Library

The library of the Theodor Fontane Archive collects literature on Theodor Fontane and his work and makes it available for research and research projects as part of its user services. The extensive collection of rare historical prints is also frequently shown in exhibitions.

Collection profile

The library’s historical collections revolves around the first printings and first editions of Theodor Fontane’s works, periodicals from the contemporary context, and »Fontanes Handbibliothek« (Fontane’s Reference Library), a 155-volume partial collection from Fontane’s own library, which is preserved in the Fontane Archive and has been fully digitized and indexed in detail. The collection also includes the complete and selected editions of Theodor Fontane’s works, beginning with the 21 volumes of the Gesammelte Werke (Collected Works) published by his son Friedrich Fontane from 1905 to 1910 and ending with the as yet unfinished Große Brandenburger Ausgabe (Great Brandenburg Edition), which has been published by Aufbau Verlag since 1994. Numerous translations, film adaptations, and settings of Theodor Fontane’s works complete the library’s holdings.

 (opens enlarged image)Image: Karla Fritze
The first edition cabinet in the storeroom with first prints and first editions of Theodor Fontane’s works.

The acquisition of current research literature on Fontane and his work is another focus of the collection. Monographs, anthologies, essays, dissertations, but also gray literature such as offprints, association notices, institute publications, private prints, screenplays, broadcast manuscripts, unpublished research papers, etc. are collected as extensively as possible.


The focus is not only on Theodor Fontane himself. Literature on contemporary authors and their works as well as on the context of literary, media and social history is also collected. A basic stock of more general works on literary and archival studies as well as a collection of historical journals, which is currently being built up, round off the collection profile of the research library.

Collections

The library’s holdings also include several collections of volumes by private collectors, such as the Conrad Collection, the Bartsch Collection, the Böschenstein Collection, the Schreinert Collection, and the Nürnberger Collection. These testimonies of private research activity and collecting passion are set up as separate collections, so that the respective context is preserved.

Total Holdings

The total holdings currently amounts to approx. 25,000 media units. In addition to printed works, audiovisual media and continuously subscribed journals, the library has a small collection of historical journals, mainly from the 19th century, which is being supplemented. The focus is on the journals in which Fontane’s novels were first published as serialized novels even before the book edition.


A collection of newspaper clippings with articles and reviews, mainly relating to Fontane and his works, as well as a collection of scientific essays from Germany and abroad are also part of the library’s holdings. The holdings of these two collections date back to the early 19th century.

Terms of Use

The library is a reference library. Use of the holdings is only possible on site. The holdings can be researched in the library’s reading room. In addition, the library holdings are also listed in the Theodor Fontane Bibliography. The library’s new acquisitions are also displayed in the Fontane Blätter.

The library of the Theodor-Fontane-Archiv is open to all scholars, students, teachers, high school students, but also to the interested public by appointment.

Ursula Wallmeier will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the library’s holdings and the individual collections.