new releases
The Heidelberg Academy of Sciences publishes various scientific book series and monographs, many of which draw on a long tradition of research and publication. The topics covered are as diverse as the research conducted at the Academy itself. The new publications presented on this page include various publication formats:
Publications from research projects in the Academies' Program (internal link)
Publications of the state projects
Volumes from the Heidelberg Academic Library
Writings of the Philosophy and History Section of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences
Publications from WIN conferences (internal link) (formerly Academy conferences)
2025
Silicon isn't everything. On the material problems of modern electronics.
Albrecht Winnacker
Heidelberg Academic Library
Stuttgart, Alfred Kröner Verlag, 2025
Silicon Valley is the birthplace and location of major technology companies such as Apple, Google, and INTEL, while silicon technology is the basis for major technical innovations, including artificial intelligence, based on the spectacular development of chips; people even talk about the "silicon age." However, this one-sided emphasis on an electronic material does not do justice to the technical reality. Although electronic silicon is the material basis for key technologies of our time, it is becoming apparent that silicon-based electronics are by no means superior to other solutions in technological fields such as e-mobility, photovoltaics, or high-frequency communication technology; in fact, they are completely unsuitable for important applications such as the generation of light for illumination or optical data transmission.
This booklet explores the problems of electronic materials in today's technology under the motto: "Silicon is not everything!" (Publisher's text)
Caesarius of Heisterbach: Libri VIII miraculorum – The "Eight Books of Miracles." Evaluation, edition, translation, and commentary.
Julia Burkhardt (ed.), Isabel Kimpel (ed.)
Heidelberg, Heidelberg University Publishing, 2025
The Cistercian monk Caesarius of Heisterbach (c. 1180–1240) is one of the best-known authors of the Middle Ages. His "Eight Books of Miracles" (Libri VIII miraculorum) are a collection of material for instruction, edification, and deterrence: stories about saints and demons, about people and animals, about small miracles and great misfortunes. In his stories, Caesarius takes his audience on a journey that leads from the Rhineland to the Baltic States and Jerusalem. The result is a multifaceted panorama of political, social, and religious developments in the 13th century.
The new edition of the "Eight Books of Miracles" offers an annotated version of the Latin text, the first German translation, and an evaluation of the work and its manuscript tradition. (Publisher's text)
Why read old texts? Reading as collaboration on the text.
Michael Erler
Heidelberg Academic Library
Stuttgart, Alfred Kröner Verlag, 2025
Anyone who deals with ancient texts will probably have been confronted with the question of the relevance of such reading at some point. Modern philology has given this a great deal of thought. Here, we should remember that this was already the case in antiquity, and how it happened. The reason for this is recent evidence from the context of Epicurean philosophy, in which a philological engagement with texts is linked to the requirement to consider not only the text itself but also the relevance of the reading for the recipients. This attitude will irritate modern philologists. One may be inclined to regard it as another peculiarity of the Epicurean school. On closer inspection, however, it proves to be a facet of ancient reading culture that can be traced back to the imperial period and whose characteristics are already discussed in part by Plato. This 'active' way of reading also deserves attention because structural elements of ancient texts apparently appeal to this reading attitude and take on a profile with regard to it. By presupposing and reflecting on the reader's responsibility for the constitution and interpretation of texts, it provides a historical background for modern positions ('birth of the reader') and may also contribute to the modern debate on utility. (Publisher's text)
Images, Gestures, Voices, Lives.
What can we learn from Paleolithic art?
Miriam Noël Haidle, Nicholas J. Conard, Sibylle Wolf, Martin Porr (eds.)
Heidelberg, Heidelberg University Publishing, 2025
The concept of "Paleolithic art" and its study have changed significantly in recent decades. The modern concept of "art" is cross-cultural and diachronically problematic. The phenomenon cannot be reduced to material visual culture, but also has acoustic, haptic, and other dynamic aspects. It must be understood as a diversity of processes that can encompass both the everyday and the extraordinary. In this volume, archaeologists, philosophers, and anthropologists approach "Paleolithic art" from different angles, including its conceptualization, aesthetics, relationships to art history and art brut. The contributions address the challenge of materiality, evolutionary aspects, physical reenactment by actors and digital technologies as a means of interpreting art objects, and the protection of cultural heritage. The volume offers innovative insights into past practices and contemporary ideas and approaches related to Paleolithic art, based on careful empirical research combined with reflective and sophisticated theoretical approaches.