Unzeitgemässe Betrachtungen.

Leipzig: E. W. Fritzsch, [Schopenhauer: Schloss-Chemnitz: Ernst Schmeitzner,], 1873; 1874; 1874. Nietzsche in the culture war First editions of the first three of Nietzsche's four individually published Untimely Meditations, bound together in a contemporary binding and unusual thus. Nietzsche originally conceived a series of 13 essays on the condition of contemporary European culture and its leading figures, specifically German. The first published was an attack on David Strauss. The composer Richard Wagner, who had taken an immediate dislike to Strauss's latest book Der alte und der neue Glaube (The Old and the New Faith), suggested Nietzsche publish the work with his own publisher E. W. Fritzsch. Nietzsche remained with Fritzsch for the publication of the second essay, the only one not centred on a specific person, but instead on the proper understanding and use of history. Finding payment slow, Nietzsche switched publishers to Ernst Schmeitzner for the third essay, which describes how Schopenhauer's genius, despite his admitted pessimism, might bring about a renaissance in German culture. The fourth work in the series, Richard Wagner in Bayreuth, was published in 1876 and is not present here - the collection was likely bound before its publication. The planning and publication of the Unzeitgemässe Betrachtungen series was quite haphazard and affected by Fritzsch's financial difficulties, slow sales, and Nietzsche's loss of enthusiasm for the project. No more of the planned thirteen works appeared after the Wagner essay, though an uncompleted fifth essay was published posthumously. Schmeitzner negotiated to buy the remainders of the first two works from Fritzsch, but was disappointed to find them in poor condition, so that complete sets of all four essays, which were all originally issued in wrappers, are very rarely found bound together. Three works bound in a single volume, octavo (225 x 139 mm). Contemporary red morocco, spine lettered in gilt, red mottled sides, black speckled edges. Errata of first work bound following p. 6, leaves in sig. 5 of same bound out of sequence. Spine a little darkened and trivial wear to tips, contents with light foxing (more pronounced towards rear), some pencilled underlining and pencilled annotations to terminal endpapers, a few leaves opened a little roughly in third work. In very good condition. Schaberg, Nietzsche Canon 23, 25, & 26.