2341 resultados
1843Kjøbenhavn [Copenhagen], P. G. Philipsens Forlag, 1843-1845. 8vo. Bound uncut in a recent pastiche cardboardbinding, imitating the original brown cardboard binding, in which it was issued. Printed pastice paper label to spine. Some brownspotting as always, due to the paper quality. (4), 52, 62, 84, 59 (recte 57 pp., i.e. without the blank leaf between the title-page and the preface), 70, 111 pp. Complete with all the titles and the joint title-page (without the blank leaf after the preface of ""To opbyggelige Taler, 1844"" - which is not called for and hardly ever present).
1845ref. 63626Kjøbenhavn [Copenhagen], 1845. Lex8vo. Later brown half calf with gilt title to spine (ca. 1940'ies). Corners with ligh wear. First leaves re-hinged. Title-page dusty and professsionally restored from verso with thin Chinese paper, neatly closing a tear (no loss). Some leaves evenly browned and last few leaves brownspotted, otherwise only lighter occasional spotting. VIII, 383 pp.
1845ref. 63626Kjøbenhavn Copenhagen 1845. Lex8vo. Later brown half calf with gilt title to spine ca. 1940'ies. Corners with ligh wear. First leaves re-hinged. Title-page dusty and professsionally restored from verso with thin Chinese paper neatly closing a tear no loss. Some leaves evenly browned and last few leaves brownspotted otherwise only lighter occasional spotting. VIII 383 pp. First edition of one of Kierkegaard's main works "Stages on Life's Way" his pivotal sequal to his main work "Either-Or" in which he had presented the first two stages the aesthetic and the ethical. In Stages on Life’s Way he continues his work on these stages and moves on to present also the religious stage which occupies approximately two thirds of the work. The religious stage is that in which man attains a personal relationship with God and that in which man only truly begins to exist the aesthetic and ethical stages being inadequate. It is in this foundational work in the religious stage that Kierkegaard first properly describes what is now known as the “Leap of Faith” in fact a “leap to faith” namely the leap that involves willing and belief instead of reason and knowledge the leap that you take in order to connect to God and which requires that which Kierkegaard calls “the suspension of the ethical”. Undoubtedly among Kierkegaard’s most brilliant literary achievements “Stages on Life’s Way” is written in the form of different viewpoints of Kierkegaard’s many pseudonymous characters. We have both Hilarius Bookbinder who by chance has come into possession of the documents presented in the work and has prepared them for printing. We have the famous banquet scene which mirrors Plato’s Symposium described by William Afham and in which the three aesthetics participate: Johannes the Seducer Victor Eremita and Constatin Constantius. We have Judge William’s discourse in praise of marriage and we have the diary discovered by Frater Taciturnus of a young man who was deeply in love but felt compelled to break off his engagement. This story in form of a diary is the closest one comes to a description of Kierkegaard’s own love story his relationship to Regine. The diary describes an engagement that has lasted for six months; it alternates between the morning notes that recall the engagement and the midnight notes that put it all in perspective. The work closes with a letter to the reader from Taciturnus on the three “existence-spheres” represented by the three parts of the book. “Stages on Life’s Way” is one of Kierkegaard’s most important works. Not only does it sum up and explain some of the most important themes of Kierkegaard’s previous works utilizing the characters and pseudonymous authors of the earlier works to do so; it goes beyond these foundational themes introduces the religious stage and points to the further development of the central themes in Kierkegaard’s philosophy most of which are only fully developed in “Concluding Unscientific Postscript”. Written under a pseudonym and without Kierkegaard’s name appearing as publisher or indeed anything else he was unable to give away presentation-copies of the work. Thus not a single presentation-copy of the work exists. Himmelstrup 78. unknown
