Beschreibung:

GOETHE, Johann Wolfgang von (1749-1832). Faust. Ein Fragment. Ächte Ausgabe. Leipzig: Georg Joachim Göschen, 1790. 8 o (150 x 90 mm). Collation: (r title, verso blank), A-K 8 L 4 (text). Various stocks of laid paper, watermarked and unwatermarked. Gothic type. (Some foxing.) Contemporary German mauve boards, gilt spine with orange label (binding very slightly rubbed); folding cloth case. Provenance : David Friedlaender (1750-1834), leader of Berlin's Jewish community and ardent proponent of emancipation: etched bookplate by Daniel Chodowiecki -- Prof. H. Albrecht, Rheinfelden: Stargardt/Erasmushaus, 10 May 1991, lot 339 (to Quaritch). FIRST EDITION, separate issue, of arguably the greatest work of European literature since Dante and Shakespeare. FINE ASSOCATION COPY from the library of an influential Jewish figure of the Aufklärung , who is mentioned in Goethe's correspondence. By 1773 Goethe had begun to write his play on the popular theme of Faust. In its earliest form it was copied ca. 1776 by Luise von Göchhausen and only rediscovered and published by Erich Schmidt in 1887, now generally known as the Urfaust . During and after the Italian journey (1786-88), Goethe took Faust up again, added scenes, turned some prose into verse, and published the result in 1790 as Faust. Ein Fragment , in volume 7 of his Schriften (see lot 305). The early sheets showing an early, uncorrected state of the setting were issued separately, with a letterpress title taking the place of the engraved frontispiece and vignette-title in the Schriften . The Friedlaender copy has the misprints uncorrected and only sheet D carries the identification of the volume number in the collected works. Deneke, Die Einzeldrucke Goethescher Werke bei Göschen 1787-1790 ; Hagen 204; Kippenberg I-2377; Wilpert/Gühring 39.