brobjer, thomas h. nietzsche's reading and private library, 1885-1889

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Nietzsche's Reading and Private Library, 1885-1889 Author(s): Thomas H. Brobjer Source: Journal of the History of Ideas, Vol. 58, No. 4 (Oct., 1997), pp. 663-693Published by: University of Pennsylvania PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3653965Accessed: 30-03-2015 07:01 UTC

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Nietzsche's Reading and Private Library, 1885-1889

Thomas H. Brobjer

One can easily get the impression that Nietzsche read little, especially later in his life. He criticizes reading because it is not sufficiently life-affirming and Dionysian: "Early in the morning at the break of day, in all the freshness and dawn of one's strength, to read a book-I call that vicious!..."' He also criticizes it for making one reactive and forcing one to be concerned with the thoughts of others rather than with one's own:

My eyes alone put an end to all bookwormishness, in plain terms philology: I was redeemed from the "book," for years I read nothing-the greatest favour I have ever done myself!-That deepest self, as it were buried and grown silent under a constant compulsion to listen to other selves (-and that is what reading means!) awoke slowly, timidly, doubt- fully-but at length it spoke again.2

This impression is strengthened by the fact that in his published books from 1885-88 very few contemporary and minor authors and books are mentioned.

I wish to thank Kristina Bold who helped me decipher a number of Nietzsche's almost illegible comments in the margins of his books and Dr. Johan Flemberg for improving the clarity of my arguments. For good service in Nietzsche's library in Weimar I wish to thank Frau Schmidt, Frau Kuhles, and my friends Herr Erdmann Wilamowitz and Dr. Frank Simon- Ritz. For financial support for many journeys to Weimar and other German libraries over several years I owe gratitude to Thuns resestipendier, the Swedish Institute, Magn Bergwall's Foundation, and the Wenner-Gren Foundation.

Friedrich Nietzsche, Ecce Homo (hereafter EH), "Why I Am So Clever," 8 (Har- mondsworth, 1979), tr. R. J. Hollingdale. For quotations from Nietzsche's published books I have used Hollingdale's excellent translations where available, but I have always compared them, and occasionally made changes in them, with the text in the German standard edition: Friedrich Nietzsche: Samtliche Werke. Kritische Studienausgabe in 15 Banden, ed. Colli and Montinari (Munich, 1980), abbreviated as KSA. All translations from letters and notes are my own. The numbers in the references to Nietzsche's books are to the numbered sections into which all books are divided, not pages.

2 EH, "MA," 4. 663

Copyright 1997 by Journal of the History of Ideas, Inc.


Thomas H. Brobjer He also explicitly claims that he read little: "It does not perhaps lie in my nature to read much or many kinds of things: a reading room makes me ill.... Caution, even towards new books is rather part of my instinct."3 Concretely, he claims in Ecce Homo that, "I have to reckon back half a year to catch myself with a book in my hand. But what was it?-An excellent study by Victor Brochard, les Sceptiques Grecs."4 As suggested in a quotation above, and as a major leitmotif in his letters, his health and especially that of his eyes is another reason to assume that he read little. This is also how most philosophers and historians have tended to treat Nietzsche-as an isolated, profound thinker.

However, this impression and Nietzsche's claims here are to a large extent incorrect. Nietzsche was, in fact, a rather substantial reader. This is true not only for his younger days but also for his last four active years, 1885-88.5 Contrary to his claim that he is hostile to new books, he was very pleased with the large trilingual bookshop Loscher in Turin. He was a frequent and good enough customer to know its "Chef " and to make contacts through it.6 Nietzsche frequently used other bookshops, ordered book catalogues, and asked for rec- ommendations of new book titles.7 Nietzsche found some of the most important books in his life as random discoveries in bookshops, for example, those of Schopenhauer, Stendhal, and Dostoyevsky. Contrary to his claim that a reading room made him ill, he praised Turin for its good libraries,8 and he wrote to his sister: "one cannot even with ten horses draw me to a place where, if I am correctly informed, not even a good library is to be found."9 Libraries were

3 EH, "Why I Am So Clever," 3. He makes a similar claim in The Gay Science, book V, 366: "We do not belong to those who have ideas only among books, when stimulated by books. It is our habit to think outdoors.... We read rarely, but not worse on that account."

