Romania- Kurt Hielscher

Romania: Landscape, Buildings, National Life in the 1930s is one of the most valuable books I have ever got my hands on. The first edition with a very small print run was published in 1933 and was prefaced by Octavian Goga, one of the most well-known Romanian writers and politicians. Even though a few books still exist today, the difference in quality is immeasurable.

The Center for Romanian Studies in the US created the second edition (the only ever reprint). It has a fresh colorized cover of one of Kurt Hielscher's photographs, a sturdy hardcover with a shiny UV title overlay, and a beautiful endpaper. What is striking about this new book is that all the photographs have been restored and enhanced, while preserving their original sepia tone. The original photographs were lost during the bombings in 1944 together with other 40,000 photos and negatives Kurt Hielscher had taken of various countries in Europe.

The present volume is big, heavy, and very high quality, with some landscape photographs spawning across two pages. Because the original photos were digitally enhanced, you will now get to see many details that were hard to see in the original ones. It contains photographs of landscapes, buildings, architectural details, the day-to-day life of people, homes, markets, and portraits with outstanding details of outfits and hairstyles.

Romania: Landscape, Buildings, National Life in the 1930s is a one-of-a-kind book that anyone interested in Romanian culture and history should have on their shelves.

Publisher: ‎ Center for Romanian Studies (November 22, 2022)

Language: ‎ English

Hardcover: ‎ 342 pages

ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1592111725

Item Weight: ‎ 3.6 pounds

Dimensions: ‎ 8.75 x 1 x 11.5 inches