The Account Books of the Reimarus Family of Hamburg, 1728-1780 (2 vols.)

Book excerpt: In The Account Books of the Reimarus Family of Hamburg, 1728-1780, Almut Spalding and Paul S. Spalding offer a two-volume critical edition of domestic records that open windows onto early modern Europe and the Enlightenment. They detail economic realities, social circles, cultural and educational pursuits, leisure activities, religious communities, and institutions in the life of a great city and a distinguished family. Volume one consists of the transcription, with an introduction and illustrations. Volume two is an extensive index. Hermann Samuel Reimarus and his daughter Margareta Elisabeth (Elise) Reimarus carefully maintained these records over fifty years. The former was a notable classicist, biblical scholar, animal behaviorist, and freethinker; the latter, leader of a literary salon, educator, translator, and author.