For review see: J. van Goor, in: Bijdragen en mededelingen betreffende de geschiedenis der Nederlanden, jrg. 110, afl. 1 (1995); p. 137-140.

During the Allied bombing of Germany, Hitler was more distressed by the loss of cultural treasures than by the leveling of homes. Remarkably, his propagandists broadcast this fact, convinced that it would reveal not his callousness but his sensitivity: the destruction had failed to crush his artist's spirit. It is impossible to begin to make sense of this thinking without understanding what Wolf Lepenies calls The Seduction of Culture in German History. This fascinating and unusual book tells the story of an arguably catastrophic German habit--that of valuing cultural achievement above all else and envisioning it as a noble substitute for politics. Lepenies examines how this tendency has affected German history from the late eighteenth century to today. He argues that the German preference for art over politics is essential to understanding the peculiar nature of Nazism, including its aesthetic appeal to many Germans (and others) and the fact that Hitler and many in his circle were failed artists and intellectuals who seem to have practiced their politics as a substitute form of art. In a series of historical, intellectual, literary, and artistic vignettes told in an essayistic style full of compelling aphorisms, this wide-ranging book pays special attention to Goethe and Thomas Mann, and also contains brilliant discussions of such diverse figures as Novalis, Walt Whitman, Leo Strauss, and Allan Bloom. The Seduction of Culture in German History is concerned not only with Germany, but with how the German obsession with culture, sense of cultural superiority, and scorn of politics have affected its relations with other countries, France and the United States in particular.

'A Flower Wedding: Described by Two Wallflowers' by Walter Crane is an exquisitely illustrated poem that transports readers to a joyous wedding celebration in 1905. Immerse yourself in the charming tale of Lad's Love and Miss Meadow Sweet as their love blossoms amidst a garden filled with a kaleidoscope of flowers. Crane's masterful artistry brings each page to life, with intricate illustrations capturing the essence of every bloom.

The adventures of the three Darling children in Never-Never Land with Peter Pan, the boy who would not grow up.

Agnes and Egerton Castle's 1914 work describes the garden and gardening of "Villi no Loki" in the southern moorlands of Surrey, with background information on the people and events of the area.