In the Land of Hummel: Traditional Bavarian Life [Hardcover]

Kathleen Saal (Author), Walter Pfeiffer (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1999

This book celebrates a historic and picturesque region of Germany. This rich and innovative book follows a young American woman of German descent through a year abroad where she comes to discover the land of her ancestors -- which is also the land of Sister Maria Innocentia, the artist behind the world-famous M.I. Hummel figurines. Our narrator arrives in Bavaria in early autumn, and as she explores the landscapes, traditions and handicrafts of her ancestral country, she also comes to learn more and more about Sister Maria lnnocentia, her homeland, her art and the figurines that bear her name today.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kathleen Saal

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Portfolio Press (NY) (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0942620283
• ISBN-13: 978-0942620283
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,466,792 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Visit to Germany thru words, October 23, 2000

By 

M. Bradley (Mobile, Alabama) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Land of Hummel: Traditional Bavarian Life (Hardcover)

This book has taken me to germany where my ancestors came from. I myself have never been there but the author Kathleen Saal makes you feel like you have visited in the time period of our great grandparents. It is obvious that the Author has done alot of research for this book. She brought to life a time period of simpler times and showed us some fabulous German traditions. Learning about Berta Hummel's Homeland is inspiring to all who collect Hummels. The craftsmanship in Germany from the Hummels, to the Wood boxes and Wooden Creche are very refreshing in this day and age of mass production. I highly recommend this book to not only those who collect Hummels but also those who are from Germany or share roots there. I'm sure Kathleen Saal will tell even German people about traditions in Germany they didn't even know about.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heidi's Home, December 11, 2008

By 

Jason S. Taylor "Marco's Realto" (Portland Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Land of Hummel: Traditional Bavarian Life (Hardcover)

The book begins with a granddaughter's endearing question:
"Tell me a story about when you were a little girl in Bavaria." And as it begins, so it goes on. It is that kind of book.

Alpine culture has a myth of it's own. It speaks to the desire for quiet, good cheer, and beauty. This book puts this myth on photo.

Those looking for the "real"(usually meaning the unattractive)side of it will be disappointed. Yes, Virginia, there really are literbugs, rude drivers, and stupid wild teenagers in Bavaria as in everywhere else in the world. But that is not the point. The sorts of things we are looking at is the beauty of the mountains and the mountain people as displayed in the book. The photos of nature, of villiage life, and of the various traditions are enchanting. If this is escapism we could use a lot more of it.

There is little suprise here. This is the world of Heidi, and of the von Trapps. A world we recognize immiediately. But that is just the point. It is not a work of Anthropology, it is a work of art. The photos are beautiful and so is the writing. It bespeaks of a love for this world far away. It is a way to travel in your thoughts to a dream world. Forget airplane tickets. Buy this book and you can while in your home have a vacation In the Land of Hummel.