Pamphlets, especially those of the early modern era, form an indispensable source for researchers in many disciplines. Herald of mass communication, the pamphlet was aimed at all layers of the population in the hope of influencing public opinion. Pamphlets reflect not only the political and social conflicts of the time, but also the struggle concerning religion and the church. In addition, they illuminate the otherwise so elusive attitudes and convictions as well as the hopes and fears of the common people. For studies of the development of languages pamphlets offer a unique basis for comparison, because many of them have survived in dozens of editions originating from different parts of the world and covering a considerable span of time. The woodcuts, used as a visual propaganda, provide a large area for research by art historians. Pamphlets thus constitute an important and often irreplaceable body of primary sources for historians, theologians, folklorists, and art historians, as well as scholars in the fields of linguistics and literature.
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