Anselm's SCD Books
Here are the books of dances I have published so far (some other dances that haven't made it into a book yet are here):
The Mainhattan Book
This book came out in 1994, and it is in many respects an “early work”. However, I'm glad that some of the dances from it come up on the German social dance circuit every so often, and that Dagmar's Fancy apparently remains popular in the London (UK) area. Frankly some of the other dances in the book are duds.
The book itself was produced in an era where PDF wasn't widespread (I don't seem to remember whether it had actually been invented yet), and there are various other considerations that prevent me from offering a good PDF copy. You can, however, download a crummy PDF copy.
See here for a list of dances in the book. This book is still available on paper (see below).
Dancing at the Mill
The dances in this book, published in 2001, were inspired by people and events around the Proitzer Mühle (Mill of Proitze), a wonderful place to go for Scottish dance workshops and similar events in the north of Germany (between Uelzen and Salzwedel, or Hannover, Hamburg, and Berlin on a large-scale map).
The book contains instructions for the dances and music for their suggested tunes. Most tunes have been specially composed for this book, but some traditional tunes are also included.
See here for a list of dances in the book. The book itself is only available as a PDF download.
Nine Weddings (And No Funeral)
This book contains a number of dances which I wrote to celebrate the weddings of various friends from the German SCD scene. It first appeared in 2008, and even though – more than a decade later – some of the marriages in question are no longer going concerns, these dances won't be going anywhere.
The book contains instructions for the dances and music for their suggested tunes. Most tunes have been specially composed for this book, but some traditional tunes are also included. The book also contains a bunch of waltzes that are unconnected to any of the dances but have, for the most part, also been written for and played at SCD weddings.
See here for a list of dances in the book. This book is still available on paper (see below).
The November Knot
This book, published in February 2024, offers a small collection of dances I wrote for a teachers' workshop in November, 2009, and then completely forgot about until a serendipitous re-discovery in late 2023. It adds a number of other dances I made up to teach specific formations in my regular class in Frankfurt and at workshops elsewhere. The book is published in the hope that it may come in useful to SCD teachers elsewhere.
This book contains dance descriptions and suggestions for tunes and recordings but no sheet music. All the suggested tunes are either traditional or – in two instances – have been written by me (and are available from the tunes page on this site), and I'm contemplating a “musical companion” book with sets of tunes for the dances, so, as they say, “stay tuned”.
See here for a list of dances in the book. The book itself is only available as a PDF download.
Download the book (PDF) in a special version suitable for duplex printing on A4 stock and folding as a booklet
Paper Copies
Generally I'm fine with people photocopying my books for non-profit purposes (especially given that they could just download PDF files and print them), but if you would like a “proper” printed paper copy these are available from me at reasonable prices. The Mainhattan Book, which is a 20-page A5-size booklet, is €3, while Nine Weddings, which is a 24-page A4-size booklet, is €5. I often have copies on me when I come to balls or workshops, and I'm happy to send copies by mail (P&P: €2 in Germany, €4 for European air mail). They have also occasionally been seen in the RSCDS book shop at Summer School in St Andrews.
Payment: If you're in the SEPA, ask me for my IBAN and BIC. If you live abroad, we can probably arrange something (like PayPal) but I would be happy to swap you for a dance book from your area.