Dear Reader,

One of the founding fathers of the PIAC, Prof. Walther Heissig (1913–2015), was not only a pioneer of Central Asian Studies in Germany, an outstanding scholar of Mongolian studies, and a prolific writer. He also maintained close and personal ties with many of the eminent Central Asian scholars of his time, among them György Kara, Herbert Franke and György Hazai, to name just a few.

As first Secretary General of the PIAC,  he also entertained communications, many of them with Denis Sinor. The letters also reflect the administrative burdens of organizing PIAC meetings, especially given the fact that travel (and obtaining permission to participate in conferences abroad) was by far not as convenient as today.

From Prof. Heissig’s estate, more than 70 letters and other documents relating to the early years of the PIAC, hitherto unpublished, are edited by H. Walravens as:

Briefwechsel mit György Kara, Herbert Franke, György Hazai und Alice Sárközi sowie aus den Anfängen der Altaistenkonferenz (PIAC) Katalog mongolischer Blockdrucke in London. Paperback, 220 pages. ISBN-13: 9783739218830. Publisher: Books on Demand, June 4th, 2019.