The Inspiration for Goethe’s “Faust”: All three “Volksbücher” of Faust and Wagner, Two of them Unique

Historia, Von Doc. Johan Fausti / des ausbündigen Zäuberers Vnd Schwartzkünstlers Teuffelischer Verschreibung / Unchristlichem Leben vnd Wandel ... Jetzt aufs newe vbersehen / vnnd mit vielen Stücken gemehret. s. l., 1589. 8 leaves, 228 pages, 5 (instead of 6, lacking the last blank leaf). Title with half-page woodcut. Octavo (152 x 97 mm). Flexible vellum binding of the 18th century. - Ander Theil D. Joh. Fausti Historien: Darin beschrieben ist Christophori Wagners / des Fausti gewesenen Discipels auffgerichter Pact / so er mit dem Teuffel gemacht ... "Durch F. S." (Frankfurt am Main, Nikolaus Basse?), 1596. 119 leaves (instead of 120, lacking the last blank leaf). Title with woodcut. Octavo (151 x 92 mm). Half vellum binding of the 19th century. - Historia Von Doct. Johan Fausti / des ausbündigen Zauberers Vnd Schwartzkünstlers Teuffelischer Verschreibung ... (Frankfurt am Main, Nikolaus Basse), 1597.

Two Unica and one Rarissimum

The historical figure of Dr. Faust – origin and inspiration of Germany’s most important »Weltgedicht«, Goethe’s »Faust« – who in the early 16th century roamed Germany like a travelling scholar as a fortune teller, miracle doctor and magician, was stylised in these books of folk tales written towards the end of the century as the devil’s bundler who must perish miserably, as did his famulus Wagner. Despite their moralising character, the three early editions presented here contain no references to author, printer, publisher or place of printing - for fear of the Inquisition. This is probably why they are so rare: only one more copy of the Historia from 1589 is known, the two from 1597 and 1596 are unique.

Provenance: All three books come from the Heinrich Apel collection (1845 - 1889), who assembled an early modern collection of books and manuscripts on his Ermlitz estate near Leipzig in the 1870s and 1880s. The three volumes were sold at auction in 2001 for more than DM 100.000.-.

Literature: all not in Adams and in BM STC German; Engel 217 (not the 1597 edition) and 301 (Wagner book); all not in the catalogue of the Faust exhibition of the Free German Hochstift 1893; Ebert 7372 (not the 1597 edition); Goedeke II, 566, III, no. 1 (does not know the 1597 edition), and 567, IV, no. 6; Heitz/Ritter 140, 146 and 708 (our copies); Henning 1021 (1597 edition, describes our copy) and 1269 (Wagner book, describes our copy); VD 16 F 647 (1589 edition, 1 copy, in the BSB Munich) and VD 16 F 653 (1597 edition), not the Wagner book.

These books have been described in great detail in our catalogue 90 “Wunderkammer”, lot 98a-c. Click here to view the eCatalogue or order the printed version in our Online Shop.

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