W H Allen wins Harald Jähner’s book on Weimar Germany

W H Allen has signed Vertigo: The Rise and Fall of Weimar Germany, the second book from Harald Jähner, translated from the German by Shaun Whiteside.

Commissioning editor Suzanne Connelly bought world English-language rights from Gertje Berger-Maaß at Rowohlt Verlag. Ebury sold US rights to Brian Distelberg at Basic Books, which will publish on 3rd September 2024.

Scheduled for UK publication on 20th June 2024, Vertigo will tell the story of the Weimar Republic and the changing face of German society after the First World War, charting political extremism, economic upheaval, revolutionary violence and the transformation of the country from 1918–1933. It will also explore how, in this short burst of life between the wars, amid a frenzy of change, a backlash emerged from those who did not see themselves reflected in the new republic.

W H Allen published Jähner’s first book Aftermath: Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich (also translated by Whiteside) in 2021. Aftermath was shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, the Cundill History Prize and the British Academy Book Prize.

Connelly said: “I’m delighted to be working with Harald and Shaun again on Vertigo. Aftermath was one of Ebury’s most successful history titles, and Harald once again brings history to life with his inimitable style and deep research in Vertigo. This is an electric, frightening, kaleidoscopic portrait of a pivotal moment in German history.”

Jähner commented: “Can we learn from history? We should, we have nothing else. At the very least we could learn what history is and, in the case of the Weimar Republic, what it can show us about human nature, how fascinating and dangerous dreams of a better world can be, and how fragile our current sense of togetherness is. We must never lose our curiosity to learn more about each other – especially about those most different from ourselves.”