Conrad Ferdinand Meyer - Balladen 1864 - 1864

TECHNICAL SHEET: BIBLIOGRAPHICAL CORE "ITALO-GERMAN CULTURAL BRIDGE"
OBJECT 1: A Unique Philological Work – Conrad Ferdinand Meyer, Ballads (1864)
Bibliographic Description:
Author: Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (1825–1898).
Title: Ballads.
Edition: Leipzig, H. Haessel, 1864 (Early/rare edition).
Typographic State: Variant A. It differs from the standard edition (1867) by the frontispiece frame of geometric straight lines, lacking the floral garland ornament common in later issues.
Rarity: Copy comparable exclusively with the CFM K 1100 code at the Zentralbibliothek Zürich (ZBZ) and the deposits of the Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach.
Elements of Exceptional Value (Provenance and Manuscript Apparatus):
Unpublished Text Variant: The volume contains an autograph poem signed "HF", attributed to Hans Fehr (1874–1961), renowned legal historian and patron of Emil Nolde. The text presents significant variants compared with the national critical edition (HKA - Historisch-kritische Ausgabe), making the copy a primary source for studies on Meyer.
Association with Intellectual Exile (Ex Libris): It bears the Ex Libris of Adolf Magnus-Levy (1865–1955). The Berlin physician, pioneer of metabolic research, fled to Yale in 1940. The link between Magnus-Levy and Meyer is of high biographical value: The New York Times (02/07/1955) and documents at the Yale Medical Library confirm that Magnus-Levy chose Meyer's verses as his spiritual testament for his funeral.
Autographic Note: Pencil signature on the first page, compatible with the graphic ductus of C.F. Meyer (to be submitted for handwriting analysis).
SYNOPSIS
This nucleus does not represent a mere collection of rare books, but a living archive that intertwines three fundamental paths in the history of European culture:
- Philology: The Hans Fehr variant in Meyer’s volume offers unpublished material for academic research.
- History of Exile (Exilforschung): Magnus-Levy’s journey from Berlin to Yale, mediated by Meyer's poetry.

Verifiable References for Due Diligence:
- ZBZ Catalog (Zurich): Ref. e-rara.ch, ID: 6314352 / CFM K 1100.
- Yale Archives: Adolf Magnus-Levy Papers, Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library.
- NYT Obituary: February 7, 1955, "Dr. Adolf Magnus-Levy, Metabolic Expert".
- Meyer Critical Edition: C.F. Meyer: Sämtliche Werke. Historisch-kritische Ausgabe (HKA).