"For older boys with a sense for girls over 20": Which treasures end up in the Miesbach bookcase

Created: 01/12/2023 13:17

By: Dieter Dorby

Finds worth seeing are presented by Deputy Mayor Astrid Güldner, Rixta Rausch (owner of Buch am Markt), city councilor Inge Jooß, Johanna Weber, city councilor Kick van Walbeek, Karoline Haberzettl and library manager Stephanie Kilian.

© Thomas Plettenberg

Numerous books from private households are placed in the public bookcase on the market square in Miesbach.

The strangest finds are now presented in the new exhibition in the city library and in the book on the market.

Miesbach – Old books often have a special appeal.

Be it because of their antiquated getup or world view, be it because of the traditional language or because of their outdated attention to detail.

The sponsors of the public bookcase on the market square in Miesbach have now put together a small exhibition.

Until Saturday, January 21, special books that were placed in the bookcase as donations can be seen in the city library and in the shop window of the Buch am Markt store.

To a certain extent, these treasures and rarities got caught in the net when the bookcase was regularly cleaned up, as Deputy Mayor Astrid Güldner, one of the ten sponsors, explained at the opening of the exhibition in the city library.

At a meeting of the godparents, the idea came up to show the most curious finds in an exhibition.

RAF terrorist is also represented

The rarities were selected by City Councilor Inge Jooß and Katja Schenk based on four criteria: books for children and young people, oddities, lovable and informative.

Jooß referred to the "Rural Decameron", which according to the accompanying text "older boys with a taste for rough food and girls over 20" should read.

On the other hand, the “Economic Miracle Cookbook” with standard recipes from the 1950s, the screenplay for the film “Bambule” by the later RAF terrorist Ulrike Meinhof and the phrasebook “999 Bavarian Words” are curious.

Special focus on GDR literature

In the case of the children's books, on the other hand, the loving presentation and illustrations are remarkable - especially those from the GDR.

The topic of East Germany forms its own category with its own exhibition space - namely the shop window of the Buch am Markt store.

Its owner, Rixta Rausch, generally supports the bookcase project.

Together with the library, an alliance for reading was created, Güldner noted: "The nice thing is that you don't see yourself as a competitor, but instead make a great range of reading possible together."

Because since it opened in 2018, the bookcase has become a popular facility that is well used.

However, this requires a certain level of care.

Broken books are sorted out, excess books are removed and those with a weaker stock are replenished.

If you fall in love with one or the other found object, you can purchase it for a donation at the end of the exhibition.

In this way, the rarities find a new home and don't have to go back to the bookcase.

ddy