Customer Reviews

In the Land of Hummel: Traditional Bavarian Life

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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.

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.