war effort it began to prepare for in the 1930s.

Although the author's writing style is somewhat limited, and her approach to relating critical historical events seems a bit trivial and oversimplified, the story she tells distracts one from such minor drawbacks to the book. I also found myself wondering how much of an earnest research effort the author made, as she has a tendency to quote a few authors extensively, and attributes all the quotes from each of them to a single book, such as "Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich". She also tends to repeat herself unnecessarily, and uses one particular quote from one of the protagonists on the book cover, again in the narrative a few times, and then yet again in a newspaper clipping used as part of the photo section describing Holocaust survivor Renee Lang. Yet all this seems more the result of limited experience and poor editing than anything else. Again, given the riveting story she has to tell, using first person recollection, one finds a great deal of well organized information here regarding the cupidity and deviousness of the Swiss in giving dissembling and dishonest answers for decades about the stolen treasures and life savings of so many displaced and murdered Jews still stored in Swiss bank vaults. The sad story of how and why the Swiss were allowed to get away with one of the most profitable crimes of the century makes for sad but still fascinating reading.

This book is much like another more recent book, "Pack Of Thieves", by Richard Chesnoff (see my review) in its painstaking description of the varieties of humiliations, dispossessions, and barbarisms perpetrated against European Jews, gypsies and other non-Aryans by the Nazis during their twelve-year reign of terror. To Ms. Vincent's considerable credit, her story is personalized by the use of a single family to tell the tale; and this device helps to bring the unbelievably horrific nature of the persecution of the Jews into bold relief. This is a book that tells a cautionary and still topical true story well, and is one that reminds us that human beings are capable of almost anything, from the wonderful acts of personal courage she often describes and attributes to specific named individuals based both on personal recollections and eye-witness accounts as well as a number of interviews with Holocaust survivors who were kind enough to share their stories with her. I recommend this book for anyone interested in the detailed history of how Swiss, Portuguese, and other bankers avoided repatriation of billions of dollars worth of money, gold bullion, and art treasures stolen from displaced and murdered Jews during the Holocaust.

This book won the 1998 Karl Barth prize in Germany, which is awarded to secondary sources on Barth. That is an honorable prize, considering that one of the judges was Eberhard Jungel, who is a great Barth scholar himself. For any interested in Barth, this is a book that must be read in order to understand the current state of discussion.

McCormack manages to trace through the complex world of pre-WW2 Germany to show Barth's influences from the Marburg neo-Kantians, expressionism, socialism, etc. His basic point is that Barth's break with liberalism and his "decisive turn to analogy" were not as radical as one would think. In other words, the Barth of Romans has far more in common with the mature Barth of the Church Dogmatics. This book also proceeds to correct a number of misperceptions about Barth, based on historical work. In the final analysis, McCormack has hoped that his work will press theologians to read the primary sources firsthand, rather than relying on "received interpretations."

I would recommend reading this book, then von Balthsar's _Theology of Karl Barth_ (in that order). The von Balthsar book is interesting, because it tells you how people have understood Barth (up to now), and because of von Balthasar himself. But in the final analysis, I find McCormack's book to be more technically correct.

Let's be honest -- Barth would despise most contemporary so-called "Barthians." All sorts of folks who are teaching theologies he abhored and risked his career to battle have tried to appropriate his name. Most "Barthians" are far less orthodox than Barth. Often they have affinities to some small aspect of his approach to theology, while rejecting the rest of this thought that hangs with it.

Bruce McCormack is not one of these pretenders! While perhaps not a "slavish" Barthian, McCormack is a Barthian that Barth would recognize, appreciate, and support.

In general, McCormack wants to present Barth as classically orthodox, not "neo-orthodox." This is a difficult task in many ways, because of Barth's novel appraoch and his departure from the theology of the Reformation on many points (outright rejection of all natural theology, Barth's universal salvation, his rejection of Biblical inspiration opting for an emphasis on illumination instead, etc.)

McCormack is one of the sharpest minds in the mainline church. I studied under him for two degrees at Princeton, where he was clearly the brightest theologian in a brilliant department. Unfortunately, like his hero Barth, he is not often kind to his reader. He makes you work very hard. This is a difficult read. But many will find it worth the effort, not matter what their view of Karl Barth.

The map was just what we need and the service was quick. A great price too!

arrived in a timely way. The map is all that I hoped it would be. Easy to read yet with detail.

The map arrived quickly, and in the very good condition it had been marketed as. Smooth transaction.

Rick Steves is as entertaining in his books as on TV. Especially for those who have visited places before, his books really help give a local feel to the area. He has great "insider" tips that we look forward to when we revisit a country. All of his books are exceptional

Ideal for historians who want to find out what Switzerland was like in 2005 or for Swiss people who want to reminisce.

Swiss citizen born in 1944, I was too young for direct witness, but I rely on my father testimony of the time. I can certify that all the facts and descriptions are correct to the last detail. Many of the accounts of day-to-day life were told by my father in the fifties, when I was a curious child. I was a soldier too, when I was 18 years old, until I was 50 years old. I was stationned in a military airfield where all but the landing strip was underground, with all supplies and ammunition for one year. The sprit of resistance was still there all along the cold war time. Thanks for the author to restore a more accurate view of Switzerland away from ideologies and politics.

I made an extended research concerning Switzerland's role in the WWII, reading more than 10 books, and this one was very useful. I liked the fact that the author explains a lot of the Swiss culture and traditions, and its repercussions in the role of the country in the war.
It is very well written, and the book is definitely not a boring history book, but rather like a novel about true facts.
Anyway, I dind't rate this book with 5 stars because I found it to be excessively biased. It is crucial to understand that when one reads about history, especially about controversial issues in history, any source (in this case, book) will be biased because humans are biased by nature. Unfortunately, this author seems to be blind at certain facts that took place in those years, and assumes a defensive position towards the role of Switzerland, without even trying to leave his personal bias aside not even a moment.

