SURFING A MAGICAL INTERNET, a new Kindle book
Heinz KohlerAs of today, I have published a new Kindle book in my Grandmother's World series, entitled Surfing a Magical Internet, Book 1: Extraordinary Birds. The synopsis explains what it is all about:
About 150 years ago, the newly formed Liebig’s Extract of Meat Company decided to advertise its product by rewarding loyal customers with gifts of colorful and ever so beautiful picture cards. Each card was a little work of art; no wonder the images and their associated commentary captivated and mesmerized people. Before long, thousands of these cards were circulating. They told fascinating stories about every conceivable aspect of life on earth and, as a group, similar to what the Internet might do in our time, came to embody the sum total of human knowledge. Collectors could travel the globe, meet people from any country on earth, and learn about their customs. They could visit lost civilizations, too, or view the world’s natural wonders of the day. They could study plants or animals or the evolution of commerce and transport. They could discover the secrets of agriculture, forestry, and fishing or find out how new inventions were transforming industry. They could familiarize themselves with music and literature, great art and architecture, with famous men and women of all ages, and, most importantly for children no doubt, with giants and dwarfs, elves and gnomes, riddles and fairy tales! In hindsight, strange as it may sound, the company’s most important contribution was not to the kitchens of the world, but to the education of millions of people of all ages who could not go to school or afford books! The author’s grandmother was one of these people and, many years later, when he was a child, she used her large collection of Liebig cards, as one would the modern-day Internet, to satisfy his urge to find out everything about the big wide world.
This book is the first of a series that resurrects grandmother’s magical Internet and seeks to pass on the joy that her wonderful lessons brought. It is all about birds: We meet the most beautiful, the fastest, the largest, and the most powerful birds in the world; we come across magnificent bird’s nests unlike any we have ever known; we encounter birds that once carried the mail in peace and in war; we discover the role of birds in history; we marvel at the amazing patterns of migrating birds in the sky; we learn of birds that can’t fly at all and of birds inspiring poetry. We even go up in the sky and get a bird’s eye view of the earth at a time long before airplanes and satellites existed. And that’s not all. There are surprises on every page and there is fun for children of all ages.
About 150 years ago, the newly formed Liebig’s Extract of Meat Company decided to advertise its product by rewarding loyal customers with gifts of colorful and ever so beautiful picture cards. Each card was a little work of art; no wonder the images and their associated commentary captivated and mesmerized people. Before long, thousands of these cards were circulating. They told fascinating stories about every conceivable aspect of life on earth and, as a group, similar to what the Internet might do in our time, came to embody the sum total of human knowledge. Collectors could travel the globe, meet people from any country on earth, and learn about their customs. They could visit lost civilizations, too, or view the world’s natural wonders of the day. They could study plants or animals or the evolution of commerce and transport. They could discover the secrets of agriculture, forestry, and fishing or find out how new inventions were transforming industry. They could familiarize themselves with music and literature, great art and architecture, with famous men and women of all ages, and, most importantly for children no doubt, with giants and dwarfs, elves and gnomes, riddles and fairy tales! In hindsight, strange as it may sound, the company’s most important contribution was not to the kitchens of the world, but to the education of millions of people of all ages who could not go to school or afford books! The author’s grandmother was one of these people and, many years later, when he was a child, she used her large collection of Liebig cards, as one would the modern-day Internet, to satisfy his urge to find out everything about the big wide world.
This book is the first of a series that resurrects grandmother’s magical Internet and seeks to pass on the joy that her wonderful lessons brought. It is all about birds: We meet the most beautiful, the fastest, the largest, and the most powerful birds in the world; we come across magnificent bird’s nests unlike any we have ever known; we encounter birds that once carried the mail in peace and in war; we discover the role of birds in history; we marvel at the amazing patterns of migrating birds in the sky; we learn of birds that can’t fly at all and of birds inspiring poetry. We even go up in the sky and get a bird’s eye view of the earth at a time long before airplanes and satellites existed. And that’s not all. There are surprises on every page and there is fun for children of all ages.
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Thanks, Lilo. No, they don't make the extract anymore. The company ceased to exist a long time ago, was then bought by Oxo, which made bouillon beef cubes, and ultimately turned into Thermo Fisher Scientific, which makes the stuff medical researchers use to grow bacteria on.
Heinz wrote: "Thanks, Lilo. No, they don't make the extract anymore. The company ceased to exist a long time ago, was then bought by Oxo, which made bouillon beef cubes, and ultimately turned into Thermo Fisher ..."Sorry to hear this. I wonder when I last bought Liebig's meat extract. Could it have been in the 1980s or 1990s? I still remember having it in the apartment we had in Germany during this time.
Well, "Alles Irdische ist vergänglich, nur der Bandwurm bleibt länglich." :-)
I faintly remember that my grandmother had a few of these Liebig's pictures. Unfortunately, she did not have a collection.
I wonder why my grandmother did not have a collection. As a chef, she was so fond of Liebigs meat extract. My grandmother was also very eager to obtain pictures of the world. (She collected picture post cards, but only had five of them. People didn't travel so much between WWI and WWII.) Maybe my grandmother did have a collection of Liebig's pictures. It might have disappeared when they moved in 1938 or 1939.
During WWII, there was no Liebig's meat extract available. (There were only Maggi cubes of much lesser quality.) After the war, once it became available again, my mother used Liebig's meat extract for the rest of her life. I also used it while I lived in Germany. (It truly was better than any bouillon cube, and I think they still make it.) Unfortunately, there were no longer any pictures to go with it, after the war.
You are so fortunate to have this collection. And with writing and publishing the book series, you are sharing this collection with us and are allowing us to to capture a glimpse of "Grandmother's World" or, as I would say, "Oma's World".
When will the paper-version come out? I think it will make a nice gift for young and old.