4 EH, "Why I Am So Clever," 3. Nietzsche's mental collapse occurred in early January 1889.

6 Letter to Franziska Nietzsche, Turin, 27 May 1888: "Yesterday the local philosopher, Professor Pasquale D'Ercole made a very polite visit. He, now dekanus for the philosophical faculty in the local University, had in the bookshop Loscher heard that I was here." Cf. letter to Peter Gast, 20 April 1888. In a letter to Nietzsche from his sister, 14 March 1880, she tells him how an employee in the Detloffschen Bookshop (probably in Basel) had told her that always when he saw Nietzsche in the bookshop he wanted to mention a cure for his headaches and dizziness, but had been too reticent-implying not infrequent visits by Nietzsche.

7 Nietzsche subscribed in 1880 to a weekly list of new books and asked for other book catalogues. At this time Nietzsche also wrote to his sister, April 1880, and asked her to keep her eyes open for new interesting books: "If you, my dear sister, when you read 'Revue des deux mondes' see a book which is strongly recommended (historical or philosophical), so write it to me, I would be very grateful."

8 In letters to his friend Seydlitz, 13 May 1888 and to his sister, 14 September 1888. 9 Letter to Elisabeth Forster, 3 November 1886: "mich brachte man nicht mit zehn Pferden

dahin, wo, wenn ich recht berichtet bin, nicht einmal eine gute Bibliothek zu finden ist. Unter uns gesagt, meine liebe Schwester, wie ich nun einmal zum Leben und zur Aufgabe gestellt bin, die ich zu erfullen habe, so habe ich Europa nothwendig, weil es der Sitz der Wissenschaft auf Erden ist." Already in an earlier letter from 23 November 1885 Nietzsche had written in regard to Paraguay: "Die Abwesenheit grol3er Bibliotheken ist vielleicht nicht geniigend ins Licht gestellt. Verzeihung, mein altes Lama, wenn das krankliche Culturthier, Dein Bruder,

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Nietzsche's Reading, 1885-1889

important for Nietzsche's reading, and the quality of the libraries was an important determining factor in deciding Nietzsche's travels and places of resi- dence. He even occasionally wrote to libraries to inquire if they were suitable for his purposes and for deciding if he would visit the town.'0 During the period 1885-88 Nietzsche used the libraries in Nice, Leipzig, Chur, Venice, Turin, and the Hotel Alpenrosen's library in Sils-Maria. He probably also used the library in Zurich and possibly in other towns, and he planned to visit Stuttgart for the sake of its library.

Nietzsche did not have a permanent address during the period discussed in this article and hence travelled frequently. But travelling was difficult for him and almost without exception made him ill, and it was more difficult still with a heavy load of books. During these years Nietzsche lived on a low pension from the University of Basel and constantly worried about his expenses. In spite of this he bought a not insignificant number of books. His private library today contains 60 books published from 1885 to 1888 and in 23 of these Nietzsche has made markings, often extensively, and from several of the other books he wrote excerpts into his notebooks. Some of the books Nietzsche bought would also have been published before 188511 (and some of the 75 books in the library which do not give the year of publication would have been bought during this period). We can thus see, very roughly, that Nietzsche bought about one hundred books during the last four years of his active life, i.e., about one every two weeks. Apart from reading books in libraries and buying books, including some sent to Nietzsche by the authors, Nietzsche borrowed (mostly through the mail) a significant number of books from friends, especially Overbeck and Gast, but also from others. In the appendices below are listed all the books Nietzsche refers to in a manner suggesting that he used or read them between 1885 and 1889. This listing is based on Nietzsche's letters (and letters to Nietzsche), his notebooks, his private library, and some secondary sources.

sich gar noch Scherze erlaubt." Nietzsche also quotes Cicero in a short note written between November 1887 and March 1888, KSA 13, 11[18], which just consists of the words: "si hortum cum bibliotheca habes, nihil deerit. Cicero," which means "he who has a garden with a library lacks nothing." In a letter from Chur, 20 May 1887, Nietzsche writes: "The library in Chur, ca 20 000 volumes, gives me for education this and that." He then goes on and discusses three books.

