Review

The history of Danish Catholicism has yet to be written, but Helge Clausen’s work on the history of Catholic literature and libraries in Denmark, a moving account written in a matter-of-fact style, tells at least part of the story. In his thesis Clausen is eager to examine the importance of the role played by literature in the Catholic Church’s strategy to convert Danes to Catholicism, 1536– 1962, and particularly to analyze how effective this activity proved from the 1880s onwards. His work provides a detailed insight into the difficult circumstances in which these libraries existed in Denmark during the period in question and in doing so tackles a subject new to most Danes. The reviewer’s own education focussed exclusively on a Protestant reading of Danish history, and Clausen’s work is a timely reminder that a parallel Catholic history of both Danish libraries and Danish culture exists.