"With warmest regards..." – On books with author dedications

By Urban Walder

Books bearing the author's signature possess a special charm, which is further enhanced when a dedication is included alongside the signature. This lends the book a unique quality. Such copies have a history that is truly known only to the author and the person who dedicated the book.

We can also learn more about interesting things. Often, the handwriting alone gives a first impression of the author. Sometimes the dedication also contains a reference to the book's content, or something that goes beyond that.

The question often arises as to why the recipient of the dedication parted with this book. The beautiful saying that books have their own destinies (Habent sua fata libelli) proves true here once again.

A few examples will be used to explore some thoughts on books with very different dedications. Only copies not dedicated to a specific person will be shown; otherwise, the full names are obscured.

Christa Wolf: “One of the first examples…”

Christa Wolf's novella "Divided Heaven" was published in 1963 by Mitteldeutscher Verlag in Halle (Saale), with illustrations by Willi Sitte. Wolf sees "one of the first copies" of a Dunja, who, remarkably, is addressed formally. We are dealing with the dedication war, this time no longer a festive one. It would also be interesting to know how the book made its way to Zurich, where it was found at a book fair in 1986. This is a play on personal significance. The fact that it is one of the first copies almost gives one the feeling that it was fresh off the printing press.

Albert Vigoleis Thelen: “To the unknown reader…”

Albert Vigoleis Thelen (1903–1989) reads all his works using the book "The Island of the Second Sight: From the Applied Memories of Vigoleis." This book was published in 1953, when Thelen was already fifty years old. The book is set in Mallorca, where Thelen lived with his wife Beatrice between 1931 and 1936. Thelen describes the book neither as a novel nor as an autobiography. Its autobiographical nature is suggested in the story from August 1964, and this can also be inferred from the subtitle. Remarkably, unlike most inscribed copies, this one lacks the author's signature.

Gertrud Leutenegger: “A very warm welcome to you…”

Swiss writer Gertrud Leutenegger (born 1948) published the novel "Ninive" in 1977, following her novel "Vorabend" (1975). The dedication from the year of publication is very simple and beautiful. It does not reveal to whom the copy is dedicated.

Otto F. Walter: "With comrade greetings..."

Otto F. Walter (1928–1994) was a wartime publisher and writer born in Rickenbach (SO). He was the brother of Silja Walter. His dedication is apparently addressed to a fellow party member (the surname is obscured here for reasons of discretion). Otto F. Walter was also known to be politically active, which is reflected in the dedication.

Herbert Haag: "...never tire of doing good"

Herbert Haag (1915–2001) was a Roman Catholic theologian and biblical scholar. He taught Old Testament at the Theological Faculty of Lucerne and at the Catholic Theological Faculty of the University of Tübingen. His book addresses questions surrounding evil, particularly from a theological perspective (where does evil originate, is it also created by God, why does God permit evil?). In his dedication, Herbert Haag quoted from the Apostle Paul's letter to the Galatians: "Let us not grow weary of doing good" (Galatians 6:9). Doing good is perhaps the best way to overcome evil.

Bishop Anton Hänggi: “Ut unum sint -”

As Bishop of Basel (1968–1982), ecumenism was a major concern for Anton Hänggi (1917–1994). His time as Bishop of Basel coincided with a period of renewal for the Catholic Church following the Second Vatican Council. His motto as bishop came from the Gospel of John: "Ut unum sint – that they may be one so that the world may believe..." (John 17:21). He also used this as the dedication text in his commemorative publication, which was dedicated to him on his 75th birthday.

Silja Walter: “+ Pax”

Silja Walter (1919–2011), born in Rickenbach (SO) in 1948 to Sister Maria Hedwig, is the patron of Fahr Monastery near Unterengstringen. She was the sister of Otto F. Walter. Her dedication from the summer of 1970 is incomparably brief, yet precisely in its brevity very poignant, containing the Christian greeting of peace, "+ Pax." Language is the primary symbol; we have no other order besides the one mentioned, but it has a literary significance.

Annette von Droste-Hülshoff: "...guardian of her heritage..."

Annette von Droste-Hülshoff (1797 – 1848), born in 1841 in Meersburg on Lake Constance, died on May 24, 1848.

The dedication in the collected works is by Helene Baroness von Bothmer (1908–1996). She rendered invaluable service as the guardian of the poet's legacy in Meersburg. She was not, however, a beloved great-grandniece, but became so through her marriage to a great-grandnephew of the poet. Helene Baroness von Bothmer was born in the USA, the daughter of Marta Helene Davis, and came into the world in Germany in 1938. She led a very eventful life. Thus, the dedication in Droste's works intersects with the lives of two very different and remarkable women.