The Fruchtbringende Gesellschaft Collection

On view in UC Berkeley's Brown Gallery

	First line of Spohrer’s exhibit dedication: "This exhibit could not have taken place without the generous assistance of the UC Berkeley Institute of European Studies, the UC Center for German and European Studies, and the UC Berkeley Library, to whom I express my sincere gratitude."

A selection from The Bancroft Library's collection of materials on the Fruchtbringende Gesellschaft (Fruitbearing Society) is on display in the Bernice Layne Brown Gallery of Doe Library from January 20 to April 17th, 2004. The Fruchtbringende Gesellschaft was the first literary society on German soil, dating from 1617, and it was an active force in German culture until approximately 1680. Its chief focus was on the development of German as a literary and scholarly language, and among its members were many of the most influential figures in early modern German letters and science. The exhibit contains early printed works, manuscripts and pictorial works, mostly from 17th century Germany.

A public lecture and reception in connection with the exhibit are planned for later this semester, and it will serve as a focal point for the UC Colloquium on Early Modern Europe to be held on campus in April 2004.

Also in connection with the Fruchtbringende Gesellschaft collection, a smaller exhibit of the Codices Selecti (a manuscript facsimile series also held by Bancroft) will be concurrently on display in the west wing of the Brown Gallery.

James H. Spohrer
Librarian. for the Germanic Collections