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The German Genius: Europe's Third Renaissance, the Second Scientific Revolution and the Twentieth Century, by Peter Watson, (Simon & Schuster, £30/£9.99).

What the Germans did for us - this mighty tome is an impressive compilation of Germany's contributions to philosophy, theology, mathematics, archaeology, natural science and the arts since 1750. Watson argues convincingly that the intellectual and scientific foundations of our modern world were, in large part, shaped by Germans. Long before the ‘German Genius' went mad in the 1930s, it inspired Darwin by placing turth and creativity firmly inside the human mind.

Germania: A Personal History of Germans Ancient and Modern, by Simon Winder, (Picador, £18.99).

Winder, a self-confessed Germanophile, embarks on a highly rewarding journey through Germany's history from AD 9 to 1933. He takes the reader to crumbling churches and remote castles and muses over obscure artifacts in even more obscure museums.

The Politics of the New Germany, by Simon Green, Dan Hough and Alister Miskimmon, (Routledge, £23.99).

This is the most comprehensive and up-to-date textbook on contemporary German politics. Essential reading for anyone who wants to gain a deeper understanding of the legal, technical and democratic challenges German politicians face as they try and solve the crisis in the eurozone.

Europa braucht den Euro nicht, by Thilo Sarrazin, (DVA, £17.41).

The former Bundesbank executive Thilo Sarrazin relishes controversy. His argument that Germany would be better off outside the eurozone has caused a storm. German politicians and commentators remain loyal to the European idea. Will future generations find more truths in Sarrazin's pamphlet?

The Baader-Meinhof Complex, by Stefan Aust, (Vintage, £14.99).

For almost 30 years, between 1970 and 1998, the Red Army Faction waged war against the German state. Stefan Aust retells the fascinating story of a group of middle-class students around Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof whose indignation over the Vietnam War and sense of injustice at the capitalist system brought them to bomb department stores, kidnap industrialists and assassinate bankers.

DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Germany, (Penguin, £16.99).

When publishing pioneer Karl Baedeker came out with his first travel guides in the 1820s, he sought to introduce his readers to Land und Leute - the land and people. The authors of this guide have stuck to the principle. Region by region they explain the history, culture, food, regional dialects and political significance of Germany's 16 Länder.

Doctor Faustus: The Life of the German Composer Adrian Leverkühn as Told by a Friend, by Thomas Mann, (Vintage, £10.99).

In Mann's treatment of the old German Faust legend, Serenus Zeitblom tells the story of his friend, a gifted composer, whose desire to achieve true greatness drives him to enter a demonic pact: Leverkühn is promised true musical genius in return for his soul. Zeitblom is left to describe Leverkühn's descent into syphilis-induced madness. In parallel with this, Zeitblom describes the rise of the Nazis and predicts Germany's downfall at the hands of Hitler.