'0 Letter to Franz Overbeck, 14 April 1887: "Ich habe einen Ort mit einer groBen Bibliothek fur meine 'Zwischenakte' n6thig; zuletzt habe ich an Stuttgart gedacht. Man hat mir die sehr liberalen Statuten der Stuttgarter Bibliothek iibersandt."

" Nietzsche, for example, often ordered books from the "Antiquar Herrn Alfred Lorentz" in Leipzig. Unfortunately, most of the letters between Nietzsche and Lorentz have been lost, and therefore the information what books Nietzsche ordered, but we have four letters from 1885-89 in which Nietzsche refers to payments to Lorentz for books. The bookshop Lbscher in Turin, often visited by Nietzsche in 1888, sold books in three languages and also second-hand books.

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Thomas H. Brobjer Nietzsche claims in Ecce Homo not to have held a book in his hand for half

a year (since Brochard). The appendix below will show that this is far from true. Even if we interpret "catch myself with a book in my hand" as meaning that he had read all or most of the book, it remains incorrect. Nietzsche writes Ecce Homo between 15 October and 4 November 1888. Nietzsche does not mention Brochard in his letters, and therefore it is not certain when he read it, but notes in his notebooks from the early spring contain notes from the book and Nietzsche himself suggests that it was more than half a year before that. During the period May to October 1888 Nietzsche was immensely active as an author: he wrote Der Fall Wagner, Gotzen-Ddmmerung, and Der Antichrist. Nonetheless, we have evidence of his reading at least; Jacolliot, Spitteler, Stendhal, Nohl, Goncourts, Brandes, Fere, and Hehn. There is strong reason to assume that he read more than this, especially fiction, but about this we have no definite evidence.

After having claimed that he read little, Nietzsche states: "I take flight almost always to the same books, really a small number, those books which have proved themselves precisely to me."'2 He goes on and tells us which books these are: "It is really a small number of older Frenchmen to whom I return again and again" and he mentions Montaigne, Moliere, Corneille, and Racine. He then mentions more recent Frenchmen: Paul Bourget, Pierre Loti, Gyp, Meilhac, Anatole France, Jules Lemaitre, and Guy de Maupassant.'3 He also mentions Taine, Stendhal, and Prosper Merimee. In the next section he mentions Heinrich Heine, Byron's Manfred, and Shakespeare.

This listing is not particularly informative or reliable. For example, no ancient authors are mentioned in spite of their importance to him and his claim that the "Graeco-Roman splendour, which was also a splendour of books ... some books for whose possession one would nowadays exchange half of some national literatures."'4 The reason for this is that Nietzsche moved the section dealing with antiquity-"What I Owe to the Ancients" from Ecce Homo to Gotzen-Dammerung. Another reason why it is uninformative is that the listing seems mainly to refer to fiction, that is, reading as recreation and "mere literature," while Nietzsche's interest is more directed towards that which is written in blood. More scholarly and philosophical books are also missing, and Nietzsche read a considerable number of such books, some of which he returned to frequently, such as those by Lange, Spir, Ree, Schopenhauer, Emerson, and others.

12 EH, "Why I Am So Clever," 3. 13 Note that for none of these authors, with the exception of Montaigne, Bourget, and

perhaps Loti, do we have any evidence if, or when, he read them during the period 1885-89. For the "more recent Frenchmen" it is most likely that he read most of them after 1885. On the whole, Nietzsche's French was such that he did not read fiction in French before about 1880.

14 On the Genealogy of Morals, tr. W. Haufmann and R. J. Hollingdale (New York, 1969), III, 22 (hereafter GM).

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The result is that there is a weak correlation between this list and a listing of persons that Nietzsche most often, and most praisingly, refers to in his published works, such as Goethe, Homer, Shakespeare, Voltaire, Sophocles, Aeschylus, Lessing, Heraclitus, Horace, Byron, Raphael, and Montaigne.'5 An earlier listing Nietzsche made in the first draft to Ecce Homo of which authors had proved themselves to him is more informative.16 It contained Montaigne, Stendhal, Emerson, Sterne (Tristram Shandy), Lichtenberg, Galiani, and Petronius. This listing too does not mention many incontrovertible figures like Goethe, Homer, Schopenhauer, Voltaire, etc. However, I will not here discuss what authors were most important to Nietzsche generally. An examination of Nietzsche's reading will show that he read much more than he suggested and authors other than those mentioned.