1840ref. 915Kjøbenhavn: Corsaren 1840. First Edition. Hardcover. Very good. KIERKEGAARD Soren & GOLDSCHMIDT Meir Aaron ed. Corsaren. DANISH SATIRE - CARICATURING KIERKEGAARD complete Corsaren Affair Kjøbenhavn Vol I: 1840 - 41 Vol II: 1843 Vol III: 1846. Octavo. First Edition. $ 2500 The complete Corsaren Affair all issues related to Soren Kierkegaards conflict with Aaron Goldschmidt editor of the famous Danish satirical journal Corsaren with the iconic caricatures of Kierkegaard that now stand as the most famous "portraits" of the founder of existentialism. This satirical weekly typically was issued with 8 pages with numbered columns 2-per page. Filled with short polemics and dozens of caricatures of various public figures in Denmark. A wonderful snapshot of literary and political life in mid-19th century Denmark often the target of political and police censure due to its scathing depictions of powerful figures. Mention and review of Kierkegaards Concept of Irony in issues 49 & 51; Review of Either-Or in issue 129 Polemics against Kierkegaard began in issues 276 & 277 Continued polemical ridicule and caricatures in issues 278 279 & 280 Review of Concluding Unscientific Postscript in issue 284 Famous depiction of Kierkegaard as center of the world in issue 285 Further devastating polemicizing in issues 297 299 300 & 304 CONDITION: Good 3 matching volumes in contemporary quarter leather with marbled boards. Leather along front hinge slightly starting. Staining and moderate wear to leather with light to moderate foxing to pages. Corsaren hardcover
1841ref. 269Kjøbenhavn: P.G. Philipsens Forlag 1841. First printing. Hardcover. Very Good . The Rare First Edition First Issue of Kierkegaards Second Book KIERKEGAARD Soren. Om Begrebet Ironi med stadigt Hensyn til Socrates On the Concept of Irony with Constant References to Socrates P.G. Philipsens Forlag Kjøbenhavn 1841. TP with note regarding Kierkegaard's candidacy for Master of the Arts and the date above Sibbern's name on the verso of TP second TP in Latin with hand written date in Roman numerals i-ii = Theses in Latin iii = Indhold half-title 3-350 small Octavo. First Edition First Issue Himmelstrup 8. The rare early issue with the second title page in Latin. "Kierkegaard's second book his dissertation in theology presented at the University of Copenhagen. In this work Kierkegaard invidiously contrasts the irony of Socrates with the comparatively palliated and world-weary irony of the romantics. Irony constitutes the first in that series of multivalent existential categories the exception the Extraordinary the incommensurate Angst the leap faith the absurd the 'offense' the moment deployed against the Hegelian System. Indeed irony and the figure of the ironist are central to Kierkegaard's entire 'aesthetic' corpus. Socrates was a figure to whom Kierkegaard would regularly return as an antidote to the 'speculative disease' in philosophy." Wronoski p. 9 CONDITION: Very good in contemporary boards rebacked though not recently most likely early 20th c. Pages browned as usual. CONDITION: Very good in contemporary boards rebacked though not recently most likely early 20th c. Pages browned as usual. PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST P.G. Philipsens Forlag hardcover
1843ref. 13904K., 1843-1845. 8vo. Smukt lidt senere hldrbd.m. rig rygforgyldn., ophøjet ""bind"", dannet af heftesnoren. 2. blad (indhold) repareret. Pp 1-50 m. svagt skjold for neden, ellers pæn. (Iv)+52+62+84+59+70+111pp.
ref. 13904K. 1843-1845. 8vo. Smukt lidt senere hldrbd.m. rig rygforgyldn. ophøjet "bind" dannet af heftesnoren. 2. blad indhold repareret. Pp 1-50 m. svagt skjold for neden ellers pæn. Iv5262845970111pp. Originaludgave. Himmelstrup 85.First edition of Kierkegaard's important eighteen upbuilding discourses which comprise his two three and four upbuilding discourses from the years 1843-45 with the joint title-page of all eighteen. The work constitutes Kierkegaard's religious works which supplement his theological and philosophical ones.The first upbuilding discourses were published the same year as Either-Or and it is interesting to note that in opposition to his major philosophical works the religious upbuilding discourses actually bear the name of the author on the title-page -a fact that was by no means incidental. While the pseudonymous works could make one doubt the religiousness of the author the parallelly written religious discourses stress the fact that we are dealing with an author who was religious from the very beginning -a fact that Kierkegaard also wished to establish himself; in his journals he clearly states that the religious discourses bear as much significance for his work as a whole as do the larger pseudonymous works "I began with "Either-Or" and two upbuilding discourses." he says and explains that he intended the upbuilding the religious to advance and that he wanted to show "that the writer was not an aesthetic author who in the course of time grew older and for that reason became religious" Journals IX A 227.The importance of the upbuilding discourses and the close relationship they have with the major works and Kierkegaard's philosophical development also becomes evident with the fact that every pseudonymous work was accompanied by a little collection of "upbuilding discourses" until "Concluding Postscript" appeared. unknown
1843K., 1843-1845. 8vo. Smukt lidt senere hldrbd.m. rig rygforgyldn., ophøjet ""bind"", dannet af heftesnoren. 2. blad (indhold) repareret. Pp 1-50 m. svagt skjold for neden, ellers pæn. (Iv)+52+62+84+59+70+111pp.