Conclusion: this is a very interesting book to read and to get informed about the role of Switzerland in the WWII and their relationship with the Nazis, written in an understandable manner, good for beginners in the subject. Still, anyone who wishes to really know about this subject should later read other books by other authors.

Book Review

Swiss Timepiece Makers, 1775-1975

By Kathleen H. Pritchard, published in 1997, for the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, by Phoenix Publishing. ISBN 0-914659-79-0, approx. 1800 pages, 2 Volumes, hardcover, in cassette, approx. 16x24 cm. Available at NAWCC (for North America) or Antoine Simonin, Neuchatel - Switzerland (for Europe), US$ 125. Numerous b&w illustrations reproducing trademarks and advertisements, Bibliography, Foreword by Henry B. Fried.

"Swiss Timepiece Makers, 1775 - 1975" is destined to become a "must-have" reference book on the shelf of any serious collector of watches and the dedicated student of horological history. The two encyclopedic volumes list -- in strictly alphabetical order - detailed entries for about 2000 Swiss based makers of timepieces, covering a 200 year timespan. The entries are fully cross-referenced covering individuals, companies, brand- and model-names, trademarks, as well as names of the US importers that often appeared on the dials. A typical entry will include name, location, dates active, personal or corporate history, logos and brand names used, model names, types of timepieces produced, as well as bibliographical references. The majority of entries, of course, are cross-references from brand-, trade- and model-names to each maker's main entry. Most main entries are about a dozen lines long, but they range from the the short, such as e.g. "Patenoste, Jean: Geneva, Master watchmaker, 1775-1792", to a 25 page monograph on e.g. "Patek, Philippe & Co", which includes 8 variations of their corporate name, a list of 30 model names, its own two page bibliography and an extensive history of the maker, including the names of key executives and craftsman.

This book is the result of a 30-year labor of love by one of the most knowledgeable and diligent scholars of the history of Swiss horology. Kathleen Pritchard is a well-known author and researcher in U.S horological circles; she is a Star Fellow of the NAWCC, and a longtime former Trustee of the NAWCC museum. Ms. Pritchard is clearly aware that the broadness of her topic is such that the listings are not complete - they never can be complete, one can always find one more source, one more name. But after assembling this information for several decades she felt that the time was ripe to share her data with her fellow horological enthusiasts. She states in the introduction that she intends to continue her reading of the horological literature, to correct, update and expand the book (incorporating readers' suggestions) in the future. Given today's computer technology there is no longer any need for the big print-runs that used to cause decades to pass between successive editions of such specialized books.

It is my impression that the book in its current form is more thorough on the watch side than regarding clocks, which, given the smaller production runs and how little has been published on them, are a lot more difficult to research bibliographically. The physical presentation of the books is good and solid: These are not flashy volumes for the coffee table, but serious reference and research tools, which are sturdily bound (the 2 volumes held in an attractive cassette), using small typeface, and jam packed with useful information, logically presented.

Pritchards' Swiss Timepiece Makers are destined to become a perennial classic on the researcher's bookshelf, a tool nobody will want to miss, taking their well deserved space of honor besides -- and complementing - such classics as Britten, Baille, Loomes, and Kochmann.

Book review by Fortunat Mueller-Maerki, Sussex, NJ, USA- 1997

a 'must have' for all watch collectors!

merged with baillie's watch- and clockmakers, it would be the 'one and only' reference!

This is the first Glauser that I've read and I have to say I was very impressed. He describes people and places very well yet economically, always the telling detail but no more. His Seargent Studer is very sharp and realistic, too. I'm very interested to read more works by this author.

Dear dirty middle Europe and the sad 1930s. Small-town Switzerland tightly depicted by a Swiss-Austrian addict experienced in the legal process. A tough, bright, crafty detective tangles with sly villagers. In the cynicism of its final vision, not your Miss Marple--much closer in style and viewpoint to the work of Jorg Fauser,a German writer who flourished in the 1980s. Try it.

I would highly recommend this book. I really enjoy learning about people and customs of over countries. This is a very
entertaining and interesting book on Switzerland

Americans are typically not well prepared for a cross-cultural experience. We live in a huge, relatively homogenous country, and can live our entire lifespan without recourse to a second language or exposure to someone who holds their fork in their left hand. This isn't an indictment of Americans, it is just a recognition that without being in close proximity to other cultural rivals, we have no economic or social incentive to understand that others are different than we are in unforseen ways.

I found this book charming and entertaining. It is a selection of essays written by fluent English speakers who have spent long periods of time in Switzerland. It is also very helpful in understanding some of the subtleties of Swiss behavior and thought process.

It is presumptious to think that inside of a few years you can totally understand a culture, but it is also arrogant not to try to understand it and meet it on its own terms. The way to do this is through study of their language, personal experience, readings on relevant sociological topics, and by reading essays like this by people bringing different view points and experiences.

The essays vary from very light and short pieces, to descriptions of unique Swiss behaviors, to autobiographical accounts. The dryest piece, but by no means least useful, is a helpful description of culture shock and suggestions on working through it.

While I think Americans especially need to work at cross-cultural communications skills, the book is certainly not meant just for Americans--it is meant for everyone who wants to understand more about the Swiss. Providing the varied viewpoints of 30 different commentators with completely different backgrounds, the book succeeds. Apparently, even the Swiss find it enjoyable to read this honest and objective essays by 'outsiders' living within their borders.

This is a completely different type of book from either a tourist guidebook, or a guide to Euro etiquette. Those books have their place also, but don't limit yourself to them.