In this paper I will examine Nietzsche's reading and library over the period 1885-89. The emphasis is on the authors and books which it can be shown that he read or used. This means that the focus will not be on the main "friends and enemies" to whom Nietzsche so often refers in his published writings, since he did not read most of them during this period, or at least we lack evidence of such reading. I will examine how much Nietzsche read and what he read, and give my results in the appendices. There is no room for a detailed discussion of individual works and authors, although such a discussion would help to clarify Nietzsche's thinking and make more comprehensible many of Nietzsche's concepts and intentions. For example, such Nietzschean concepts as ressentiment, nihilism, Ubermensch, decadence, Zarathustra, and virtui all occur in the books Nietzsche read. Further, several such concepts Nietzsche wrote in the margins of the books he read; for example, it seems likely that the first time Nietzsche ever wrote the word "ressentiment" was in the margin of E. Duhring's Der Werth des Lebens (1865), which Nietzsche read in 1875, and the expression "Wille zur Macht" he has written in the margins of several books he read (for example, Drossbach, Liebmann, Hoffding, and twice in Guyau).

Another important task is to examine how Nietzsche responded to his reading and how this influenced the contents of his published works. As we shall see, Nietzsche's philosophy is profoundly colored by his reading. Here again, little has been done but because of the extensive influence this task must be dealt with separately. I am at present working on commentaries to G6tzen- Dammerung and Der Antichrist which will include more detailed discussions of Nietzsche's reading relevant for these works.

15 This is a listing of the persons to whom Nietzsche most often refers with praise in his published works. For a fuller discussion, see my Nietzsche's Ethics of Character (Uppsala, 1995).

16 KSA 14, 476-77. This earlier listing was written in October 1888 but replaced by the printed version in December 1888.

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Thomas H. Brobjer Method, Purpose, and Previous Research

An important approach to understanding a philosopher is to reconstruct his thinking not as a number of propositions but as answers to questions and implicit questions. This approach, which has been advocated by Collingwood,'7 can be done by using the philosopher's texts alone; but the result is greatly improved when his reading and his response to this reading also are taken into consideration. This does not only increase our factual knowledge of the thinker's interests and knowledge but can also help us to "know" and understand him better. If, as is the case with Nietzsche, the philosopher has annotated the books, then we are able to meet him not only in the omnipotent role of the author but also in the much humbler role of the listener and commentator, so that we have the opportunity not only to listen to the thinker pontificating but also, so to speak, to listen in on his conversations with other thinkers. Many aspects of a philosopher's thinking become much clearer when we see his response to similar (or different) kinds of thinking in someone else's writings. For example, our understanding of Nietzsche increases when we see his response to thinkers who use physiological explanations and utopian visions. Our knowledge of that sort of response can be an important contribution both to the understanding of the origin of these ideas in Nietzsche and to their interpretation. Almost all studies of Nietzsche's thinking have used Nietzsche's own statements (texts) as the starting point, rather than using the themes and questions to which his texts are a response, and which often came from his reading.

Very little interest and research have been directed at the implicit questions Nietzsche attempted to answer, and very little use has been made of his reading and library. This neglect is surprising in view of the fact that so much has been written about Nietzsche-more than 4566 books and more substantial articles until 1967, and more than 1,300 in English alone between 1968 and 1992- and that there are so many reasons to examine this material. Especially during the last years of his life, when he lived in isolation, his reading must have been especially important for him. Like Plato and Rousseau, Nietzsche is easy to read but relatively difficult to understand, and a knowledge of his reading would surely make this easier. Moreover, since Nietzsche's thinking has evoked interest in so many different fields of knowledge such as psychology, sociology, religion, music, etc., one would expect scholars in these disciplines, even more perhaps than philosophers, to be interested in Nietzsche's reading in and knowledge of these fields. Nor do scholars have to be content with a list of books Nietzsche read and then guess his response, since his private library remains essentially intact. A large proportion of the books Nietzsche read he also possessed (about half of them for the last four years, 1885-89), and these are avail-

'7 R. G. Collingwood, An Autobiography (Oxford, 1939), especially chapter v: "Question and answer," 29-43.

