Daum's Boys

Alan S. Ross is Postdoctoral Fellow in Early Modern History at Humboldt University, Berlin

‘Ross’s book is a most welcome contribution to the early modern history of scholarship in Germany. Numerous histories of individual schools exist but – as far as I know – few are recent and none is as richly detailed or as engaging as this one. I think and hope it will inspire comparative research into other German schools of the same period and thus increase our understanding of their importance in the history of European culture.’ Anna Carrdus, WBN 42 (2015)' ... a treasury of local documents and assiduous research.' Paul F. Grendler, Renaissance Quarterly, September 2016'If only we had more such studies as this.'Dirk van Miert, History of Humanities'This is an important study ... immensely enriching.' Richard Kirwan, University of Limerick, Journal of the History of Education Society '[A work] that is as concise as it is gripping ... its main qualities: the richness of the archival records and the approach chosen by the author, the ambitious scope of the questions addressed and, finally, the book's great interest not only for the history of education but also for the history of the Republic of Letters and that of the Holy Roman Empire.' Sebastien Schick, Annales Histoire Sciences sociales'... a rich and skillfully-drafted study'Willem Frijhoff, Francia-Recensio'Daum’s boys" is a thoroughly-researched study and a comprehensive success all around ... It is an important contribution to the history of early modern education. Ross has cleared a path which will hopefully be followed by future historians ...’Alexander Winkler, H-Soz-Kult‘Ross has made wonderful use of the rich archival records and library left by Christian Daum to paint a detailed picture of early modern schooling and scholarship, and the links between them, in German-speaking Protestant Europe. He effectively traces the connections across civic, educational and scholarly communities within and beyond Zwickau. The charts, maps and photographs in this book, depicting subjects ranging from enrolment trends to early modern graffiti, effectively complement Ross’ smoothly written analysis.’Valentina Tikoff, DePaul University, Illinois, USA, European History Quarterly, Vol. 47, No. 3

• Introduction1. ‘A veritable gem’: culture, authority and education in early modern Zwickau2. The finished scholar: convincing oneself and convincing others3. The virtues of diversity: pedagogical innovation and contested curricula4. The pupils: educational strategies and social mobility 5. Violent aspirations: pupils' transgression and the spectre of university6. Networks, patronage and exploitation: correspondence and the next generation of scholars Conclusion: Civic communities, humanist education and the ‘Age of Enlightenment'AppendicesBibliographyIndex