Götzen-Dämmerung (Twilight of the Idols)

Leipzig: Naumann, 1893. Second Edition. Wraps. Very good. Second Edition of Nietzsche’s Twilight of the Idols in Original Printed Wraps

NIETZSCHE, Friedrich, Götzen-Dämmerung (Twilight of the Idols) Naumann, Leipzig, [1893]. Half title + TP + 1 leaf = Inhalt + [I]-II = Vorwort + [1]-116. Second Edition (Krummel, XVIII a, p. 120).

Nietzsche began to write Twilight of the Idols at the end of June of 1888 and was finished by early September—another lightning-quick production that he claimed to have been the "work of so few days that I am hesitant to mention exactly how many." His hesitancy becomes even more understandable when one remembers that part of July was devoted to the preparation of the final typescript of The Case of Wagner and that during August he produced two "Postscripts" and the "Epilogue" and then proofed the entire work. In the final analysis—when the book was finally completed—Nietzsche bragged to Gast that "I could hardly have used ten days more efficiently for it certainly took me no longer to write the book." Yet another ten-day wonder!

The new book was originally entitled A Psychologist at Leisure when Nietzsche mentioned it to Naumann on 7 September:

I am about to give you a nice surprise. You probably think we are finished with printing but even now the cleanest manuscript I have ever sent to you is on its way. Regarding layout and design, this new work should be a twin to The Case of Wagner. The title is A Psychologist at Leisure. It is imperative for me that we publish this now because by the end of next year we will have to begin the printing of my main work The Revaluation of All Values which will be a stern and serious book and I will not be able to publish anything cheerful and winsome right after it.

This book, though not very large, may cause a few ears to be opened so that the main work will not be greeted with silence like my Zarathustra.

The manuscript was mailed two days later and the single-page first draft for the Preface came three days after that. Nietzsche thought of this book—in conjunction with the Wagner book—as a light and brief respite before the publication of his masterwork: "In the final analysis, both of these works are only recuperations in the midst of an immensely difficult and decisive task which, when properly understood, will split humanity in two." Unfortunately, Nietzsche never recovered from these "recuperations" and The Revaluation of All Values was never completed…

Even as the book was being printed, Peter Gast pleaded with Nietzsche to change the title:

When I consider how other people will respond to this title, I think A Psychologist at Leisure is much too unassuming. You have dragged your artillery to the highest mountains, you have guns such as have never existed, and even if you shoot blindly you will inspire terror all around. The stride of a Giant which can make the mountains shake to their core is hardly leisure . . . and so I plead—if an incompetent may make such a request—let us have a more resplendent, a more radiant title!

Nietzsche immediately agreed and changed the title to Twilight of the Idols,75 and three days later, he penned the final version of the Preface, which was dated 30 September 1888.
(Schaberg, The Nietzsche Canon, pp. 166-167)

CONDITION: Uncut copy in original wraps printed front and back as well as on the spine. The covers are very lightly chipped and have a 1½” closed tear on the right side near the center of the front cover. The rear cover has five number inked next to the advertisements for Nietzsche’s books – presumably noting their issuing sequence in the then-in-the-press Collected Works. A bit worn, but still a lovely, affordable and collectible copy of this important work by Nietzsche.

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