Rätselbücher - Entstehung und Entwicklung eines frühneuzeitlichen Buchtyps im deutschsprachigen Raum. Mit einer Bibliographie der Rätselbücher bis 1800

The first printed collection of riddles in German, the so-called »Straßburger Rätselbuch«, ran to 39 known editions covering a period of 280 years from 1510 to 1789. This makes it one of the most successful early modern books in German on a worldly subject. At a very early stage, the popularity of the riddles and joke questions contained in the collection spawned not only a spate of counter-publications but also various imitations. As a best-seller it initiated a whole new genre, the 'Rätselbuch'. To this day, its numerous representatives have handed down in written form a wide range of riddles frequently classified as 'folk riddles.'