In some of the important German national and university libraries you can still
find incorrect Brontë entries up to the present day. In the middle of the
19th century, novels of the Brontë sisters were extremely successful. It was therefore
a great temptation for foreign editors (not only German) to find other
anonymous English novels to translate and print them as a new ”Brontë” book.
I found new interesting information about some Brontë titles in the
old, so-called ”Quartkatalog” belonging to the Bavarian State Library (BSB). They
are linked with the book titles on the respective online pages. It is absolutely
fascinating seeing the old original handwritten book records and knowing that in
those days the authors were researched and compiled with great care.
Quartkatalog’s are handwritten catalogue cards in the format of 22 x 18 cm from
the year of their acquisition, in 1841, to the year of publication in 1952. Books are
here listed alphabetically based on the authors' name. Since the beginning of
2004 they have been scanned as images to ease net research.
PART ONE
(all shown catalogue cards: Quartkatalog. Bayerische Landesbibliothek. BSB digital)
* note; Das englische Original ist nicht nachweisbar (the English original is not verifiable)
Die Geschwister (= Brother and Sister) / Acton Currer Bell
[Pseud. für Charlotte Brontë].
Aus dem Englischen von L. Th. Fort
Grimma und Leipzig: Verlags-Comptoir, 1851
First German lines:
„Es war ein kalter Märzabend; die Lampen in Sackville Street
waren angezündet und warfen ihr bleiches, flackerndes Licht
durch die Regentropfen.
These are the same first lines that in the original title are named “Ernest Vane”.
The author of the English original is well known since years and just now in 2016 this title got a new German edition:
The English original:
