Schreiber, Aloys
Anleitung auf die nützlichste und genussvollste Art den Rhein von Schafhausen bis Holland, die Mosel von Coblenz bis Trier
1818, Heidelberg, Joseph Engelmann
Schreiber’s Rhine handbook is far more than a picturesque travel guide. In this fully revised second edition, the author offers a meticulous itinerary along the Rhine from Schaffhausen to Holland and along the Moselle to Trier, enriched with historical notes, legends, spa culture and practical advice for the cultivated traveler of the Vormärz period. The section on the Rheinweine is of particular interest for the history of wine: in fact, here Schreiber records early nineteenth century perceptions of terroir, vineyard hierarchy and grape varieties at the very moment when Riesling emerges as the defining white of the region, and the old variety Orleans still holds its ground. As a synthesis of Romantic landscape writing, practical route book and early popular ampelography, this volume speaks directly to collectors interested in the cultural and grape history of the Rhine.
In his journey, Schreiber notes the famed slopes of Johannisberg, Rüdesheim, Marcobrunn, Gräfenberg and others, links Assmannshausen with superior red wine, and draws attention to harvest timing, cellar practice and the distinction between early and late ripening grapes. Especially valuable is his mention of Orleanstrauben at Rüdesheim and the tradition attributing their introduction to Charlemagne, together with explicit references to Rieslinge on Johannisberg. Alongside these, Schreiber preserves historical style names such as Liebfrauenmilch, Bacharach, Bleickart and Dollenberger, offering a rare vernacular snapshot of Rhenish viticulture before phylloxera, modernization and the dilution of these once precise designations. The volume is completed by two large folding copper engraved maps, one of the Rhine from Schaffhausen to Mannheim with the Bergstrasse routes, the other from Mannheim to Wesel including the Moselle to Trier. The maps are clearly printed and rich in toponyms, becoming a visual key to the vineyards, towns and spa sites described in the text and a significant cartographic companion to Schreiber’s account.
Schreiber catches the Rhine just as Riesling and Orleans still share the hill, where vineyards, legends and labels reveal a vanished wine world in a traveler’s pocket.
pp. [1] f.e., [1] folded map, XXVIII, [4], 524, 68, [1] folded map, [1] r.e.
Contemporary half leather with spine label and marbled boards; slightly rubbed, corners a little worn, spine with small bookworm work. Rear endpapers and inside of back cover with minor wormholes in the bottom left corner. Scattered light foxing. Maps well preserved, although folded several times, with small marginal tears; old restoration at the back of the fold of the back map. An appealing, honest copy.
Dimensions (inches): 6 3/4 x 4 1/2 x 1 1/2
Aloys Schreiber (1761-1841), German writer, educator and Baden court historiographer, noted for elegant Rhine and south German travel guides.
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