1849ref. 63618Kjøbenhavn Reitzel 1849. 8vo. 42 pp. Uncut in the original printed wrappers. The front wrapper with the text of the title-page all except the year repeated inside a double-line border inside which a line-border with ornamental cornerpieces. Back-wrapper with the year inside the same frame. The printed spine preserved in its entirety and also completely unrestored with Gothic lettering and small printed ornamentations. A vertical strip of ca 1 cm towards the spine on both front and back wrapper faded but only here. The spine is also not faded. A brown discolouration to lower blank margin throughout. Otherwise just light occasional brownspotting. "a. m." in contemporary hand to front wrapper. Housed in beautiful marbled paper box with a grey morocco spine with gilt Gothic lettering and small gilt ornamentations. Gilt super ex libris to front. Signed in Gilt lettering to inside of spine: Anker Kysters Eftf. and gilt by Hagel Olsen. A truly magnificent copy of the first edition in the extremely rare original wrappers completely unrestored and with the original printed spine also preserved in its entirety which we have never seen before. This important publication is an essential part of Kierkegaard's upbuilding production written and published under his own name. It consists of three discourses at the communion on Fridays and is the upbuilding religious companion to Sickness Unto Death that was published pseudonymously earlier in the year thus continuing the practice that Kierkegaard began with Either-Or and otherwise ended with Concluding Unscientific Postscript that each pseudonymous work would be accompanied by an upbuilding publication. As Kierkegaard states in his journal from October 1849 after having written that his "three discourses" i.e. "The High Priest" "The Publican" and "The sinner" "are now delivered to the printer 1 I must find a point of rest but I cannot rest on a pseudonym; and these discourses correspond to Anti-Climacus; and the position of Discourses for the Communion on Fridays is once and for all designated as the point of the rest for my works. 2 Since at present people are focusing on my pseudonym Climacus it is important that there be emphasis in the direction of edification. Once again how loving it is of Governance that what I need and am to use always lies ready. 3 "The Preface" calls to mind the Two Edif. Discourses of 1843; it is important to me to emphasize that I began as a religious author right at the outset; it is important for the repetition." NB 13: 79. In fact the reference back to Kierkegaard's debut as an upbuilding author in Two Upbuilding Discourses from 1843 plays a dominant role in the present work. The preface here not merely alludes to the preface of the first upbuilding publication it even largely quotes from it. Kierkegaard clearly perceived the present publication as beginning the second cycle of Upbuilding Discourses see NB 12:133. It is also worth noting that the present collection of discourses plays an important role in Kierkegaard's continued thoughts about Regine and the relationship that he broke off. Even the dating of the preface haunted him in this regard. We know from his notebooks that first he dated it "d. 10 Sept. 49" but then he altered it to the 8th then "start of" and finally "Beginning of September 1849". These dates all recall defining biographical incidences. It is on September 8 1841 that Kierkegaard sought out Regine on the street walked home with her and rushed to the Finance department to ask her father for her hand in marriage. And it was on September 10 also 1841 that he got acceptance from both Regine and her father so that the engagement was finalized. As we know the engagement ended when the tormented Kierkegaard broke it off a year later October 12 1842. The following years up until the publication of "The High Priest"… Kierkegaard considered reconciliation on numerous occasions. Thus in November 1849 he writes in his journal: "Had it been possible the reconciliation with "her" would have happened simultaneously with the three discourses i.e. "The High Priest" "The Publican" – "The Woman who was a Sinner" which in the preface – for the sake of repetition of the entire authorship – contains the repetition of the preface to the two upbuilding discourses 1843 the work I know for certain that she read back then." NB 14:44. As we know this reconciliation never took place accounting for the two dates of engagement being erased. Kierkegaard's upbuilding discourses were of immense importance to him though to his great disappointment they were partly neglected by his contemporaries in favour of his more known philosophical works. Whereas his philosophical works were meant to insinuate themselves into the minds of men his upbuilding discourses which accompanied the pseudonymous works formed a contrast to them by being direct and religious. They were meant to offer comfort to the reader to be exactly that which they were entitled – upbuilding. The three Communion-speeches in the present collection are theologically centered around the meaning of substitution the dialectic of self-delusion and the transformation of the subject by conversion. Reminding us that any kind of suffering that we can face was already faced by Christ Kierkegaard in the first of the discourses uses a passage from the Epistle to the Hebrews 4.15 to explain how Christ too was tempted how he relates to human suffering and how he as the sufferer of all sufferers is qualified to console us. The second discourse The Publican is based on the Scripture passage in Luke 18.13 where Jesus compares two kinds of attitude a person can have toward one's own sin. In analyzing the relationship of the publican and the Pharisee to God Kierkegaard uses the passage to address the reader and directly remind us of a theme that runs like a red thread through his religious writings: the necessity of being alone before God. In The Woman who was a Sinner taken from Luke 7.47 which Kierkegaard would later use for An Upbuilding Discourse 1850 the third discourse in the publication Kierkegaard discusses how to find solace and forgiveness once again hovering about the theme of the self before God. It is in many ways one of Kierkegaard's most moving pieces. Himmelstrup 120. The present copy is no. 76 in Girsel's "Kierkegaard" The Catalogue which can be found here.
