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This paper critiques several recent works on the history of the mass media in Germany by contextualizing them within the wider wave of interest in the subject since the 1990s. It highlights the limited extent to which the findings of this research on the history of mass communications have been integrated into broader structures of interpretation for the period since the middle of the nineteenth century. Although we have long had a reasonably detailed understanding of the technological, commercial and aesthetic development of the media, the works under review reflect the more recent trend towards investigating their immense social and political impact in the broadest sense. For the twentieth century in particular, the mass media played an absolutely central role in social, cultural and political life. They both reflected and helped to generate profound changes in all of these spheres, and approaching the media as an integral part of 'mainstream' history thus furnishes a powerful tool for analysing the multiple interconnections between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews the book "The German Bestseller in the Late Nineteenth Century," edited by Charlotte Woodford and Ben Schofield.

A review of the book "Jewish Life in Nazi Germany: Dilemmas and Responses," edited by Francis R. Nicosia and David Scrase, is presented.

The Social Democratic Party in Imperial Germany (SPD), with a million members, was Europe's first true mass-membership political party. In the undemocratic, authoritarian regime of the Kaiser's Germany, it was a force pushing for reform and democratization. Its programme advocated equal civic rights for all German men and women. It was a consistent opponent of Germany's nascent antisemitic political parties. A new study of the SPD and the question of antisemitism has argued that the party's treatment of the question of antisemitism was seriously inadequate, and considers the attitude of Social Democracy to antisemitism to be in need of a fundamental reconsideration. It is claimed that SPD was 'more a part of the problem than a part of the solution'. To what extent does this reconsideration of the relationship between the SPD and antisemitism rest on new evidence, and to what extent is it the result of a different definition of 'antisemitism'? Does this reconsideration do justice to the political behaviour of the SPD in Imperial Germany? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews the book "Overcoming the Past, Determining Its Consequences and Finding Solutions for the Present," edited by M. Zaurov and K. B. Günther.

Reviews books on German Expressionism and cultural-history in the twentieth-century. `German Expressionism: Art and Society 1909-1923,' by Stephanie Barron and Wolf-Dieter; `Art for the Workers: Ideology and the Visual Arts in Weimer Germany,' by W.L. Guttsman.

The article reviews the book "Colonialism, Antisemitism, and Germans of Jewish Descent in Imperial Germany," by Christian S. Davis, part of the book series "Social History, Popular Culture, and Politics in Germany."

Reviews the books 'The Divided Heritage: Themes and Problems in German Modernism,' edited by Irit Rogoff and 'German Expressionism: Primitivism and Modernity,' by Jill Lloyd.

Reviews the book `Kommunisten in der Weimarer Republik. Sozialgeschichte einer revolutionaren Bewegung,' by Klaus-Michael Mallmann.

Reviews the book `German Instrumental Music in the Late Middle Ages: Players, Patrons and Performance Practice,' by Keith Polk, which discusses German instrumental music between 1350 and 1520. Reconstruction of the musical life in Germany; Setting of patronage, instruments and ensembles; Information about musical expenses, families of musician.

Reviews the book 'Crossing Boundaries. German and American Experiences with the Exclusion and Inclusion of Minorities,' edited by Larry Eugene Jones.

A review of the book "The Necessity of Music: Variations on a German Theme," by Celia Applegate, is presented.

The article reviews the book "Rudolf Bultmann: Eine Biographie," by Konrad Hammann.

The article reviews the book "Publishing Culture and the 'Reading Nation': German Book History in the Long 19th Century," edited by Lynne Tatlock.

A review of the book "The Stepchildren of Science: Psychical Research & Parapsychology in Germany c. 1870-1939," by Heather Wolffram is presented.

The article presents a review of the book "Die Architekten Brüder Heinz und Bodo Rasch: ein Beitrag zur Architekturgeschichte der zwanziger Jahre [The Architect Brothers Heinz and Bodo Rasch: A Contribution to the Architectural History of the Twenties]," by Annette Ludwig.

The article reviews the book "Medical Films, Ethics and Euthanasia in Nazi Germany: The History of Medical Research and Teaching Films of the Reich Office for Educational Films/Reich Institute for Films in Science and Education, 1933-1945," by Ulf Schmidt.

Reviews the book `German and Scandinavian Protestantism, 1700 to 1918,' by Nicholas Hope.

The article reviews the book "Crime and Culture in Early Modern Germany" by Joy Wiltenburg, part of the "Studies in Early Modern German History" series.

A review of the book "Medizinische Belehrung für das Bürgertum: Medikale Kulturen in der Zeitschrift 'Die Gartenlaube' (1853-1944)," by Florian Mildenberger is presented.

The article reviews the book "Museale Spezialisierung und Nationalisierung ab 1830. Das Neue Museum in Berlin im internationalen Kontext" or "Specialization and Consolidation of the National Museum after 1830. The Neue Museum in Berlin in an International Context," edited by Ellinoor Bergvelt, Debora J. Meijers, Lieske Tibbe, and Elsa van Wezel.

The article reviews the book "Demonizing the Jews: Luther and the Protestant Church in Nazi Germany," by Christopher J. Probst.

The article reviews the book "Guilt, Suffering, and Memory: Germany Remembers Its Dead of World War II," by Gilad Margalit, translated by Haim Watzman.

The article reviews the book "Selling Sex in the Reich: Prostitutes in German Society, 1914–1945," by Victoria Harris.