Rochows mange børnevenner: En undersøgelse af de danske Rochow-versioners tilblivelse, udformning og udbredelse

As a genre, the student reader emerged on the Danish market for didactic literature in the second half of the 18th century. The German work Der Kinderfreund by F.E. von Rochow was adapted into Danish versions several times between 1777 and 1818, and is perceived as a classic in Danish rural schools of this period. The author analyses the Danish versions of Rochow in order to examine their differences with regard to content and format, and discusses possible reasons for these differences. The analysis shows that even though most of the versions are described and perceived as translations, the texts usually underwent comprehensive redactions in the process of adaptation into Danish. Furthermore, the findings indicate that the individual situations and opportunities of the agents engaged in the formation of the Danish versions had a significant impact on both the outcome and the success of these versions in terms of their distribution.