hidden europe 52

Imaginary Wanderings: Switzerland in a Box

by Nicky Gardner

Picture above: Breathing new life into the book — the debut package from Swiss publisher Imaginary Wanderings Press (photo © hidden europe).

Summary

The first product from the new Swiss publisher Imaginary Wanderings sets a dauntingly high standard in terms of its look, feel and production values. And the content is equally fine. We explore the Lake Lucerne and Gotthard region in the company of Imaginary Wanderings creators Christina Ljungberg and Barbara Piatti.

Just imagine, for a moment, what Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Richard Wagner and Mark Twain might have said to each other, if they met by chance — on the roof of a train, no less — while travelling through the Lake Lucerne area of central Switzerland. Or consider, if you will, how giant helium balloons might be deployed to propel gondolas to the summit of the Rigi.

It is questions such as these, and a thousand others, which are triggered by the debut product of the new Swiss publisher Imaginary Wanderings Press. This is a remarkable venture, one which stretches our imagination about places but also invites us to rethink the very nature of ‘the book’. For the first title, focusing on the region around Lake Lucerne and the Gotthard, is very much more than merely a book. It is a handsome boxed set of twelve detailed tableaux which focus on themes germane to the history, culture and landscape of the region. Also included is a volume of essays, one on each of the twelve themes covered in the tableaux. The entire product is bilingual with texts in both German and English.

This is just an excerpt. The full text of this article is not yet available to members with online access to hidden europe. Of course you can read the full article in the print edition of hidden europe 52.
Related articleFull text online

Exploring Baedeker's Switzerland

The Baedeker series of guidebooks showed a remarkable consistency in presentation over many decades from the mid-19th century. But many guides were updated every couple of years, so how far did the content change? We compare two editions of Baedeker’s Switzerland, one from 1881 and the other from 1905, and find that the changes nicely reflect new social and travel pieties.

Related articleFull text online

Changing Fortunes: Guidebooks and War

It's hard to imagine these days that any guidebook might ever sell 100,000 copies each month. But 100 years ago, in the second half of 1919, Michelin was managing just that. We explore how guidebooks fared in the years after the end of the First World War. As Baedeker fell into disfavour among English readers, other companies were quick to fill the gap.