Books available through the American Women's Club

Discovering Düsseldorf
This is a Comprehensive Handbook For Living in Germany and Loving It! and a publication of the American Women's Club of Düsseldorf. It contains chapters titled: Getting Started, At Home, Getting Around, Medical, Children, Shopping, Having Fun and more. Available for 20 EURO (see order info below).

Most of the information in "Discovering Düsseldorf" is relevant to any newcomer in Germany. There is some helpful information and local resources for Düsseldorf and it includes some Cologne information and resources as well. For the NEW 8th Ed. of Discovering Düsseldorf please contact AWCD at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or just visit www.awcduesseldorf.org/.

Beyond Beer and Bratwurst
This is a recent publication of the American Women's Club of Taunus.  An information section includes basics on German specialties, beer and wine, nutrition, local ingredients, convenience foods, baking and shopping.  The recipes in the second section use modern cooking techniques with ingredients listed in both American and metric measures.  The book is available for 15 EURO plus shipping. To order, please go to the AWCT/Publications section at http://www.awctaunus.org/. 

Day Tripping
With information on what to see and do in the Düsseldorf-Cologne area, for 5 EURO. To order contact AWCD at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or just visit www.awcduesseldorf.org/.

When AIWCC members and friends order these publications, PLEASE mention you heard of these publications through our Club!

Amazon.de Tips for Non-German Speakers
Submitted by Elaine from AWCD

Your friends, family and traveling husband will be glad to know that you can order from amazon.de ... because then - they may no longer need to carry books over for you.

Amazon users in the U.S. (www.amazon.com) may not know that Amazon has online shopping for the UK, France and Germany, too! Also for Japan. Their Germany site is www.amazon.de but, unfortunately, especially for newcomers, it is in German (imagine that!) ... but it does have a pretty good section of English books (see the menu "English Book Store") and, if they don't have it in stock, you just have to wait two weeks for your books. For the following reasons, for your English book, video and CD needs, it may be worth your effort. Also, from the front page of their site (top right) you can click on "Hilfe" (Help) and then choose near the bottom of the page "Information for English-speaking customers - Basic Help & Translations"

But what about the German?
The following are some insider tips to help you with your amazon.de orders here:

• You can obtain just about any English book from amazon.de by using an ISBN number. One can browse and search for books on amazon.com (in English), and then order on amazon.de with the ISBN numbers.
• If you used amazon.com in the US, your same e-mail address, password, and account data (billing information and all your shipping addresses) will automatically transfer to your amazon.de check-out page (Note: If you did not use amazon.com when living in the US, you can still set your account up from that site).
• If you want to add payment by bank debit (Überweisung), German residents (including US and other citizens) with German bank accounts will need to go through the amazon.de site to add your German bank account information as another payment option. Your German address as a billing address and/or an additional shipping address can be added from those pages on amazon.com or amazon.de.

To drum up business in Germany, amazon.de currently is not charging shipping costs within Germany for orders over 20 Euro. You don't get the discounted prices you enjoy in the U.S. but you have no delivery costs. You don't need to wait longer than two weeks, and it sure beats mailing costs from the U.S. for international delivery orders made through amazon.com. And, of course, you pay no custom charges with amazon.de deliveries in Germany.

You can save on customs and your friends and family members in the States can save on delivery charges with their books and other Amazon gifts delivered to you here - if they order through amazon.de (using the above tips to get past the German). If someone has too many problems with the German, especially with the Euro, just order through amazon.uk.

For your gifts to them and U.S. deliveries, natürlich, you should order through amazon.com for those discounted prices and local delivery charges.

What is Atlantik-Brücke?

