Getting started

So I guess I could say I am getting started right after my new beginning. First, let me tell you which book I am reading at the moment. It is the 1982 dissertation of Dr. Erwin Bettenhäuser (1911). He received his Mainz University promotion when he was 71. This does encourage me. I hope to get my PhD before my 71st birthday though.

His dissertation is on the Landgrafschaft Hessen-Kassel auf dem Westfälischen Friedenskongress 1644-1648 (The Landgraviate of Hessen-Cassel at the Congress of Westphalen (aka Congress of Münster in the Netherlands) . I have to admit this book was on my wishlist because of the fact that someone who bears the same familyname as I do (though I am not a direct descendant) was on the hessian-cassel delegation during this Congress. At the same time, I am very much interested in the history of my native (historic-)country, Hessen-Cassel so I guess this is a good book for me to pick up where I left of sometime ago.

For those of you who do not know what I am talking about:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Westphalia

So at the moment I have this problem that the part of history I am most interested in, played quite a distance from where I live today. This means that should I need anything more then just literature, I will either have to travel quite some distance (costs) or have the sources scanned and send to me, which will not be much cheaper I guess......bummer, but still 2-3 more years to go before I start on my BA....