KIERKEGAARD, Søren. Af en endnu Levendes Papirer. Copenhagen: Reizel, 1838. Small octavo, 79pp. First edition of Kierkegaard's first book, a rather merciless ad hominem attack on the great storyteller Hans Christian Andersen's attempt at a serious novel, Only a Fiddler. Kierkegaard and Andersen had been close friends as students, and even much later in life, Kierkegaard would describe re-reading Andersen's fairy tales as "taking a rejuvenating bath." Here, in tentative but recognizable form, Kierkegaard first presents his theory of the individual, or rather of his passionate advocacy of a particul;ar brand of individualism, advanced in part by way of rejection of the romantic sentimentality and implicit social determinism of Andersen's plea for the self-pitying genius of his novel. The present is a miraculous survival: the only copy we have ever seen preserved in its original interim wrappers. Uncut, small contemporary ownership monogram to upper corner of front wrapper, else near fine.

• Category: Extraordinary Books, Manuscripts & Art
• Keywords: european · first books · Modern Thought · Philosophy
• Language: Englisch
• Inventory number: 4072LB

Our price: USD 7,500.00