n.a. - [PROVINENZ] Reineke Fuchs - 1817

ABSOLUTE rarity with provenance

Reineke Fuchs. A popular book. From the Low German rhymes into high German prose anew, faithfully translated. With many copper engravings. Tübingen 1817.

Rare, bibliophilically significant edition of the famous Reineke Fuchs, published in 1817 in Tübingen—an impressive example of bourgeois bookmaking in early 19th-century Germany. The work impresses not only with its fine typographic design, but above all with the numerous, detailed copper engravings, executed with exceptional care, translating Lauremberg’s animal epic into vivid sequences of images.

Of particular interest is the provenance: from the possession of the legendary publisher Anton Kippenberg (1874–1950), founder of Insel Verlag and one of the most important German bibliophiles of his time. Books from Kippenberg’s estate are extraordinarily sought after, as they provide insight into the sources of his editorial and art-historical work. This copy unites two realms—the medieval folk-tradition and the early bourgeois collecting spirit of the Goethe era—in exemplary fashion.

Copies of this edition are extremely rare on the market; in particular complete with all plates and in collectible condition are hardly traceable. An outstanding piece for both collectors of illustrated German literary history and connoisseurs of Insel Verlag’s history.

14x10 cm. Marbled paper cover of the period in a pale-green slipcase, front cover featuring an illustration of "Reineke Fuchs". 209 pages. 14 full-page copper engravings. The first three leaves at the edges slightly water-marked; otherwise very good condition of the interior. Solid block.