Der Tod in Venedig.: Novelle.
by MANN, Thomas
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
London, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Berlin: S. Fischer,, 1913. Like any lover, he desired to please; suffered agonies at the thought of failure First trade edition, first printing, one of only 1,000 copies only, of Mann's celebrated Venetian novella. Widely recognized as "one of the undisputed classics of contemporary European literature" and a "paradigmatic master-text of homosexual eroticism" (Adair, p. 14 and 93), Der Tod in Venedig is rooted in the author's personal experience. The inspiration came to Mann during a vacation in Venice in the summer of 1911. While staying at the Grand Hôtel des Bains on the Lido, the author was captivated by the beauty of a 10-year-old Polish boy, W adys aw (W adzio) Moes, and then used him as the model for the protagonist Tadzio. Begun in July 1911, the work took a year to complete. Mann later admitted: "Nothing is invented in Death in Venice. The 'pilgrim' at the North, the dreary Pola boat, the grey-haired rake, the sinister gondolier, Tadzio and his family, the journey interrupted 14 by a mistake about the luggage, the cholera, the upright derk at the travel bureau, the rascally ballad singer, all that and anything else you like, they were all there. I had only to arrange them when they showed at once and in the oddest way their capacity as elements of composition" (ibid, p. 14-5). A signed limited edition of 60 copies was published in the same year. The story originally appeared in 1912, in two numbers of the journal Neue Rundschau, and subsequently in a private edition of 100 unsigned copies. Provenance: attractively designed bookplate of Dr. Kurt Krüger-Herbot (1884-1929), a German public prosecutor, engraved by Ernst Richter. Octavo. Original marbled paper boards, japon strip, blue paper label, white silk book marker. A fine copy. Gilbert Adair, The Real Tadzio. Thomas Mann's 'Death in Venice' and the Boy who Inspired It, 2001.
Synopsis
The novella Death in Venice was written by the German author Thomas Mann, and was first published in 1912 as Der Tod in Venedig. It was first published in English in 1925 as Death in Venice and Other Stories, translated by Kenneth Burke. W. H. Auden called it the definitive translation.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Peter Harrington (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 163629
- Title
- Der Tod in Venedig.
- Author
- MANN, Thomas
- Book Condition
- Used
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Place of Publication
- Berlin: S. Fischer,
- Date Published
- 1913
Terms of Sale
Peter Harrington
All major credit cards are accepted. Both UK pounds and US dollars (exchange rate to be agreed) accepted. Books may be returned within 14 days of receipt for any reason, please notify first of returned goods.
About the Seller
Peter Harrington
Biblio member since 2006
London
About Peter Harrington
Since its establishment, Peter Harrington has specialised in sourcing, selling and buying the finest quality original first editions, signed, rare and antiquarian books, fine bindings and library sets. Peter Harrington first began selling rare books from the Chelsea Antiques Market on London's King's Road. For the past twenty years the business has been run by Pom Harrington, Peter's son.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Marbled Paper
- Decorative colored paper that imitates marble with a veined, mottled, or swirling pattern. Commonly used as the end papers or...
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...