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able for study. Nietzsche's private library consists today of about 900 titles, about 1100 volumes, about 170 annotated by him, many heavily.18

There are probably a number of reasons why this source of information has been used to such a limited extent. Nietzsche's own words in Ecce Homo, quoted at the beginning of the article, implied that he read little and that this reading was not important. This view is often strengthened by a general Nietzscheanism shared by most writers on Nietzsche. Perhaps most important for the post-world war period is that Nietzsche's library is situated in Weimar, which until recently was part of East Germany, where the authorities regarded Nietzsche as a non-person and therefore held the library closed to both visitors and researchers. It is only in the last few years that the library has been open to researchers.

Another rather mundane reason is that the existence of Nietzsche's library is not known to many scholars and philosophers. Although there exist three published accounts and listings of the content of the library, these have all been published in obscure journals and are not well known. The first two, published by Elisabeth Nietzsche, are incomplete and much less reliable and less useful than the third.'9

Nietzsche's reading history and library are not used and almost never even mentioned in the standard books about Nietzsche, such as those by Kaufmann, Schacht, Clark, Danto, Heidegger, Deleuze, Lowith, Nehamas, Jaspers, and Lampert.20 Nor, in any of the many books published about Nietzsche and poli- tics during the last decade is there any discussion of Nietzsche's (limited) reading of "political books" and his response to this reading.

This means that many studies of Nietzsche's relation to and knowledge of important thinkers (for him) such as Mill, Wellhausen, and Pascal have not

18 Apart from the information which can be gained from the annotations, the library (and the books Nietzsche read) shows us the extent, and the bias, of Nietzsche's knowledge of many fields, such as evolution and cosmology. Still more obvious, the library shows us the extent and the bias of Nietzsche's knowledge about many persons to whom he so often refers with ad hominem statements in his published works. This includes not only such important figures as Mill, Kant, and Pascal but also such minor ones (for Nietzsche) as Max Stirner and William James who are both discussed in books Nietzsche read.

'9 1. Elisabeth Forster-Nietzsche, "Friedrich Nietzsches Bibliothek" in Biicher und Wege zu Biicher, ed. Artur Berthold (Berlin, 1900), 427-56. 2. Elisabeth F6rster-Nietzsche, "Friedrich Nietzsches Bibliothek" in Deutscher Bibliophilen-Kalender fir das Jahr 1913, ed. Hans Feigl (Vienna, no year of publication given), 103-23. 3. Max Oehler, Nietzsches Bibliothek in Vierzehnte Jahresgabe der Gesellschaft der Freunde des Nietzsche-Archivs (Weimar, 1942), with 56 pages and 8 facsimile pages of a few pages from books in the library. The third work also contains a listing of the books Nietzsche borrowed from the libraries at Pforta and Basel. A fuller account of this has been given by Luca Crescenti, "Verzeichnis der von Nietzsche aus der Universitatsbibliothek in Basel entliehenen Biicher (1869-1879)," Nietzsche-Studien, 23 (1994).

20 Nor does it appear as if the library and its contents are even mentioned in the two English biographies of Nietzsche: R. J. Hollingdale, Nietzsche: The Man and his Philosophy (London, 1965), and R. Hayman, Nietzsche: A Critical Life (London, 1980).

