Description
1959 edition includes blue cardboard slipcase. Slipcase has some moderate wear and small tears along the edges and bottom of slipcase is coming loose. Hardcover itself is in good condition with some minor wear along the sides, scuffs and marks. No dust jacket. Spine has some wear on the top and bottom. Pages are clean and the binding is secure.
This 1959 edition of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s seminal Bildungsroman, “Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship,” offers a unique opportunity for collectors and readers alike. Translated by the renowned Scottish essayist Thomas Carlyle, whose admiration for Goethe’s work played a pivotal role in introducing the German literary giant to English-speaking audiences, this volume presents a fresh perspective on a novel that profoundly influenced the development of the modern novel.
Goethe’s masterpiece, first published in 1795-96, follows the spiritual and artistic awakening of its titular protagonist, Wilhelm Meister, as he abandons his bourgeois life to join a traveling theater troupe. Widely regarded as one of the first examples of the Bildungsroman genre, which traces the psychological and moral growth of its central character, “Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship” is a rich tapestry of philosophical musings, artistic discourse, and social commentary that reflects the intellectual ferment of the Age of Enlightenment.
This edition is further enriched by the inclusion of Franz Schoenberner’s insightful introduction, which contextualizes the novel within the broader currents of European thought and literature, and the evocative illustrations by William Sharp, which capture the essence of Goethe’s characters and their world.
