Dietmar Kuegler

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Dietmar Kuegler
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Dietmar Kuegler (born June 4, 1951 in Dolberg ) is a German publicist and publisher .

Life

He describes how as a child he first came into friendly contact with American soldiers who aroused his interest in this country. After reading the Karl May stories, he made the decision to study the history of the United States more intensively . This became a life's work. After almost 40 years of journalistic work, an article in Neues Deutschland on July 31, 2008 named him “probably the best living German expert on the history of the North American pioneering days”.

Western and adventure novel author

After completing his journalistic training, Kuegler dared to take the plunge into self-employment at the age of 20. When he was offered an offer from the lecturer for western novels at Erich Pabel Verlag, Werner Dietsch - son of the once legendary founder of Dietsch Verlag from Leipzig - he began to write western novels. Under the pseudonyms "John Gray / Gray" and "John Gilmoor" he was immediately successful and at the age of 21 he became chief author of the then most successful German western series Ronco . This was followed by series of novels such as Lobo , the first German long-haul truck series, 320 hp Jim and Trucker King . He also worked as an author for children and young people and wrote the book Loni und Toni under the pseudonym "Stephan Hamberg" , the multi-volume book series Edgar Wallace solves the riddle as "John Gilmoor" , and the "Golden Series" with biographies of famous explorers such as Marco Polo, Columbus and Francis Drake (all KIBU-Verlag).

Kuegler's main interest, however, was the presentation of the history of the American pioneering days as the key to understanding the "American way of life". He started with information pages in the various Western novel series that he directed or was involved in and eventually wrote specialist articles for almost all relevant magazines: "Western Journal", "Country & Western" etc.

At 23 he wrote the first non-fiction book for the "Motorbuch-Verlag" (Stuttgart) under the title They died in the boots - gunslingers of the Wild West . This book has been offered in various editions for nearly 30 years. This was followed by titles such as The Sheriff - Law and Justice in the Wild West , The US Cavalry - History of an Elite Unit , The Texas Rangers , The Germans in America .

In 1982 he took over the management and publishing of the “Magazin für Americanistik - Zeitschrift für American Geschichte” from the Graff bookstore in Braunschweig, a quarterly magazine that had previously been neglected. With that he finally withdrew from the novel business.

Connoisseur of American history

Kuegler won academic authors not only from Germany, but also from Canada , England and the USA. In 1983 he founded the “Verlag für Americanistik” in Wyk auf Föhr (Schleswig-Holstein) and began to publish scientific works on American history and ethnology . The first publication was the dissertation of an Austrian ethnologist, Schöppl v. Sonnwalden: Indian warfare in the plains and eastern forest areas of North America . The program was expanded rapidly. The focus was on: North American Indians , Pioneering History , American Civil War . With the English ethnologist Colin F. Taylor as regular author, the publishing program acquired an international dimension. Taylor's books are bilingual (English / German). From now on, the production was also observed in the English-speaking countries. A collaboration with the " British Museum " on the publication of the hitherto little known work by the American artist George Catlin on the O-kee-pa ceremony of the Mandan Indians ("Catlin's O-kee-pa") paved the way for more international cooperation. Kuegler worked as a publisher with the Colorado Historical Society ( The Dog Soldiers of the Cheyenne , Faustrecht in Colorado and others) and founded the publishing company "Tatanka Press" for the publication of books in English only. The most important publications of the "Tatanka Press" meanwhile include the two-volume commemorative publication in honor of the late Smithsonian ethnologist John Ewers People of the Buffalo ( ISBN 3-89510-102-8 ), the investigation into the murder of the important Lakota leader Sitting Bull ( sitting Bull's Pipe ISBN 3-89510-111-7 ) from the pen of Cherokee - anthropologists . Kenneth Tankersley and the Deputy Director of " Buffalo Bill Historical Center" in Cody ( Wyoming ), Robert Pickering, and the Canadian by scientists Arni Brownstone (Royal Ontario Museum) and Hugh Dempsey published a memorial for the late Colin Taylor, "Generous Man - Ahxi-tapina". In addition to his publishing work, Kuegler wrote a total of more than 50 books as a specialist author on the various topics of the American pioneering days, for example on the history of the fur trade ( Freedom in the wilderness , Seeks my heart in the prairie ) or the criminal history of the USA ("The Northfield Raid 1876 ​​"), as well as several successful travel guides through the American West ( On old trails to the West , Western legends , ghost towns in the American West ). As a translator, he translated the books by Colin Taylor and others into German, including: Hoka Hey. From scalps to coups. The Horse in Plains Indian Warfare ( ISBN 3-89510-075-7 ), Yupika. Plains Indian Women's Clothing ( ISBN 3-89510-052-8 ), Minnesota Riot ( ISBN 3-89510-104-4 ).

For years he wrote reports about the American pioneering days for the “Deutsche Waffen-Journal” and works for the military science magazine “Pallasch” (Salzburg / Austria) and the historical magazine “Ära”.

Since 2002 he has been giving lectures to museums and institutions (America Society Schleswig-Holstein, Karl May Museum Radebeul, Überseemuseum Bremen, IHK Hagen). In the United States, he spoke to the Historical Society of Northfield (Minnesota) and the Colorado Historical Society. He participated in numerous television and radio programs on American history, including advising a Terra-X production on Indians.

