Today, this blog celebrates its first anniversary.
It is clearly beyond criticism; no review has appeared anywhere because it is evidently unique in its class. No other blog chooses its subject matter with comparable care, never uses the first person singular, avoids fashionable polemics, Canadian and American politics (most of the time), is usually concise, prefers curiosities to trivia and, above all, goes out of its way to shirk shallow optimism and pessimism. It leaves that to the competition.
Gloom and Doom is particularly anathema. You can take any year at random – 1759 or 1859 – and you will observe that it was entirely reasonable for any clever pessimist in Europe who lived at the time (outside Prussia) to say that the situation was totally hopeless. For one thing, the Prussians would come and cut everybody’s throat, Prussians or others like them. Well, they did come, and so did their successors, and they did cut many, many throats. But not all.
Today we can look around: Prussia has been abolished and Germany is a more decent country than it has ever been in its history.
Moreover, today, when you read Doom and Gloom stories about the disintegration of the United States, it would be wise to take the long view – one or two centuries at least. Something quite decent may emerge, after all.
And this blog will say, we are not surprised.
Eric Koch’s new book, The Weimar Triangle, is available at Indigo-Chapters and in your local bookstore. 
It seems it always is the best of times and the worst of times, always has been and always will be. Thankfully we have Sketches to keep us grounded and to give us perspective! Happy Anniversary, and many more…
Many thanks. Yes, you are perfectly right, the measure of all things is Sketches.
Happy Anniversary to this most eclectic and unique blog…and Happy Birthday to the author!
Many thanks, Ruth.
Where would we be without you?
When China’s first Premier Zhou Enlai was asked in the mid-20th century for his opinion on the historical significance of the 1789 French Revolution, he is said to have replied: “It’s too soon to tell.” (I vaguely remembered this quote. Thanks to Google and Rebecca MacKinnon’s blog for confirming it.)
I guess 1776 is still not long enough ago. Constructed, written-down constitutional democracy is still a comparatively new invention. (Not to be confused with UK-style, muddle-through, make-it-up-as-you-go-along, devolutionary “democracy,” i.e., a much-modified, tactical-withdrawal version of the divine right of kings.)
For another perspective I am e-mailing you Conrad’s piece.
Surely this calls for some sort of celebration: say, around 5 or so, over at that pub, what’s it called, the Duke of something-or-other…
Duke of Schleswig Holstein.
Sorry you missed it.
Happy Anniversary, Eric! This blog. . . priceless! Bobbi
So are you.
Thank you.
We can do it again at Oktoberfest! Great seeing everyone.
What a good idea!
By the way, thank you for the beautiful photographs.
Congratulations on personal and blogistical milestones, Eric! You’ve given us a lot to think about and enjoy in the past year, entirely consistent with your former oeuvre (or should I say Werke) but in a whole new medium which nonetheless refuses to be the message. And thanks heaps.
You are far too generous, John.
And I am truly sorry you missed our celebration.