Description

Dortmund: Heinz Scholz, 1946–1948. 350 by 165mm (13¾ by 6½ inches). Quarter cloth black boards; 187 pp. (numbered 65–252) completely filled manuscript diary of almost daily entries. Heinz Scholz (born 1930) was a German Chemist. The first 10 pp. entirely written in Morse code (August 1 to September 5, 1946), the following 19 pages continue with partial Morse Code entries (the last Morse Code entry is from November 24, 1946). The remaining entries are in shorthand. Only individual sentences and poems are written in normal handwriting. A section of the diary addresses the Nuremberg trials and the prison sentences received, so the content is both personal and political. The diary is exceedingly neat and every day he recorded the weather in a bar graph above the daily entry. In addition, the diary contains a few drawings, dance-cards, report cards, photographs and various other ephemera. We note that one of the inserts includes the author’s “code” to decipher Morse Code. In German. Very good with wear to covers.

What to do with a diary written in Morse Code and shorthand? Well, it’s so exceedingly neat that the book is an art object unto itself. Perhaps you are interested in the daily weather patterns of Dortmund, Germany from 1946–1948. Aside from the artistic qualities and weather record you may wish to develop an app to read Morse Code or shorthand.

What does the diary say? Aside from minimal entries (including the entry on October 1, 1946 detailing who was condemned to die at the Nuremberg Trials) we don’t know. The mystery of the Morse Code diary remains for you to unlock it.

Price: $295

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