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Lion Feuchtwanger, Jew Süss, Martin Secker, London, April 1927

3 leaves, 424 [1] pages 21 cm; 8°; 

Joseph Süß Oppenheimer (c. 1698–1738), often referred to by the nickname Jud Süß (“Jew Süss”), was a German-Jewish financier who rose to great power in the early 18th century as the court factor and financial adviser to Duke Karl Alexander of Württemberg. Born into a Jewish merchant family in Heidelberg, Oppenheimer built a successful career in banking and commerce, gaining access to aristocratic circles. In 1732, he was appointed by the Duke to oversee economic and financial reforms in the duchy, a role that gave him extraordinary influence. He centralized tax systems, expanded state monopolies, and promoted trade—measures that helped fill the state treasury but also created powerful enemies among the local nobility and the conservative bureaucracy. His rapid rise, his outsider status as a Jew, and the aggressive nature of his reforms stirred deep resentment.

When the Duke died suddenly in 1737, Oppenheimer was left politically exposed. He was quickly arrested and put on trial by the Württemberg authorities, accused of a range of charges including fraud, embezzlement, bribery, and even treason. However, the trial was widely seen as a political purge laced with antisemitism, aimed at erasing the memory of the unpopular ducal regime and punishing its most visible (and vulnerable) symbol. After months of imprisonment and a highly publicized show trial, he was sentenced to death and executed by hanging in Stuttgart in 1738. He was denied a proper Jewish burial, and his body was displayed in a cage for years as a warning.

Oppenheimer’s life and death highlight the precarious status of Jews in early modern Europe. While some, like him, achieved wealth and temporary power as court financiers or tax farmers, they remained socially marginalized and legally unprotected, especially in moments of political instability. His story was later mythologized and manipulated—sometimes casting him as a dangerous schemer, other times as a scapegoated victim of systemic bigotry. His legacy continues to be debated, situated at the intersection of Jewish history, economic modernization, and political repression in pre-Enlightenment Germany.


Lion Feuchtwanger’s novel Jud Süß, published in 1925, was met with immediate critical and commercial success in Germany and abroad. It resonated strongly in the intellectual climate of the Weimar Republic, where historical novels with modern psychological depth were highly valued. Feuchtwanger’s nuanced portrayal of Joseph Süß Oppenheimer—as both a victim of anti-Semitism and a morally complex figure—struck a chord with readers grappling with questions of identity, assimilation, and power in a rapidly changing society. The book was praised for its elegant prose, historical accuracy, and its ability to humanize a man long vilified in legend.

Within a few years, Jud Süß was translated into more than 15 languages, including English (in November 1926), French, Russian and Hebrew, and became a huge bestseller across Europe. It helped establish Feuchtwanger as one of the leading German-language authors of his time, alongside figures like Thomas Mann and Stefan Zweig. The novel also played a role in shaping modern historical fiction, blending factual biography with literary imagination and a moral lens. Many readers and critics appreciated Feuchtwanger’s attempt to recover Jewish history from distortion and prejudice, reclaiming the figure of Oppenheimer from centuries of demonization.

The novel's success also brought theatrical and cinematic interest. A British film adaptation, Jew Süss (1934), directed by Lothar Mendes and starring Conrad Veidt, took inspiration from Feuchtwanger’s version and similarly aimed to portray Süss sympathetically. However, Feuchtwanger refused to sell film rights for a German adaptation, fearing misuse by nationalists—a concern that would prove justified when the Nazis produced their own propaganda movie in 1940. Despite later suppression under the Third Reich, Jud Süß continued to circulate underground and abroad, and after WWII, it was widely re-evaluated as an important literary work.

Solid hardcover binding, hazel cloth with label title on spine. Corners slightly rounded; minimal wear and slight abrasion/stain on front board (as per pictures). book slightly tilted. Pages bright and text clear. Early printing, the 8th, of the 1st edition, April 1927.

PS: I'll ship the book carefully packaged in bubble wrap, via An Post, the Irish Postal Service ("Registered Post, Tracking & Insurance included to protect your valuable items"). I will provide the tracking number once dispatched.

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