Luke Knapke did not include this text (102 pages) into his book. The text is supposed to have been produced for $188 in 1844 by order of the government; according to 'Liwwät' it was designed to be used in German classes at schools in Ohio. Further details are given in poor, 'English-style' German: "Diese Lexionen geschrieben, um dem Ortsgericht für Schulen, den Staatenhaus, Columbus, Ohio zu verbessern, Fehler und Irrtümer Sache des Textkritikens, zum besser werden – und sich besseren Zustände die Hochdeutsches Sprechende Katolischeren Kinder und Schulenlehrer(in). Das Papier und Tinte waren versorgen der Staat. Ich war bezahlt für drei verschiedene Abschriften, d.h. Kopie und Abschreibegebühren und Abdruckt. Summa $ 188.00." The educational introduction is also written in poor, English-style German: "Geschichte der Christof Columbus für Schule Kindern zur anhören erst bei dem Lehrer(in) zu lesen – und dann – wieder über verstellen, langsamlich mit die Kinder. 10-zehn Monaten jeden Wochen für die leste Klasse."

This text in very poor German is followed by the 102-page schoolbook text written in excellent German in "her" handwriting: „Daß Christoph Columbus vor 300 Jahren Amerika entdeckt hat, wissen meine jungen Freunde.Trotzdem ist seine kühne That von solcher Bedeutung, daß sie in einem Buche über Amerika nicht übergangen werden darf..." [That Christoph Columbus discovered America 300 years ago is not new to my young friends. Nevertheless his bold deed is of such importance that it must not be passed over in a book about America ...].

"In a book about America....," i.e. a copied excerpt from a book about America, not a text on Columbus for the Ohio government. The passages written in very poor German and those written in excellent German do not go together at all.

Presumably the author of the text converted 30 (Portuguese) crowns into "468 marks" – "at the time – in 1492 – worth perhaps 10 times as much" (on p. 22 of the manuscript). In the Northwest German region where Liwwät Böke came from the currency used in the period 1830-40, when the text is supposed to have been written, was Groschen and Grote, Talers (Taler) and Guilders (Gulden), Louisdor and Pistols (Pistole) but not (until 1873) marks. And it is absolutely unlikely that the author of a text for a schoolbook to be used in the USA would expect German-American pupils to be satisfied with a conversion into Marks (only) but would also have converted the amount in question into US $, and Meter (m) into yards (yd) and Kilometer (km) into mile.

This writing is copied out of the well known biography written by Washington Irving and translated into German and published in 1828 in Frankfurt. The text must have been published about 1900 in a book for the young.(12a)

This drawing is a copy. It was very well known in the 19^th and 20^th century, printed very often in textbooks and in books for the young. Columbus had written a report of his voyage to the treasurer of the King of Spain. In 1493 this report was printed in Barcelona, and in Latin in Rome, Antwerp, Paris and Basel. The Basel edition includes this wood engraving (page 15).(12b)

“Liwwät’s” writing and “her” drawing are forged and plagiarized.

"Liwwät Böke's" drawing

Columbus: Epistola de insulis nuper inventis. In: Carolus Verardus: Historia Baetica (1494)