Berlin and America

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Mark Twain in Berlin
Authors: Mark Twain, Andreas Austilat
Genre: Biography

Preface: Lewis Lapham
Softcover: 176 pages, 68 pictures

Dimensions: 5.5’’ x 8.5’’
Suggested retail: $13.95 / 13,00 €
ISBN USA:  978-1-935902-95-9
ISBN Germany: 978-3-96026-033-2
Release: Summer 2013

In fall 1891, Mark Twain headed for Berlin, the “newest city I have ever seen,” as America’s foremost humorist wrote; accompanied by his wife,  Olivia, and their three daughters. Twain, a “Yankee from head to toe,”  according to the local press, conspired with diplomats, frequented the famed salons, had breakfast with duchesses, and dined with the emperor.  He suffered an “organized dog-choir club,” at his first address, which he deemed a “rag-picker's paradise,” picked a fight with the police, who made him look under his maid's petticoats, was abused by a porter, got lost on streetcars, was nearly struck down by pneumonia, and witnessed a  proletarian uprising in front of his hotel Unter den Linden. Twain penned articles on his everyday life and he also began a novel about  Wilhelmina von Preussen, the lonely Prussian princess, unpublished until now, as are most of his Berlin stories. They are assembled for the first time here in this book, together with a riveting account of  Twain’s foray into the German capital, by Andreas Austilat. With a preface by Lewis Lapham.

Andreas Austilat is the deputy editor of the Sunday supplement at Tagesspiegel, Berlin‘s leading daily. He published three travel and culture guides about  Brandenburg and Berlin, where he was born. He lives in Berlin with his wife, his two children, and their dog Duffy.​

Mark Twain ​was born 1835 in Missouri. After a stint on the Mississippi, he became one of America‘s most famous journalists, humorists, travel writer and author. He traveled to Italy, France, Palestine, and many other countries, and twice to Germany. He lived in  Berlin from 1891 to 1892.

A Place They Called Home
Editor: Donna Swarthout
Genre: Biography / Jewish Life
Hardcover, 208 pp, 12 picturs
Dimensions: 6‘‘ x 9‘‘
Suggested Retail 20,- € / $20
ISBN USA: 978-1-935902-65-2
ISBN Germany: 978-3-96026-016-5
Release December 2018

A Place They Called Home: Dena, a New Hampshire retiree, feels at home in Germany the moment the vineyards across the Rhine come into her view. Maya, a journalist for  Deutsche Welle, pursued German citizenship to boost her career in  Berlin. And Yermi, an Israeli writer, has a response for people who question his decision to live in the country that murdered his relatives. “In Berlin, I feel a sense of belonging – to the culture, the  values – and I feel welcomed here." A Place They Called Home is the first book to give a voice to the descendants of Jewish Holocaust survivors who have chosen to restore their German citizenship. They each have different reasons for doing so, but they all reclaimed something that was taken from their families.

Donna Swarthout was born in New Jersey to German Jewish parents who fled Germany. She holds a Master’s degree in political science from the University of  California, Berkeley and has worked in higher education for many years.  In 2010 she moved to Berlin with her husband and three children. One year later she had her German citizenship restored. Swarthout is the author of numerous publications and the blog "Full Circle" about her life in Germany.

Rocking the Wall
Author: Erik Kirschbaum
Genre: Music, Biography
Softcover, 168 pages, 43 pictures
Dimensions: 5.5’’ x 8.5’'
Suggested retail: $16.95 / 14,- €
ISBN USA: 978-1-935902-82-9
ISBN Germany: 978-1-935902-77-5
Release: Spring 2013

Rocking The Wall explores the epic Bruce Springsteen concert in East  Berlin on July 19, 1988, and how it changed the world. Erik Kirschbaum  spoke to scores of fans and concert organizers on both sides of the  Berlin Wall, including Jon Landau, Springsteen's long-time friend and  manager. With lively behind-the-scenes details from eyewitness accounts,  magazine and newspaper clippings, TV recordings, and even Stasi files,  as well as photos and memorabilia, this gripping book transports you  back to those heady times before the Berlin Wall fell and gives you a  front-row spot at one of the most exciting rock concerts ever. It takes  you to an unforgettable journey with Springsteen through the divided  city, to the open air concert grounds in Weissensee, where The Boss,  live on stage, delivered a speech against the Wall to a record-breaking  crowd of more than 300,000 delirious young East Germans full of joy and  hope.

Erik Kirschbaum, a native of New York City and long-time Springsteen fan, has lived in Germany for more than twenty-five years and in Berlin since 1993. He is a correspondent for the Reuters international news agency. He is also a devoted father of four, an enthusiastic cyclist, and a solar power entrepreneur. Rocking the Wall is his third book.