Knaurs Konversations Lexikon

Accession Number: NEKHC:2015.21

Object: Book

Physical Description: Hardback book with beige fabric cover. Red embossing on cover. Ex libris affixed inside front cover, glued in. Complete.

Information: This book forms part of the Dorothy Fleming Collection. The book belonged to Dorothy's parents, Erich and Hanna, and has an ex libris in the inside cover illustrating Erich Oppenheimer's life.

Further Information

This book forms part of the Dorothy Fleming Collection. The book is the Knaurs Konversations Lexikon, akin to a concentrated encyclopedia, which people would go to for information. This copy belonged to Dorothy’s parents, Erich and Hanna. In the front cover of this book, like many of their books, Erich included the ex libris which he had designed himself. The ex libris is a book plate which includes the name of the book’s owner, in this case Erich Oppenheimer, which he had designed to reflect his life. Erich was a skilled artist and used the plate to share his life to that point. His Jewish story was represented in the Star of David, which also contains his story as a Freemason, the tragic and the comic muses demonstrate drama, and his love for music and books. The shield represents his interest in heritage and family, and the letters represent his love of fables and stories. Erich also enjoyed water and snow sports, shown by the water above his name and the skis at the top of the image. The glasses demonstrate Erich’s profession, as he was an optician in Vienna, Austria. Dorothy was the first born of Erich and Hanna’s two daughters. As the family were in increasing danger from the rise of Nazism and the persecution of Jewish people, Dorothy and her sister were sent by their parents to England on the Kindertransport in January 1939. After the girls had left Dorothy’s father, Erich, who had been an optician in Vienna was able to secure a permit to come to England through the help of a friend.

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