© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the German History Society. All rights reserved.
What's a History Handbook for? The Gebhardt German History Series and the Nineteenth Century
Discussion
London School of Economics
Industrielle Revolution und Nationalstaatsgründung (1849–1870er Jahre). By Friedrich Lenger. Stuttgart: Klett-Cotta. 2003. ‘Gebhardt Handbuch der deutschen Geschichte. Zehnte, völlig neu bearbeitete Auflage’, 15. xli + 406pp. 
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Das Kaiserreich 1871–1914: Industriegesellschaft, bürgerliche Kultur und autoritärer Staat. By Volker Berghahn Stuttgart: Klett-Cotta. 2003. ‘Gebhardt Handbuch der deutschen Geschichte. Zehnte, völlig neu bearbeitete Auflage’, 15. xli + 445pp. 42.
Die Urkatastrophe Deutschlands: Der Erste Weltkrieg 1914–1918. By Wolfgang J. Mommsen. Stuttgart: Klett-Cotta. 2002. ‘Gebhardt Handbuch der deutschen Geschichte. Zehnte, völlig neu bearbeitete Auflage’, 15. xxxix + 188pp. 30.
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This edition of the Gebhardt Handbook of German History is very different from earlier ones. The 8th edition (1960) consisted of three volumes: medieval, early modern and late modern. That was an expansion from the two-volume—medieval and modern—of the original edition of 1891–92 and the following six editions. The 9th edition largely followed that of the 8th, though in the late modern volume there was an additional chapter on economic and social history of the nineteenth century. The 10th edition will eventually consist of 24 volumes under the direction of four editors who each write a book length introduction to their respective periods: late antiquity and medieval, early modern (1495–1806), nineteenth century (1806–1918) and twentieth century (1918–2000).
There are various reasons for this massive expansion. First, there are more professional historians, researching and publishing more than ever before. Second, this research and publication covers a greater variety of subjects and