The last third of the eighteenth century was a period of remarkable creativity in the world of German letters, a period historians associate with such famous authors as Lessing, Kant, and Goethe. At that time, however, German works were practically unknown outside of Germany unless translated into French, the universal language of educated Europeans. This paper will show how the (mainly Swiss) publishers who translated German works adapted their translations for an international public of French-readers that stretched from Dublin to Moscow.

Jeffrey Freedman is Associate Professor of History at Yeshiva University and the author of A Poisoned Chalice (Princeton University Press, 2002) and Books Without Borders in Enlightenment Europe: French Cosmopolitanism and German Literary Markets (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012).

The Book History Colloquium at Columbia University, open to any discipline, aims to provide a broad outlet for the scholarly discussion of book history, print culture, the book arts, and bibliographical research, and (ideally) the promotion of research and publication in these fields. Our presenters include Columbia faculty members and advanced graduate students, and scholars of national prominence from a range of institutions.

Questions? Email Karla Nielsen.

This session takes place in 523 Butler Library, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.