The Essential Goethe

With the quality of this edition, at a very reasonable price, it feels like this is a labor of love; while the 12 volume Princeton edition is much more than one with a casual interest in Goethe will care to own, this gives a very generous selection of some of the best recent translations of Goethe. It is a great place to start. The Blackwell translation of Wilhelm Mesiter's Apprenticeship just sings. The 25 page introduction is also very well written, but so well written you are left wanting more. And, like many introductions to classics, gives away a bit more of the plot than you might hope for if you like surprises. The physical quality of the book is marvelous. The binding is sewn, the pages lie flat, the boards are covered in cloth rather than paper as is the trend these days, the paper is acid free and a very heavy weight. It is a volume that will last generations. Once you have finished with this, you might consider: The Sufferings of Young Werther: A New Translation by Stanley Corngold Faust - A Tragedy in Two Parts and the Urfaust (Wordsworth Classics of World Literature) [as this edition has only part 1] Selected Poems (Goethe: The Collected Works, Vol. 1) Princeton From My Life: Poetry and Truth (Goethe's Collected Works) in Two Volumes Princeton Selected Works (Everyman's Library)

I really love this book, it's an excellent collection with wonderful translations, I'm very grateful to Princeton Press for putting this together. Yes it doesn't have the Sorrows of Young Werther, but I already have that (and there's plenty of cheap copies elsewhere, and as another reviewers points out, there's an excellent new translation by Stanley Corngold). So I really wanted a sampling of Goethe's other writings, and this hits the mark. Poetry and prose, fiction and non-fiction, even some more minor letters and odes. It's really a beautiful way to get into the mind of Goethe. I love the Tribute to Shakespeare. The only real question is whether to get the hardcover or paperback. I agonized over this and ended up ordering both. They're both beautiful and well put together. I think the hardcover wins because the font is slightly larger, which helps now that I've ended up on the wrong side of 40 (when did that happen??). But you can't go wrong with either, and I'll probably keep the paperback because I like having a lighter version that travels well and that I don't feel bad about marking up with marginal notes. Both look beautiful on the shelf, although again the hardcover wins here if you're just talking about aesthetic.

This is an excellent edition of some of Goethe's works. I purchased it because I suddenly wanted to read many things by Goethe and this seemed to be a more comfortable and beautiful way to read them than printing out the old Gutenberg translations. I am pleased with what I've acquired. Overall, it's superior to softcover editions by Penguin Classics etc., simply because of the binding and print. The cover is quite beautiful and looks nice on a shelf. The typography is almost perfect except for a weird brush script on some of the headings, which is also visible on the cover and in the table of contents. The translation of Faust is in rhyme, which I prefer. The non-fiction writing only gives a taste, but it is a good taste. This is a good book to peruse as well as to dig into.

The text itself is great. However I wish the intro was a little more expansive, especially for the plays. Specifically, I wish the translator discussed how/why she arrived at her final text. Also, it would be nice if we got an overview of the production history and author’s sources for the plays (I’m used to the Ardens)

The verse translation of Faust by John R. Williams is superb and makes the volume worth the money. The introduction by editor Mathew Bell is useful and the selection of works by Goethe includes his poem "The Diary" in a translation by John Frederick Nims but excludes The Sorrows of Young Werther, which I already had in a Penguin translation.

Great intro to Goeth! And considering the size and scope of this volume, just a fraction of the genius of Goethe. This book is a great starting point for anyone interested in this often overlooked and under read philosopher/ essayist/ playwright/ critic etc...

This is the best introduction to Goethe. The greatest feature of this collection is its inclusion of Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship. If you want to read Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship, this is the best edition to get. Aside from that, this collections includes some of Goethe's masterpieces less well known in English.

Book came in perfect condition. Goethe is one of the great writers of all time. Perfect putchss