Popular legal literature (p.l.l.) is an interesting source for the history of marriage law. It can be used to show devel- opments of legal language, legal systematics and different lines of argumentation in legal practice. As far as legal documents are missing, it can serve as an alternative information source, indicating which legal problems occurred and how they were probably solved. On the other hand the wide-spread p.l.l. influenced practice: laypersons used examples, forms or wording of the p.l.l.. So the p.l.l. reflects reality – e.g. it shows that marriage was not always a romantic affair. In the 19 th century the p.l.l. concentrated on the problems of contraction of marriage in the premarital period (im- pediments, political consent); in the 20 th century the termination of marriage (judicial separation, divorce, post- matrimonial problems) was placed into the foreground. The lasting marriage was only touched (except effects on property).