1849ref. 63618Kjøbenhavn, Reitzel, 1849. 8vo. 42 pp. Uncut in the original printed wrappers. The front wrapper with the text of the title-page (all except the year) repeated inside a double-line border, inside which a line-border with ornamental cornerpieces. Back-wrapper with the year inside the same frame. The printed spine, preserved in its entirety and also completely unrestored, with Gothic lettering and small printed ornamentations. A vertical strip of ca 1 cm towards the spine on both front and back wrapper faded, but only here. The spine is also not faded. A brown discolouration to lower blank margin throughout. Otherwise just light occasional brownspotting. “a. m.” in contemporary hand to front wrapper. Housed in beautiful marbled paper box with a grey morocco spine with gilt Gothic lettering and small gilt ornamentations. Gilt super ex libris to front. Signed in Gilt lettering to inside of spine: Anker Kysters Eftf. and gilt by Hagel Olsen.
1843ref. 53093Kjøbenhavn [Copenhagen], 1843-1845. 8vo. Near contemporary half calf with richly gilt spine. Binding with very light wear. Front free end-paper with the ownership-inscription of Michael Bentzon and his acquisition date of 1855 (the same year that Kierkegaard died). Some brownspotting here and there and the first couple of leaves of ""To opbyggelige Taler, 1844"" with a damp stain. Neat underlinings in the text as well as several marginalia, mostly in pencil. A very good copy indeed. (IV), 52, 62, 84, 59, 70, 111pp. Complete with all the half-titles and the joint title-page (without the blank leaf after the preface of ""To opbyggelige Taler, 1844"" - which is not called for and hardly ever present).
1843ref. 53093Kjøbenhavn Copenhagen 1843-1845. 8vo. Near contemporary half calf with richly gilt spine. Binding with very light wear. Front free end-paper with the ownership-inscription of Michael Bentzon and his acquisition date of 1855 the same year that Kierkegaard died. Some brownspotting here and there and the first couple of leaves of "To opbyggelige Taler 1844" with a damp stain. Neat underlinings in the text as well as several marginalia mostly in pencil. A very good copy indeed. IV 52 62 84 59 70 111pp. Complete with all the half-titles and the joint title-page without the blank leaf after the preface of "To opbyggelige Taler 1844" - which is not called for and hardly ever present. First edition of Kierkegaard's important Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses which comprise his two three and four upbuilding discourses from the years 1843-45 with the joint title-page of all eighteen. The work constitutes Kierkegaard's religious works which supplement his theological and philosophical ones.The first upbuilding discourses were published the same year as Either-Or and it is interesting to note that in opposition to his major philosophical works the religious upbuilding discourses actually bear the name of the author on the title-page -a fact that was by no means incidental. While the pseudonymous works could make one doubt the religiousness of the author the parallelly written religious discourses stress the fact that we are dealing with an author who was religious from the very beginning -a fact that Kierkegaard also wished to underline himself; in his journals he clearly states that the religious discourses bear as much significance for his work as a whole as do the larger pseudonymous works "I began with "Either-Or" and two upbuilding discourses." he says and explains that he intended the upbuilding the religious to advance and that he wanted to show "that the writer was not an esthetic author who in the course of time grew older and for that reason became religious" Journals IX A 227.The importance of the upbuilding discourses and the close relationship they have with the major works and Kierkegaard's philosophical development is also stressed by the fact that every pseudonymous work was accompanied by a little collection of "upbuilding discourses" until "Concluding Postscript" appeared.Himmelstrup 85. unknown
1843ref. 8Either/Or Danish: Enten – Eller is the first published work of Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. Volume 2 only. First edition. First printing. C.A. Reitzel Kjøbenhavn. 1843. Very good condition for an 1843 edition. Bound in an attractive contemporary half leather binding with marbled paper-covered boards. The binding is solid and structurally sound with moderate rubbing and wear to the spine corners and board edges consistent with age. The text block is complete and firmly attached. Pages are clean and fully legible showing expected age toning with occasional light foxing and minor staining. Blank endpapers display old pencil ownership or catalogue annotations and some dampstaining near the corners. No significant tears or loss of text were observed. Overall a well-preserved and highly presentable copy with an attractive period binding retaining its historical character. C.A. Reitzel, hardcover