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Thomas H. Brobjer been done at all. Likewise many important topics such as Nietzsche's relation to the history of law, the French Revolution, and a large number of scientific matters also have not been explored. Some studies have been made but without knowledge of Nietzsche's library and reading. For example, Geoffrey C. Fidler has written an article about Guyau and Nietzsche, without use of, or even reference to, Nietzsche's annotations in his two books by Guyau (which are two of the most heavily annotated books in Nietzsche's library).21 Robin Small has written about Nietzsche and Spir22 and Nietzsche and Diihring23 without reference to Nietzsche's annotations of the relevant places in these heavily annotated books. In Whitman and Nietzsche C. N. Stavrou claims that "no direct link between the two exists" and that they had no knowledge of each other's existence.24 However, in fact, a book in Nietzsche's library by Karl Knortz, with whom he corresponded, has the title Walt Whitman: Vortrag.25 George J. Stack has written two excellent full-size books about Nietzsche and Lange and Nietzsche and Emerson without using Nietzsche's immense amount of annotations in his Emerson books and his limited annotations in his copy of Lange's Geschichte der Materialismus, annotations which are almost certainly so limited only because Nietzsche had lost his copy of the first edition which he had read intensively.26

Even such simple questions as to what extent Nietzsche had read, say Mill, or what knowledge about Mill he possessed has until now remained essentially unanswered. Without answers to such questions it is difficult to interpret, evaluate or even to respond (except for the all too common argument that Nietzsche was merely prejudiced) to most of Nietzsche's many, often ad hominem, statements in regard to other thinkers. Until now we have had a very limited knowledge of the themes and questions which Nietzsche saw and responded to.

There does not exist any book-size study, either in English or German, which deals with Nietzsche's reading and library to any greater extent. Nor do there even seem to exist any articles which more generally deal with these questions. The one exception here is the first essay in Ralph-Rainer Wuthenow's Nietzsche als Leser: Drei Essays, which, however, consists of a rather short and general discussion of Nietzsche's reading based only on his published statements (which, as we have seen above, are not always reliable).27

21 "On Jean-Marie Guyau, Immoraliste," JHI, 55 (1994), 75-98.

22 "Nietzsche, Spir and Time," Journal of the History of Philosophy, 32 (1994), 85-102.

23 "Nietzsche, Duhring and Time," Journal of the History of Philosophy, 28 (1990), 229-

50. 24 Whitman and Nietzsche: A Comparative Study of Their Thought (Chapel Hill, 1966,

1969). 25 New York, 1886. 26 Nietzsche and Lange (1983), Nietzsche and Emerson: An Elective Affinity (Athens,

Ohio, 1992). 27 Hamburg, 1994.

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What does exist is a rather small number of mostly recently published, specialist studies of Nietzsche's relation to one or a few books.28 All of these seem to have been written in German,29 and most published in Nietzsche-Studien, where one to two articles per year during the last few years have dealt with Nietzsche's reading. Nietzsche-Studien also publishes yearly philological material relevant for Nietzsche's reading under the heading "Beitrige zur Quel- lenforschung."

