German Romance Vol IV Goethe 1827 Wilhelm Meister's Travels Half Leather
 
Bibliographical Details
Title: German Romance: Specimens of its Chief Authors; with Biographical and Critical Notices. Volume IV.
Containing Goethe together with Wilhelm Meister's Travels; or, The Renunciants.
Published by William Tait, Edinburgh, and Charles Tait, London, 1827.
Printed by James Ballantyne & Co.
This volume forms the fourth and concluding volume of the celebrated German Romance series translated and edited by Thomas Carlyle, although Carlyle's name appears only indirectly on the title page as "Translator of Wilhelm Meister". First published in four volumes in 1827.
Bound in an attractive contemporary half tan leather binding with marbled paper-covered boards, raised bands, gilt decoration and black morocco lettering pieces.
Illustrated with an engraved half-title vignette by W. Heath and engraved by W. H. Lizars.
All 352 pages are present and checked.
 
Historical & Bibliographical Context
Published during the great flowering of British interest in German Romantic literature, German Romance introduced English readers to some of the finest works of German fiction. The project is closely associated with Thomas Carlyle, whose translations helped transform Britain's appreciation of Goethe and German literature.
This fourth volume is devoted entirely to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, beginning with an extensive critical biography before presenting Wilhelm Meister's Travels, Goethe's philosophical sequel to Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship. The novel explores education, vocation, society and personal development, and remains one of the defining works of European Romantic literature.
William Tait's Edinburgh editions are respected nineteenth-century literary publications and remain desirable among collectors of Goethe, Carlyle, Romantic literature and early translations.
 
About the Author
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) is regarded as Germany's greatest writer and one of the most influential literary figures in European history. Poet, novelist, scientist and statesman, his works profoundly shaped Romanticism and nineteenth-century intellectual thought.
 
About the Illustrator
The engraved half-title illustration was drawn by William Heath and engraved by the distinguished Scottish engraver William Home Lizars, whose finely executed book illustrations are admired by collectors of nineteenth-century illustrated books.
 
Binding & Exterior
A handsome contemporary half tan leather binding over marbled paper-covered boards.
Five raised bands decorate the spine, with gilt tooling, gilt title and volume labels on black backgrounds.
The binding remains structurally sound and attractive.
Condition includes:
rubbing to leather 
rubbing to spine edges 
bumping to corners 
rubbing to head of spine 
light marks 
scattered patches of rubbing to leather 
Despite honest shelf wear, the volume presents well.
 
Interior Condition
Pages remain remarkably bright for a book approaching two centuries old.
Condition includes:
foxing mainly to title pages 
light foxing towards the beginning 
light marks to pastedowns and endpapers 
occasional light crease 
occasional very small marks 
a few tiny edge tears without text loss 
Page 145 is incorrectly numbered 149, an original printer's error rather than a defect.
The binding remains tight with all pages securely attached.
 
Physical Details
Pages: 352
Dimensions: approximately 19 × 12.2 × 2.2 cm
Weight: approximately 385 g
Binding: contemporary half leather with marbled boards
 
Rarity & Collector Notes
This volume is Scarce.
Reasons include:
first appearance of this important four-volume collection (1827) 
association with Thomas Carlyle 
early English translation of Goethe 
attractive contemporary half-leather binding 
complete engraved illustration 
survival of complete individual volumes is less common than mixed or rebound sets 
Collectors seek these volumes individually to complete incomplete sets and for their Carlyle and Goethe associations.