🔎︎ Plattmakers Black is a directory of (almost) the entire Low German literature (books and authors). In terms of time, this includes the time since the advent of book printing in the 15th century through the time of Fritz Reuter and Klaus Groth in the 19th century to the present. In addition to books, many CDs, records, cassettes, plays, e-books and other media are also included.
In terms of geography, the directory includes all forms of Low German/Low Saxon from Denmark to Eichsfeld and Northern Hesse and from former East Prussia and Memelland to Westphalia and the east of the Netherlands (Nedersaksisch in Groningen, Drenthe, Overijssel and Gelderland). Within today's Germany the regions of Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Hamburg, Bremen, Lower Saxony, Westphalia and the northern parts of Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg. This also includes the dialects on other continents (such as Plautdietsch and Pomerano). The dialects on the Lower Rhine and in the Bergisches Land are excluded.
The directory includes works that are in Low German as well as works in other languages, provided they are translations of Low German works or deal with the Low German language or Low German authors. The works in Low German make about 90% of the total.
What's in the directory?
For the authors (as far as information was available) life dates, portraits and biographical information are given. Where possible, the entries are linked to entries in reference works (such as the German National Library or Wikipedia). The publications are listed for each author. A 🗺 Map is available listing all the authors, for whom we can identify by their biographical information a location. This map lists authors worldwide. This makes it easy to answer the question: "Which authors actually wrote Low German in my region?".
For books title, publisher, authors, illustrations of the cover and page numbers can be found. Wherever possible, the publisher's promotional text on the content is provided. Many books are categorized by subject and region. In the case of works that are commercially available, there is a link to the web shop. Amazon and Plattschapp.de are currently supported here. Plattmakers Black can also be used if you want to buy a Low German book. We offer a 🛒 Buy Search that only lists books that are available.