Penn State University Press for the Library Company of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania German Society,
Date of Publication
2005.
Physical Description
xviii, 367 p. : ill. ; 29 cm.
Series
Publications of the Pennsylvania German Society ; v. 39. Pennsylvania German history and culture series ; no. 6
Notes
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents
Song and ballad broadsides -- The broadside and customs of the year -- Political and military broadsides -- Medical broadsides -- Sale bills, advertisements, and bookplates -- Dialect broadsides and community events -- Religious broadsides -- House-blessings and heaven-letters -- The broadside and the rites of passage -- Prints : the picture world of the Pennsylvania Dutch.
Summary
"Fifteenth-century Germany was the birthplace of movable type and of one of its powerful consequences, the broadside. These mass-produced printed sheets allowed both the Renaissance and the Reformation to spread with previously unimaginable speed, and when German immigrants made their way to North America, the cultural significance of the broadside followed.The author defines a broadside as any piece of paper printed on one side that is intended to be given away or sold. Where some experts have narrowed the definition of the broadside to focus primarily on song and ballad broadsides, Professor Yoder’s definition encompasses a much wider range of material. In this more comprehensive approach to the medium, not only “street literature†but also such documents as elegies, spiritual testaments, and certificates of birth, baptism, confirmation, and marriage are all considered legitimate broadsides that tie the individual to the culture of the community. After tracing the migration of the broadside from Germany to America, the author dedicates each of ten chapters to a specific broadside subject." [publisher's comments]
