German things

Birkenstocks, Prilblume, Tamagotchi - what things what things tell us about our country

Three quarters of a century after the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany, this book looks back at the history of the country - and tells it using 75 everyday objects. Some are classics such as the Birkenstock sandal, in the East the so-called foot gymnastics slipper, sometimes forgotten things such as the once popular brocade covers for dial telephones or the transistor radio Sternchen. With his trenchant observations, bestselling author Andreas Matlé paints a cultural-historical panorama of East and West Germany. What's more, when he traces the history of Toast Hawaii, the Yellow Sack and the Weber barbecue, he uncovers an all-German attitude to life.


Four-colour throughout with 75 illustrations.