1843ref. 62092Kjøbenhavn 1843. 8vo. Contemporary dark brown half cloth with gilt lettering to spine. Capitals and a bit of the front hinge worn but overall very nice and tight. Internally a bit of brownspotting as always due to the quality of the paper but less than usual. Old owner's signature to title-page. VIII 135 pp. First edition of one of Kierkegaard's most important and sought-after works Fear and Trembling which is rather more difficult to find than most of his other works. Fear and Trembling is one of Kierkegaard’s most important works. And it is also one of his most difficult. It deals – in forceful brevity – with the relationship between reason and faith and provides us with Kierkegaard’s most thorough exposition of the religious stage which he considered the most meaningful form of existence. It is here that Kierkegaard introduces the “tragic hero” and contrasts it to the “Knight of Faith” who both ignore their own wishes for a higher good. These two essential figures epitomize the ethical and the religious and pave the way for the understanding of these stages in Kierkegaard’s philosophy. It is arguably also here that the idea of the essential leap of faith is introduced for the first time. The Knight of Faith sacrifices his son at the command of God and thus sets aside an ethical demand in in order to attain a higher goal that exists beyond the ethical. This teleological suspension of the ethical requires a leap of faith that is only possible through faith in virtue of the absurd. Himmelstrup 48. hardcover
1843ref. 62092Kjøbenhavn, 1843. 8vo. Contemporary dark brown half cloth with gilt lettering to spine. Capitals and a bit of the front hinge worn, but overall very nice and tight. Internally a bit of brownspotting (as always due to the quality of the paper), but less than usual. Old owner's signature to title-page. VIII, 135 pp.
1841(Copenhagen), 1841-1846. Lex 8vo. Bound in three contemporary uniform black full cloth bindings with gilt lettering and numbering to spines. Extremities a bit worn and hinges a bit weak. Some brownspotting. Overall a pretty good set. Richly illustrated throughout, both in the text and with plates.
1845ref. 62096Kjøbenhavn [Copenhagen], 1845. Lex8vo. Nice contemporary brown half cloth with gilt title to spine. Capitals worn and wear along upper front hinge. Corners worn. In spite of the wear, an attractive and tight copy. First and last leaves with a bit of brownspotting, otherwise only light occasional spotting. Old owner's signature to title-page. VIII, 383 pp.
1845ref. 62096Kjøbenhavn Copenhagen 1845. Lex8vo. Nice contemporary brown half cloth with gilt title to spine. Capitals worn and wear along upper front hinge. Corners worn. In spite of the wear an attractive and tight copy. First and last leaves with a bit of brownspotting otherwise only light occasional spotting. Old owner's signature to title-page. VIII 383 pp. First edition of one of Kierkegaard's main works "Stages on Life's Way" his pivotal sequal to his main work "Either-Or" in which he had presented the first two stages the aesthetic and the ethical. In "Stages on Life's Way" he continues his work on these stages and moves on to present also the religious stage which takes up ab. two thirds of the work. The religious stage is that in which man attains a personal relationship with God and that in which man only truly begins to exist as the aesthetic and ethical stages are inadequate. It is in this foundational work in the religious stage that Kierkegaard first properly describes what is now known as the "Leap of Faith" in fact a "leap to faith" namely the leap that involves willing and belief in stead of reason and knowledge the leap that you make in order to connect to God and which requires that which he calls "the suspension of the ethical". Stages on Life’s Way is one of Kierkegaard’s most important works. Not only does it sum up and explain some of the most important themes of Kierkegaard’s previous works utilizing the characters and pseudonymous authors of the earlier works to do so; it goes beyond these foundational themes introduces the religious stage and points to the further development of the central themes in Kierkegaard’s philosophy most of which are only fully developed in Concluding Unscientific Postscript. hardcover
1841ref. 62112Kjøbenhavn, P.G. Philipsens Forlag, 1841. 8vo. (4), 350 pp., 1 f. (blank), 2 pp. (advertisements). Completely uncut and partly unopened in the original brown cardboard binding. Rebacked with paper perfectly matching that of the boards. Corners restored. Title-page evenly browned and a few leaves with a bit of brownspotting, but overall in unusually nice condition, clean, fresh, and bright. Completely unmarked.
