Můj král trpaslíků aneb cverkologie - první česká vědecká nauka o trpaslících – Haškovcová Helena (2011)

This witty book presents evidence of the closeness of dwarfs and their everyday presence in our culture. With considerable expertise and systematic dedication, Helena Haškovcová examines the dwarf phenomenon from a range of perspectives, including aesthetics and art history, cultural history, ethnology and ethics, ecology and economics, and healthcare. In this respect, the work has every chance of becoming the cornerstone of a new academic discipline, for which the author has proposed the Czech name cverkology. We all know them: small and smaller dwarfs, but always smiling. Admirers traditionally choose dignified places for them in their gardens, while those living in flats turn to space-saving indoor, hall or balcony dwarfs. People confined to a single room and struggling with a lack of space have even welcomed modern wall-mounted dwarfs. Even those who have succumbed to myths about their outrageous tackiness cannot overlook them, especially when travelling abroad, as the number of dwarfs lining the roads rises inexorably near the border. The market dwarf, however, is a peculiar and generally reprehensible variant of the noble dwarf species. The author openly admits her affection for dwarfs and describes her long-standing effort to discover where these little men came from, what role they played in the past and what their role is today. She shares what she has learned about how dwarfs live, what they eat, whether they have wives or at least girlfriends, how they reproduce, what illnesses afflict them and how they relate to people, while distinguishing verified data from fictional theories and personal observations. The contents are in Czech.