Part 227

THIRD EDITION, with the German spelling revised to meet the requirements of the German Government Regulations of 1880.

GERMAN COMPOSITION; A Theoretical and Practical Guide to the art of Translating English Prose into German; with an Appendix containing, among other matters, a synopsis of the changes the German spelling has undergone through the Government Regulations of 1880.

The book has been arranged so that it may be used with advantage by students who do not possess the author’s other works.

SYNOPSIS OF THE CHANGES THE GERMAN SPELLING HAS UNDERGONE THROUGH THE GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS OF 1880; a concise and easy Guide for English students of German desirous of adopting the new official German spelling. Reprinted from ‘German Composition.’

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EXTRACTS FROM OPINIONS ON H. LANGE’S GERMAN COURSE.

‘=The works bear evidence of remarkable painstaking, great teaching power, and a thorough understanding of the art of teaching.=’—DR. KARL DAMMANN, Lecturer on the German Language and Literature at the Mason Science College, Queen’s College, and the Midland Institute, Birmingham.

‘The Germans at Home.’

‘The author is a practical teacher, and we are glad to recommend his work as likely to reduce, as far as possible, the inevitable difficulties to be encountered in the first study of a foreign language. Happy boys and girls of the present day, if they only knew their own blessings!’—Journal of Education.

‘“The Germans at Home” consists of forty conversations, intended to illustrate one day out of the life of a German family at home, as its name implies. The result is a decided improvement upon the run of books of this class. The interest of the student is sustained throughout, and everything is done in fact, which can be done to create a royal road to a knowledge of German.’—Manchester Courier.

‘“The Germans at Home” is an excellent book, and is likely to be extensively used.’—Schoolmaster.

‘The traits called “new” in this Course are thus defined by the author. “First the Facts, and then the Theory, the Laws and the Inferences.” “The Germans at Home” (printed in Roman characters) contains forty conversations, all connected, so as “to illustrate one day out of the life of a German family at home.” The themes are German, the idioms are modern, and the “variations” that follow the conversations seem likely to be useful.’—Athenæum.

‘A Grammar of the German Language.’

‘The author has obviously studied to make as clear as possible the arrangement of his materials, and the printer has aided that endeavour.’—Athenæum.

‘The Grammar is a good one.’—Schoolmaster.

‘The Germans at Home’ and ‘The German Manual.’

‘Instead of wearying the unhappy student with learning a lot of dry and elaborate technicalities of accidence and syntax at the outset, Mr. Lange starts him with conversations—forty in number, each illustrative of one day out of the life of a German family at home—and very soon lands him “in medias res” by the aid of interlinear translation, by the means of which he can gain a knowledge of the idioms and peculiarities of structure of the language, while he is at the same time acquiring a knowledge of the theory of the language, i.e. of its accidence and syntax. Thus we get in Mr. Lange’s system the facts first, and then proceed to the theory, laws, and inferences—first the life and spirit, then the form and body in which they are clothed. Only those who have themselves learnt and taught (or tried to learn and teach) German, can thoroughly appreciate the advantages of this plan, which avails itself of the two leading principles which underlie all learning, and ought to form the basis of all teaching, viz. the principles of imitation and of variation. When we remember the long and weary hours spent by ourselves in learning German, we envy Mr. Lange’s pupils, and those who have the chance of using his books.’—Manchester Critic.

‘Mr. Lange’s “German Course” is thoroughly trustworthy and useful.’—Glasgow News.

‘Herr Lange has worked out his principle most successfully.’—Edinburgh Daily Review.

‘The German Manual.’

‘This is a very elaborate work. It contains an amount of matter unusually great, and of unquestionable excellence. If not multum in parvo, it is at least multum in uno. The bigness of the book is largely due to the fact that the author has amalgamated with this volume the entire grammar, which is also published in a separate form. The grammar is a good one; but the special feature of the “German Manual” consists in its comprehensiveness, which will be apparent from the following summary of its contents:—Part I. Accidence. Part II. Syntax. Part III. Interlinear Translation. Part IV. German for Translation into English. Part V. Notes and Helpful Hints. Part VI. English Version of Part IV. for Re-translation. By an ingenious system of adaptation, the six parts are to be proceeded with simultaneously. Thus every part throwing light upon the rest, and the student having to deal with the same passages over and over again, the process of mental assimilation is likely to be rendered more real and rapid. When we add that the book contains a humorous comedy and an excellent life of Beethoven, our readers will acknowledge that Herr Lange has provided that variety which is proverbially charming. From the conspicuous absence of the namby-pamby element—unfortunately too common in translation exercises—as well as from the general excellence of the work, it may be confidently recommended, especially for the use of adult students.’—Schoolmaster.

‘Herr Lange’s method is excellent for simplicity and clearness.’—Saturday Review.

‘German Composition.’

‘Having used H. Lange’s Composition for about a couple of years with my advanced pupils, I am in a position to state that it has more than answered the very favourable expectations I had formed on a first perusal of the work. To my mind its chief recommendations are:—

1st. It may safely be put into the hands of learners at an earlier stage than most works of this class.

2nd. The judicious manner in which the exercises have been graduated, and the careful elucidation of all grammatical difficulties.

3rd. The admirable rendering of English idioms into their German equivalents.’—JOHN J. T. JACKSON, Lecturer on Modern Languages and Philology at the Lancashire Independent College, and the Wesleyan College, Didsbury.

‘After a very careful perusal of “Hermann Lange’s German Composition,” I have no hesitation to say that it seems to me to be the best book of that kind,—not only with regard to the choice of good extracts from modern English authors, but also in respect to the thoroughness and correctness of the Notes. I shall find it exceedingly useful with my pupils for the Army and Civil Service Examinations.’—THEODORE H. DITTEL, London, Tutor to Students preparing for the Army and Civil Service Examinations.