International recognition

About 100 of Kuegler's western and trucker novels have been translated into European languages ​​(Dutch, Flemish, French, Finnish, Spanish, etc.). 40 of his specialist articles on the history of American settlement for the Deutsche-Waffen-Journal were published in France. In the USA his work was printed in "Western Pennsylvania History". He is a regular author of the "Journal" of the Wild West History Association, one of the largest organizations for researching and documenting pioneering history in the United States. Because of his contributions to the spread of US pioneering history in Europe, Kuegler was honored with the Lost Spur by the city of Northfield (Minnesota) and was the only non-American admitted to the James Younger Gang for life with the right to attend the Performance of the historic bank robbery from 1876 at the original location. The Rice County ( Minnesota ) Sheriff named him Special Deputy . The US National Park Service honored him at the big living history rendezvous in "Bent's Old Fort" Colorado on his 65th birthday as chief trader .

Works

  • I'm moving with the eagles - Kit Carson. American hero. American Studies, 2016. ISBN 978-3-89510-140-3 .
  • Reenactment - Lively interpretation of history using the example of the annual rendezvous in Bent's Old Fort, Colorado. American Studies, 2015. ISBN 978-3-89510-133-5 .
Kuegler as Chief Trader at Bent's Old Fort, Colorado.
  • Soldiers - American Military History from 1754-1916. Österreichischer Milizverlag, Salzburg, 2015.
  • The U.S. cavalry. Legend and reality of an elite military unit. Motorbuch-Verlag, 1979, ISBN 3-87943-626-6 .
  • The sheriff. Law and Law in the Wild West. Motorbuch-Verlag, 1977, ISBN 3-8112-1186-2 .
  • The German troops in the American War of Independence. Motorbuch-Verlag, 1981, ISBN 3-87943-738-6 .
  • The Germans in America. Motorbuch-Verlag, 1983, ISBN 3-87943-946-X .
  • The Lord of the Great Forests. An adventure in the wild west. Verlag Die Blaue Giraffe, 1983, ISBN 3-536-01583-2 .
  • Go to Manitou's sources. An adventure in the wild west. Engelbert Verlag, Balve 1984, ISBN 3-536-01674-X .
  • The Texas Rangers. Motorbuch-Verlag, 1984, ISBN 3-613-01003-8 .
  • At the hands of the Khan. Marco Polo, 1986, ISBN 3-88101-738-0 .
  • The duel. Duel for honor. Motorbuch Verlag, 1986, ISBN 3-613-01108-5 .
  • Pecos. The way of the cowboys. 1986, ISBN 3-88101-722-4 .
  • The Southern Army in the American Civil War. 1987.
  • The Northern Virginia Army. 1988.
  • The Battle of Gettysburg. 1988.
  • General Robert E. Lee, Military Biography. 1988, ISBN 3-924696-23-3 .
  • The Equestrian Battle of Brandy Station. 1988, ISBN 3-924696-28-4 .
  • General US Grant. Military biography. 1990, ISBN 3-924696-47-0 .
  • The Potomac Army. 1991.
  • Car westwards ... - Vehicles of the pioneers. American Studies , 1991, ISBN 3-924696-56-X .
  • with Günter Schmitt: Western Museum. Firearms of the American pioneering days. Motorbuch Verlag, 1995, ISBN 3-87943-501-4 .
  • On the battlefield. 1996.
  • Pony Express. American Studies, 1997, ISBN 3-89510-044-7 .
  • Find my heart on the prairie - Jim Bridger, Mountain Man. 1998, ISBN 3-89510-060-9 .
  • Bison hunting. History of near extinction. American Studies , 1999, ISBN 3-924696-50-0 .
  • Freedom in the wild. Trappers, mountain men, fur traders. The American fur trade. American Studies , 1999, ISBN 3-924696-33-0 .
  • On old trails to the west - a history travel book to the American pioneering days. 1999, ISBN 3-89510-068-4 .
  • They died in their boots. Gunslingers of the Wild West. Gondrom Verlag, 2001, ISBN 3-8112-1250-8 .
  • Western legends. 2001, ISBN 3-89510-080-3 .
  • Jack Hays, Texas ranger. American Studies, 2001, ISBN 3-89510-078-1 .
  • Jim Bowie. The Texas Lion. American Studies, 2002, ISBN 3-89510-086-2 .
  • Living History in the American West. 2003, ISBN 3-89510-090-0 .
  • Ghost towns in the American west. 2004.
  • The Northfield Raid 1876. 2005, ISBN 3-89510-098-6 .
  • Western trails. History travel book to the American pioneering days. Volume 3, 2006, ISBN 3-89510-112-5 .
  • Gun smoke and stars and stripes - America conquers the west. 2008, ISBN 978-3-89510-117-5 .
  • Wagon Lane West - The Adventure of Settling North America. 2012, ISBN 978-3-89510-130-4 .
  • Trucker King (booklet series), approx. 10 booklets as Steve Cooper
  • I move with the eagles - Kit Carson - An American hero. Publisher for American Studies, Wyk auf Foehr 2016, ISBN 978-3-89510-140-3 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Kuegler, Dietmar
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German publicist and publisher
DATE OF BIRTH June 4th 1951
PLACE OF BIRTH Dolberg