V. THE IMPORTANT LUTHER BIOGRAPHIES
Biographies of Luther based upon all this material we do not possess at this time. As a matter of fact a whole series of Luther biographies has appeared since 1883. Eminently fitted for popular use are those of G. Freytag, Plitt-Petersen, Koestlin, Burk, Lenz, Rade, Buchwald, Stein, Dose, Dorneth, Wackernagel, Græbner, Jacobs, McGiffert, Smith, Preuss, Reu, and Singmaster.101 Among these Stein, Dose, Dorneth, Wackernagel, Preuss, Reu, and Singmaster are completely pitched in a popular key, whereas the others seek to fulfill scientific demands more or less. Among the German biographies the book of Lenz ranks very high. Only a relatively small book, it does not make the reader acquainted with the details in the life of the Reformer, for it was originally written under the commission of the Berlin Council to be distributed among school pupils, but it takes its contents from the whole and portrays the great moments of developments in wonderful fashion. Of similar character is the short biography of Preuss, the jubilee (1917) gift of the "Allgemeine Luth. Konferenz" for the German people. Larger and, on the whole, very good is the book of Plitt, which Petersen edited upon Plitt's death. Among the English biographies the one of Smith will have to be mentioned in the first place, although he did not always succeed in being just to Luther in his representation. Reu-Rausch is written for the Young People's Societies; the richly illustrated edition is for the Christian home in general. Excellent, but incomplete, is the latest biography of Luther from the pen of Jacobs, which appeared in the first part of the Lutheran Survey. Here also Bezzel's
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