Founded in 1952, per http://www.atlantik-bruecke.org (in English or German), Atlantik Brücke e.V. is a small non-profit organization devoted to the transatlantic dialogue between Europe and North America and, in particular, between Germany and the United States. In addition, they publish books pertaining to German-American relations, i.e. These Strange German Ways, Meet United Germany, Off the Wall (a Wacky History of Germany Since 1989), German Holidays and Folk Customs, a Short History of German Places Names, Speaking Out: Jewish Voices From United Germany and America Within Us. Available in English and can be ordered directly from Atlantik-Brücke, which prefers orders by fax or e-mail and who are able to process orders, even in bulk, quickly. Their publications are also sometimes available in local bookstores especially These Strong German Way s recently re-printed with a new business section included, and adding why Germans are the way they are (this book is not negative like it may first sound, it's an entertaining way to learn about cultural differences and even includes some strange American ways). Atlantik-Brücke does not make a profit on its publications. Other contact info for Altantik-Brucke is Magnus-Haus, Am Kupfergraben 7, 10117 Berlin-Mitte, Germany; Tel. 030/20 39 83-0; Fax 030/20 39 83-20; e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

How to Find Rare Books in Germany
Submitted by Elaine from AWCD

For an upcoming family reunion in Texas, including German cousins coming over, I was determined to include as a fund-raising auction item a certain book ñ in German. Thought living in Germany, that would be easy Ö but it wasn't. First, I of course checked amazon.de. Not available. Then I spent months looking for it in our local bookstores. Not even available by special order. Out of print. Resorted to pestering long-time in Germany American, as well as German, friends for other shops or websites which sell rare books. No luck. But being one who never, ever gives up, I decided to see what "zShops" was on the amazon.de site (even though I have never checked it out, I have noticed it, and an Auction page, on amazon.com - now they have both on amazon.de, too). And, that is how I found my book! I went through the process, and was told (and a test of my German) that amazon.de would send out my request to specialty book firms. This one responded:

Antiquariat - Dr. Wolfgang Ruß
Mierendorffstr. 53, D-63225 Langen
Tel. 06103-74806; Fax 06103-923765
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

NOTE: He does not have his own website because all his books are easily available on different internet platforms including amazon.de. Also www.antbo.de and www.zvab.com - here you click "Antiquariatssuche" or "Antiquariate" and then enter his name. And, next, you'll get a list of many kinds of antiquarian books: rare books, first editions, signed editions, novels, children's books, travel/geography, history, etc. Most of the books are in the German language and, if someone is looking for a certain book and he does not have it, he offers to search for it through his network. And, for those who have not mastered the German language, he speaks (and writes) English!

Talk about customer service and in Germany! Upon receiving my request from amazon.de, Mr. Ruß quickly replied that he had the book, the price (not much, if any, over the suggested retail) and, with my address, he would immediately mail the book with an invoice (N.B. On amazon.com, the billing is done directly through your Amazon account information). After all my troubles, finding this special book still seemed too good to be true. But after a week had passed and I had not received the book, I thought I should follow-up. Again, a quick response Ö but an apology. There was a little mix-up. The bad news - his only copy of the book had been sold. Oh, no! The good news - he had already found the book elsewhere and was having the ca. $20-25+ book sent to me without charge! How many times does that happen to anyone in Germany? Also, the book's condition was perfect. If used, I certainly could not tell it (and neither will this lucky auction prize winner - certainly a first-time German visitor to Texas where their ancestors (and mine) immigrated over 150 years ago.

Want to know what book I was so adamant about getting - "Texas" by James Michener (a Pulitzer Prize winning writer). Of course! It tells the story of a proud people - many our relatives from Germany - eager to meet the challenge of the land, Texas. Published in 1985, if you have not read it, especially those Texans in our membership, you should! You can still find it in English on amazon.com. For mailing here, perhaps amazon.co.uk, too.

We have learned from amazon.de Auctions and Zshops department that they soon will have new options for buying used items over their website, AND that its instructions and the help sites will also be English! With all kinds of products including English books, German books, CDs, DVDs, the condition of the items is used if through zShops, and new if through their Auction section.

Another good site for used books in English is www.alibris.com for "books you thought you'd never find". They also deliver international but, for U.S. delivery, orders of at least $50 are sent postage-free.  Thanks to Liz for this info.