Siddhartha.    Berlin: S. Fischer Verlag, 1922.

First edition.

Octavo. [152] pp.

Publisher’s fragile orange paper boards, with author’s name and title printed on the front cover and spine. Some light soiling and discoloration to boards, minor ink-spot touching the fore-edge of first 30 pages. Overall, a good copy of this important work.

First edition of this highly influential work, written after the author’s travels in India. Written in German, this allegorical novel follows the spiritual journey of Siddhartha, an Indian man living during the time of Buddha. Though composed in a simple style, the power and lyricism of Hesse’s writing is unmistakable; the work was published in the United States in 1951, and was profoundly influential during the Peace Movement of the 1960’s.

Siddhartha Gautama was the mythical Hindi name attributed to Buddha before his renunciation and eventual achievement of Nirvana. From the Sanskrit siddha meaning “accomplished” and artha meaning “goal” Siddhartha” means “he who has attained his goals” or “he who is victorious.” The Siddhartha in the Hesse’s novel is not in fact the Buddha, who in the book goes by the name “Gotama.”

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ID: 3563

$ 9,000