1849ref. 63617Kjøbenhavn, Reitzel, 1849. 8vo. (8), 136 pp. Uncut in the original printed wrappers. The front wrapper with the text of the title-page (all except the year) repeated inside a double-line border, inside which a line-border with ornamental corner-pieces. Back-wrapper with the year inside the same frame. Excellently rebacked and with a closed tear to the front wrapper. Wrappers with light brownspotting. Some brownspotting, mostly to first and last leaves. With the ownership signature of Henning Kehler to front free end-paper.
1841ref. 62112Kjøbenhavn P.G. Philipsens Forlag 1841. 8vo. 4 350 pp. 1 f. blank 2 pp. advertisements. Completely uncut and partly unopened in the original brown cardboard binding. Rebacked with paper perfectly matching that of the boards. Corners restored. Title-page evenly browned and a few leaves with a bit of brownspotting but overall in unusually nice condition clean fresh and bright. Completely unmarked. A fabulous copy of the first edition of Kierkegaard’s dissertation here in the original binding which is of the utmost scarcity. We have only seen it in this state once before. And of all the copies we have handled of the Irony over the last decades we have only once before come across a copy with the advertisement-leaf in the back. This is virtually never present. This completely uncut copy is approximately 1 cm taller and wider than regular copies. The spines of the original Kierkegaard cardboard bindings are always just thin paper directly glued on the block making them extremely fragile especially on the thicker volumes. If one finds these original bindings the spines are almost always more or less disintegrated. Kierkegaard's dissertation constitutes the culmination of three years’ intensive studies of Socrates and “the true point of departure for Kierkegaard’s authorship” Brandes. The work is of the utmost importance in Kierkegaard’s production not only as his first academic treatise but also because he here introduces several themes that will be addressed in his later works. Among these we find the question of defining the subject of cognition and self-knowledge of the subject. The maxim of “know thyself” will be a constant throughout his oeuvre as is the theory of knowledge acquisition that he deals with here. The dissertation is also noteworthy in referencing many of Hegel’s theses in a not negative context something that Kierkegaard himself would later note with disappointment and characterize as an early uncritical use of Hegel. Another noteworthy feature is the fact that the thesis is written in Danish which was unheard of at the time. Kierkegaard felt that Danish was a more suitable language for the thesis and hadto petition the King to be granted permission to submit it in Danish rather than Latin. This in itself poses as certain irony as the young Kierkegaard was known to express himself poorly and very long-winded in written Danish. One of Kierkegaard’s only true friends his school friend H.P. Holst recounts in 1869 how the two had a special school friendship and working relationship in which Kierkegaard wrote Latin compositions for Holst while Holst wrote Danish compositions for Kierkegaard who “expressed himself in a hopelessly Latin Danish crawling with participial phrases and extraordinarily complicatedsentences” Garff p. 139. When Kierkegaard in 1838 was ready to publish his famous piece on Hans Christian Andersen see nr. 1 & 2 above which was to appear in Heiberg’s journal Perseus Heiberg had agreed to publish the piece although he had some severe critical comments about the way and the form in which it was written – if it were to appear in Perseus Heiberg demanded at the very least the young Kierkegaard would have to submit it in a reasonably readable Danish. “Kierkegaard therefore turned to his old schoolmate H. P. Holst and asked him to do something with the language…” Garff p. 139. From their school days Holst was well aware of the problem with Kierkegaard’s Danish and he recounts that over the summer he actually “translated” Kierkegaard’s article on Andersen into proper Danish. The oral defense was conducted in Latin however. The judges all agreed that the work submitted was both intelligent and noteworthy. But they were concerned about its style which was found to be both tasteless long-winded and idiosyncratic. We already here witness Kierkegaard’s idiosyncratic approach to content and style that is so characteristic for all of his greatest works. Both stylistically and thematically Kierkegaard’s and especially a clear precursor for his magnum opus Either-Or that is to be his next publication. The year 1841 is a momentous one in Kierkegaard’s life. It is the year that he completes his dissertation and commences his sojourn in Berlin but it is also the defining year in his personal life namely the year that he breaks off his engagement with Regine Olsen. And finally it is the year that he begins writing Either-Or. In many ways Either-Or is born directly out of The Concept of Irony and is the work that brings the theory of Irony to life. Part One of the dissertation concentrates on Socrates as interpreted by Xenophon Plato and Aristophanes with a word on Hegel and Hegelian categories. Part Two is a more synoptic discussion of the concept of irony in Kierkegaard’s categories with examples from other philosophers. The work constitutes Kierkegaard’s attempt at understanding the role of irony in disrupting society and with Socrates understood through Kierkegaard we witness a whole new way of interpreting the world before us. Wisdom is not necessarily fixed and we ought to use Socratic ignorance to approach the world without the inherited bias of our cultures. With irony we will be able to embrace the not knowing. We need to question the world knowing we may not find an answer. The moment we stop questioning and just accept the easy answers we succumb to ignorance. We must use irony to laugh at ourselves in order to improve ourselves and to laugh at society in order to improve the world. The work was submitted to the Philosophical Faculty at the University of Copenhagen on June 3rd 1841. Kierkegaard had asked for his dissertation to be ready from the printer’s in ample time for him to defend it before the new semester commenced. This presumably because he had already planned his sojourn to Berlin to hear the master philosopher Schelling. On September 16th the book was issued and on September 29th the defense would take place. The entire defense including a two hour long lunch break took seven hours during which ”an unusually full auditorium” would listen to the official opponents F.C. Sibbern and P.O. Brøndsted as well as the seven “ex auditorio” opponents F.C. Petersen J.L. Heiberg P.C. Kierkegaard Fr. Beck F.P.J. Dahl H .J.Thue og C.F. Christens not to mention Kierkegaard himself. Two weeks later on October 12th Kierkegaard broke off his engagement with Regine Olsen for the implications of this event see the section about Regine in vol. II. The work appeared in two states – one with the four pages of “Theses” for academics of the university whereas the copies without the theses were intended for ordinary sale. These sales copies also do not have “Udgivet for Magistergraden” and “theologisk Candidat” on the title-page. The present copy is one of the sales-copies without theses. Himmelstrup 8 The present copy is no. 11 in Girsel's "Kierkegaard" The Catalogue which can be found here. hardcover
1849ref. 63617Kjøbenhavn Reitzel 1849. 8vo. 8 136 pp. Uncut in the original printed wrappers. The front wrapper with the text of the title-page all except the year repeated inside a double-line border inside which a line-border with ornamental corner-pieces. Back-wrapper with the year inside the same frame. Excellently rebacked and with a closed tear to the front wrapper. Wrappers with light brownspotting. Some brownspotting mostly to first and last leaves. With the ownership signature of Henning Kehler to front free end-paper. A magnificent copy of the first edition in the extremely rare original wrappers with a very interesting provenance. Sickness unto Death is one of the main works of Christian existentialism. It is this monumental work which introduces the new pseudonym of Anti-Climacus that we find Kierkegaard’s concept of despair and it is here that he develops his theory of “the sin of despair”. Together with Training in Christianity Kierkegaard considered Sickness Unto Death ”the most valuable I have produced” and indeed many consider this work the most perfect of all of his works. Here Christianity is expressed in its most idealized form. Kierkegaard suffered daily from worries that publishing the work would convey that he was himself an ideal Christian and he long left it unpublished. Finally after more than a year of worries and considerations he decided that as with his major philosophical works this too would have a pseudonymous author and himself merely as the publisher. The pseudonym here however had another purpose than the earlier ones. Instead of deceiving or qualifying the work esthetically the pseudonym is chosen for Kierkegaard not to present himself as the perfect Christian. He chose a new pseudonym that perfectly contrasted the author of Philosophical Fragments and Concluding Unscientific Postscript Johannes Climacus who did not see himself as a Christian namely Johannes Anti-Climacus and finally after more than a year of hesitation Kierkegaard could publish his religious masterpiece with peace of mind. “Anti-Climacus is also the author of Practice in Christianity. He might be considered the author of Kierkegaard’s greatest religious works just as Johannes Climacus is the author of the great pseudonymous esthetic works. H. Hong remarks “The prefix Anti- does not mean ‘against.’ An old form of ‘ante’ before as in ‘anticipate’ the prefix denotes a relation of rank as in ‘before me’ in the First Commandment”. In his journals Kierkegaard said “Climacus is lower denies he is a Christian. Anti-Climacus is higher a Christian on an extraordinarily high level”. Kierkegaard considered this work and Practice in Christianity to be among his most important. The Sickness Unto Death is a companion piece to the Concept of Anxiety which is also a “psychological” work and moves beyond the earlier preliminary psychological considerations of anxiety in the face of freedom or anxiety derived from and leading to sin. Like its companion this work is short but very dense. Here Kierkegaard considers the spiritual aspects of despair. As anxiety is related to the ethical despair is related to the religious that is to the eternal.” D. Anthony Storm Commentary on Kierkegaard. Kehler Henning 1891-1979 was a critic journalist and book collector. He was an important literary critic and especially influential in the years between to two world wars where he excelled in sharp conservative criticism of contemporary affairs. He wished to revitalize Danish culture and was worried about the contemporary materialism and lack of God. Kehler’s collection broadly focused on Danish literature included a significant collection of Kierkegaard. The present copy is no. 71 in Girsel's "Kierkegaard" The Catalogue which can be found here. unknown
1836Kjøbenhavn [i.e. Copenhagen], 1836. Large 4to. I: Loose, as issued, unbound. With a horizontal and a vertical crease down the middle. 4 pp. II: Loose, as issued, unbound, but inserted into a simple paper folder (small 8vo). With a horizontal and a vertical crease down the middle. 4 pp. + 4 pp. III: Loose, as issued, unbound, but inserted into a simple paper folder (small 8vo). With a horizontal and a vertical crease down the middle. 4 pp.
1850ref. 63619Kjøbenhavn, Reitzel, 1850. 8vo. (4), 277 pp. Completely uncut in the original blue cardboard binding. Magnificently preserved with the spine almost completely intact, including the original printed paper title-label. Tiny loss of paper to the capitals and a little loss to the lower front hinge. A small crack to lower back hinge, but binding remarkably firm and tight. Very neat re-enforcements to inner hinges, otherwise unrestored. Light occasional brownspotting. Pencil-annotation to inside of front board. A four-line annotation (about Dean Gude and a sermon he gave in April 1885) to foot of p. 98. With the ownership signature of H.P. Kierkegaard, also dated in his hand “d. 26de September 1850”. Housed in a beautiful black glitted box with elaborate gilding and Gothic gilt lettering to spine (Harry Larsen). A bit of wear to extremities. Himmelstrup 121.
1848ref. 63614Kjøbenhavn Reitzel 1848. 8vo. 103 pp. 74 pp. 96 pp. 77 pp. In the four original blue cardboard-bindings exactly as the work appeared. With the joint title-page in the first volume and with all the separate half-titles and separate title-pages. The volumes have a bit of edgewear and a little loss of paper here and there. Two volumes have been rebacked with paper matching the original. The fourth part has a bit of light scattered brownspotting but internally all volumes are remarkably clean and fresh. A splendid set. Housed in a beautiful custom-made box with red morroco spine with gilt Gothic lettering and double gilt lines. Sides covered in red marbled paper. Box made by Hanne Jensen. A truly remarkable set of the first edition in completely original condition with all four parts in the original bindings which is a true rarity. We have never seen a copy in this state before. Published in the midst of the politically tumultuous and revolutionary year 1848 Kierkegaard's Christian Discourses occupies a unique and inspirational position in European literature. With its simplicity and reflective inwardness the four sections of discourses both invoke Kierkegaard's collision with the established order of Christendom but at the same time serve as reassuring affirmations of the blessedness of Christian life – in the midst of a world that seemed to be governed by suffering uproar and fundamental change. Marx had published his Communist Manifesto on February 29 1848 Denmark had just gotten its first Prime Minister on March 22 and would get its first Constitution a year later. Kierkegaard's Christian Discourses was published on April 25 1848. This was amid the most widespread revolutionary wave in European history also known as The Springtime of Nations and a mere month after the fall of the absolute monarchy in Denmark March 21st. But Kierkegaard recognized only one danger: the religious danger. On March 27 1848 he wrote in his journal: "So here I sit. Outside everything is in movement nationalism surges high in all everyone talks of sacrificing life and blood is perhaps ready to do it but supported by the omnipotence of public opinion. And here I sit in a quiet room I will doubtlessly soon be in ill repute for indifference to the national cause; I recognize only one danger: the religious danger." NB 4:118. The Christian Discourses consists of twenty-eight discourses that are divided into four equal sections of seven discourses each on Biblical texts. The work is arranged in contrasting styles. Whereas Parts One The Cares of the Pagans and Three Thoughts That Wound from Behind--for Upbuilding are polemical and can be read as invoking Kierkegaard's collision with the established order of Christendom Parts Two Joyful Notes in the Strife of Suffering and Four Discourses at the Communion on Fridays are reassuring for the single individual affirming the joy and blessedness of a Christian life. The work is written in a simple style accessible for everyone and it presents key Christian themes and concepts in a clear and simple way thus serving as one of the best introductions to the Christendom of Kierkegaard. It is furthermore here that he introduces his Discourses at the Communion on Fridays a completely novel genre that came to play a significant role in Kierkegaard's later writings. The work was published in four parts with separate title-pages and with half-titles stating First to Fourth section. The work is almost always found in one volume as it also appeared but the four parts also appeared separately. The present copy is no. 60 in Girsel's "Kierkegaard" The Catalogue which can be found here.
