Knigge Ueber Schriftsteller und Schriftstellerey

KNIGGE, ADOLPH. Ueber Schriftsteller und Schriftstellerey. Hannover (Christian Ritscher) 1793.
8:o. 32, 49-112, 97-303, (1) pp. Title with engraved vignette.
Later half calf, red title label, partly worn and discoloured. Printed by H. M. Pockwitz. Some foxing.

First edition of this rare and early book on the professionalized author and the literary market. It is a manual for authors, but not only in a technical sense. Knigge saw writing as a "conversation with the world of readers", and identifies the demand of the public as one of the decisive forces in the creation of literature. The contemporary Werther-literature, which he sharply condemns, is one example.

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