Bibliotheca gastronomica – Collection Walter Putz

The collector Walter Putz (1924-2015) from Baden-Baden donated his extensive Bibliotheca Gastronomica to the SLUB Dresden in 2005. It contains more than 4,000 objects, including numerous books, manuscripts, graphics, printed materials and correspondences on the subject of gastronomy and food culture.

Born in Silesia, Walter Putz worked for 50 years as a head waiter in the best hotels in Germany. In 1952, he began collecting literature on the cultural history of gastronomy. With his commitment, he made a great contribution to the preservation of culinary culture.

Walter Putz: A Life Full of Passion for Gastronomic Literature

Walter Putz revealed more about his life and the creation of the Bibliotheka gastronomica to the former Director General of the SLUB Prof. Dr. Thomas Bürger upon his donation in June 2005. You can read more about that in this interview.

The Bibliotheca gastronomica at a Glance

 

Volume 1 of the catalogue of the Bibliotheca Gastronomica lists over 4,000 prints in chronological order.

Volume 2 of the catalogue contains 36 manuscripts, 132 periodicals in 242 volumes. In addition to an index of authors and title beginnings, it also contains some photographic insights into the collector's library.

All printed materials are searchable in the SLUB catalog:

  • Putz.16 = Prints from the 16th century
  • Putz.17 = Prints from the 17th century
  • Putz.18 = Prints from the 18th century
  • Putz.19 = Prints from the 19th century
  • Putz.20 = Prints from the 20th century
  • Putz.21 = Prints from the 21st century

The Bibliotheca gastronomica also contains two incunabula, also known in German as "Wiegedrucke" (cradle books). Due to their rarity, these early prints are particularly valuable: