Der Tod in Venedig. Novelle. [In: Die Neue Rundschau. XXIIIter Jahrgang der freien Bühne]. - [TRUE FIRST APPEARANCE OF ""THE DEATH IN VENICE""]

Berlin, S. Fischer Verlag, 1912. Royal 8vo. Volumes 1 and 2 (i.e. the entire year) of ""Die neue Rundschau, 1912"" present, in the original half vellum bindings with gilt title to spines, top edge gilt. In remarkably fine condition, with just a bit of soiling to spines and a small crack to upper hinges of volume 1 (""Der Tod in Venedig"" is in vol. 2). Small stamp in Hebrew to front boards and to title-pages. Large engraved book plates (""E. Schwabach-Märzdorff"") to inside of front boards and to front free end-papers. A very nice and clean set.

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The true first printing of Thomas Mann's masterpiece, ""The Death in Venice"". Contrary to what is generally believed, the actual first appearance of ""The Death in Venice"" was not the extremely scarce de luxe-edition that appeared in 100 numbered copies in 1912. In fact the work originally appeared (and in its entirety) in the October and November issues (i.e. in the second volume, on pp. 1368-1398 + 1499-1526) of ""Die Neue Rundschau"", 1912. Simultaneusly with this first appearance, Poeschel und Trepte in Leipzig were preparing the luxury edition of the work for Hans von Weber's Hyperionverlag in Munich, as one of his ""Hundertdrucke"". Probably due to the controversial theme of the work, Thomas Mann was hesitant to immediately handing over the manuscript to his regular publisher S. Fisher for him to publish it directly and had settled on the bibliophile edition already before finishing the work. He did give Fischer the work to publish, though, and thus it came to appear both in Fischer's ""Neue Rundschau"", over two months, and with Weber's Hyperionverlag. While the first part of the work was being published in ""Die neue Rundschau"", the luxury edition was being prepared, and in the end, the luxury edition was only issued (shortly) after the second and final part had appeared in ""Die neue Rundschau"" in November 1912. Shortly after the famous luxury edition, in 1913, Fischer published the first trade edition in book form. By 1924, 50.000 copies of the work had appeared in this form. Thomas Mann's disturbing masterpiece, probably the most famous story of obsession ever written, is considered one of the most important literary productions of the 20th century.