Goethe and his publishers
By: Siegfried Unseld ; translated by Kenneth J. Northcott.
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 1996
Place of publication: Chicago
Language: eng
Number of pages: 372
Subjects: Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 1749-1832 -- Relations with publishers.; Publishers and publishing -- Germany -- History -- 18th century.; Publishers and publishing -- Germany -- History -- 19th century.
Description: Goethe and His Publishers organizes for the first time the myriad details of Goethe's career in print. Himself one of Germany's most eminent publishers, Siegfried Unseld brings a singular perspective to this biography, focusing our attention on an essential component of Goethe's literary endeavors: his relationship to his publishers.

Carefully examining each work, Unseld covers the range of Goethe's oeuvre, from first anonymous publications to eventual monumental editions brought out by Johann Friedrich Cotta, the most renowned publisher of his day.

Unseld sifts through the rich correspondence between Goethe and his publishers, as well as letters to and from friends, colleagues, and contemporaries. Analyzing publishing contracts, draft contracts, and historical documents, Unseld reveals the tremendous energy Goethe exerted on behalf of his manuscripts. During negotiations he was sometimes circumspect and reserved, at other times demanding and assertive.

These exchanges not only shed new light on Goethe's complex character but also show how he changed the author's role in the publishing process. Thus, this work offers a penetrating study of the intricate and many-tiered relations between author and publisher, then and today.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
"This is an abridged version of the 1993 second, revised edition of Goethe und seine Verleger"--T.p. verso.