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Famous discours on the fable

LESSING, Gotthold Ephraim.
Fabeln. Drey Bücher. Nebst Abhandlungen mit dieser Dichtungsart verwandten Inhalts.

With allegorical engraving of an owl sitting on a book on title, and fine engraved allegorical frontispiece comprising Minerva holding a mask and little Putti looking at the large shield at Minerva's feet which shows a head of Medusa on the outside and a little monkey on the inside, both signed by J.W. Meil.

With allegorical engraving of an owl sitting on a book on title, and fine engraved allegorical frontispiece comprising Minerva holding a mask and little Putti looking at the large shield at Minerva's feet which shows a head of Medusa on the outside and a little monkey on the inside, both signed by J.W. Meil.

With allegorical engraving of an owl sitting on a book on title, and fine engraved allegorical frontispiece comprising Minerva holding a mask and little Putti looking at the large shield at Minerva's feet which shows a head of Medusa on the outside and a little monkey on the inside, both signed by J.W. Meil.

With allegorical engraving of an owl sitting on a book on title, and fine engraved allegorical frontispiece comprising Minerva holding a mask and little Putti looking at the large shield at Minerva's feet which shows a head of Medusa on the outside and a little monkey on the inside, both signed by J.W. Meil.



Berlin, Christian Friedrich Voss, 1759. Sm. 8vo. Contemp. marbled calf, spine ribbed and gilt with orange title-label, peacock-fashion blue marbled edges. With allegorical engraving of an owl sitting on a book on title, and fine engraved allegorical frontispiece comprising Minerva holding a mask and little Putti looking at the large shield at Minerva's feet which shows a head of Medusa on the outside and a little monkey on the inside, both signed by J.W. Meil. XII, 249 [=250] pp.

Rare first edition of Lessing's fables, together with an interesting extensive essay on the genre. The frontispiece reflects the author's views on poetry and the fable, depicting instead of Aesop or an allegorical figure of the fable, Minerva, the Goddess of Wisdom and Patroness of Arts and Sciences, with an owl for widom at her feet, which is also depicted on the title-page. But Minerva is holding a mask in front of her face, while several Putti throw attention to the emblematic figures on Minerva's shield: Medusa's head and a monkey. Mask and monkey emblematicly represent imitation and Medusa's head implies the dominance of mind over sense.
Lessing was an enlightened thinker and writer, and always in search of truth. In Lessing's view the fable depicted a real moral dilemma and the reader should detect the moral truth of the fable by using his "ratio". Lessing preferred Shakespeare over the French classics and he is generally considered a predecessor of German Classicism. His play "Nathan der Weise", from 1770, represented the height of German enlightened literature.

Fine copy, with the bookplate of Otto Landsberg.- (Binding sl. rubbed, spine restored).
Fabula Docet 114; Rühman, 18th Jhrh., 636; not in Wegehaupt; cf. Lex. Kinder- u. Jugendlit., 367.

Related Subjects: 18th Century  Enlightenment  Fable Books  Germany  Literature 

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