In the context of the German literary tradition's fall from grace in the US due to World War I, Sammons (emeritus, German literature, Yale U.) presents a major monograph on the origins and contents of the 20 volumes of The German Classics (1913- 1915) by noted American Germanist Francke. Beginning with the volumes on Goethe and Shiller, he discusses works in the movements of Romanticism, the Restoration, realism, and emerging modernism; and their intellectual-political context. The volume includes a reprint of a 1914 New York Times notice on this first translation into English of The German Classics, and notes on sources. Lastly, Sammons comments on why he is not optimistic about the classic work expanding awareness of the German literary tradition beyond specialist study. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)