STRUWWELPETER by Dr. Heinrich Hoffmann = my first book ever, my first possession. I never owned a house, a boat, a horse – but some books. Recently I was surprised discovering my very first comments written in this book – I was aged 5. My favorite philosopher Theodor W. Adorno wrote in his “Minima Moralia“: “In his text, the writer sets up house… For a man who no longer has a homeland writing becomes a place to live…”
1
2
3
4
5
6
my comments:
2 – The_Story_of_the_Inky_Boys: “BÖSE” = EVIL (racism!)
3 – Augustus, who would not have any Soup: “Suppenkasper”
4 – Harriet and the Matches: “DUMM” = silly
5 – Little Suck-a-Thumb: “DAUMELUSCHER” (Daumenlutscher)
6 – Cruel Frederick: “SO KEHT DAS!” = that’s the way it goes (P.S.: isn’t it like the first step into philosophy?)
related:
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12116/12116-h/12116-h.htm
Merry Stories And Funny Pictures
The Dreadful Story of Harriet and the Matches
The Story of the Man that went out Shooting
The Story of Little Suck-a-Thumb
The Story of Augustus, who would not have any Soup
The Story of Johnny Head-in-Air
+
Related articles
- Struwwelpeter: Merry Stories and Funny Pictures (beautifulrailwaybridgeofthesilverytay.me)
- My Shockheaded Ignorance (storms.typepad.com)
- Death in Children’s Books (rarestkindofbest.wordpress.com)
Flickr Comments 
Fantastic drawings – the first looks like the inspiration behind Edward Scissorhands
LikeLike
Pingback: My Oldest Book | Flickr Comments
Pingback: My First Book | Flickr Comments
Childhood annotation – like a glimpse into the past you and a foreshadowing of the present you! You did colour within the lines though – pretty good for 5…
LikeLike
Thank you for sharing, Frizz. This is so interesting!
LikeLike
I have a pen pal in Germany and he once told me that his co-workers refer to him as böse. He had a very hard time explaining the meaning of the word to me.
LikeLike
well, there a many, countless versions of acting BÖSE vs. humans, animals etc.: bad, ill, ill-natured, evil, wicked, malicious, malevolent …
LikeLike
My friend had this book – translated into English. Pretty scary and hilarious to modern eyes! A bit like those ‘cautionary tales’ sung by the Ooompa Loompas in Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
LikeLike
How wonderful to have this!
I have a couple of books my mother had when she was a little girl.
LikeLike
Colline replied, Sept. 5, 2013:
Wow! I cannot believe you still have the first book you owned.
+
frizztext comment:
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
September 5, 2013 at 6:43 am
it was my treasure – the people who adopted me, they threw away everything I owned: my teddybear, my first camera, my diaries – but they forgot the Struwwelpeter…
LikeLike