28 Some of the more relevant studies I have found are (not all, but most of them making use of Nietzsche's library): M. Bauer, "Zur Genealogie von Nietzsches Kraftbegriff. Nietzsches Auseinandersetzung mit J. G. Vogt," Nietzsche-Studien, 13 (1984); W. v. Rahden, "Eduard von Hartmann ,und' Nietzsche. Zur Strategie der verzogerten Konterkritik Hartmanns an Nietzsche," Nietzsche-Studien, 13 (1984); F. Gerratana, "Der Wahn jenseits des Menschen. Zur frihen E. v. Hartmann-Rezeption Nietzsches (1869-1874)" Nietzsche-Studien, 17 (1988); A. Venturelli, "Asketismus und Wille zur Macht. Nietzsches Auseinandersetzung mit Eugen Diihring," Nietzsche-Studien, 15 (1986); H.-E. Lampl, "Ex oblivione: Das Fere-Palimpsest," Nietzsche- Studien, 15 (1985); A. Etter, "Nietzsche und das Gesetzbuch des Manu," Nietzsche-Studien, 16 (1987); M. Stingelin, "Nietzsches Wortspiel als Reflexion auf poet(olog)ische Verfahren," Nietzsche-Studien, 17 (1988); A. Meijers und M. Stingelin, "Konkordanz zu den w6rtlichen Abschriften und Ubemahmen von Beispielen und Zitaten aus Gustav Gerber: Die Sprahe als Kunst (Bromberg, 1871) in "Nietzsches Rhetorik-Vorlesung und in 'Ueber Wahrheit und Luge im aussermoralischen Sinne,"' Nietzsche-Studien, 17 (1988); A. Meijers, "Gustav Gerber und Friedrich Nietzsche. Zum historischen Hintergrund der sprachphilosophischen Auffassungen des friihen Nietzsche," Nietzsche-Studien, 17 (1988); B. Wahrig-Schmidt, "'Irgendwie- jedenfalls physiologisch'. Friedrich Nietzsche, Alexandre Herzen (fils) und Charles Fere 1888" Nietzsche-Studien, 17 (1988); R. W. Schmidt, "Nietzsches Drossbach-Lekture. Bemerkungen zum Ursprung des literarischen Projekts 'Der Wille zur Macht,' " Nietzsche-Studien, 17 (1988); R. Grimm, "Embracing Two Horses: Tragedy, Humor, and Inwardness; or, Nietzsche, Vischer, and Julius Bahnsen," Nietzsche-Studien, 18 (1989); J. Figl, "Nietzsches friihe Begegnung mit dem Denken Indiens. Auf der Grundlage seiner unveroffentlichten Kollegnachschrift aus Philosophiegeschichte (1865)," Nietzsche-Studien, 18 (1989); H. E. Lampl, "Flair du livre: Friedrich Nietzsche undTheodule Ribot" Nietzsche-Studien, 18 (1989); M.-L. Haase, "Friedrich Nietzsche liest Francis Galton," Nietzsche-Studien, 18 (1989); L. Duncan, "Heine and Nietzsche," Nietzsche-Studien, 19 (1990); M. Brusotti, "Die "Selbstverkleinerung des Menschen" in der Modeme. Studie zu Nietzsches Zur Genealogie der Moral," Nietzsche- Studien, 21 (1992); J. Scheider, "Nietzsches Basler Vortrage Ueber die Zukunft unserer Bildungsanstalten im Lichte seiner Lektiire padagogischer Literatur," Nietzsche-Studien, 21 (1992); M. Brusotti, "Opfer und Macht. Zu Nietzsches Lektiire von Jacob Wackemagels 'Uber den Ursprung des Brahmanismus,' " Nietzsche-Studien, 22 (1993); D'Iorio, "La superstition des philosophes critiques. Nietzsche et African Spir," Nietzsche-Studien, 22 (1993); H. E. Lampl, "Auf den Spuren des Lesers Friedrich Nietzsche," Nietzsche-Studien, 22 (1993); Luca Crescenzi, "Verzeichnis der von Nietzsche aus der Universitatsbibliothek in Basel entliehenen Bucher (1869-1879)" Nietzsche-Studien, 23 (1994); S. Barbera, "Eine Quelle der friihen Schopenhauer-Kritik Nietzsches: Rudolf Hayms Aufsats 'Arthur Schopenhauer,' " Nietzsche- Studien, 24 (1995). The book "Centauren-Geburten": Wissenschaft, Kunst und Philosophie beim jungen Nietzsche, ed. Tilman Borsche, Federico Gerratana, and Aldo Venturelli (Berlin, 1994), contains several articles on the young Nietzsche's reading.

29 Some work may have been published in Italian by a group with a project entitled La biblioteca e le letture di Nietzsche (centered in Florence, Pisa, and Urbino), consisting of G. Campioni, P. D'Iorio, and A. Orsucci. They are working on a new detailed listing of all the books Nietzsche possessed.

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Thomas H. Brobjer The Importance of Reading for Nietzsche

One of the first things a reader notices when reading Nietzsche's works (with the exception of Zarathustra) is the large number of names of persons which are mentioned. They are much more frequent than in the works of most other philosophers. This wealth of names is a reflection of Nietzsche's belief that the writings of an author express his personality and Nietzsche's interest is, generally speaking, directed much more towards the man than towards the work.30 Therefore, few titles, but many authors, occur in his books. Another fundamental aspect of Nietzsche's philosophizing is his dislike of abstract thought, which often leads him to dialogues with earlier thinkers:

I too have been in the underworld, like Odysseus, and will often be there again.... There have been four pairs who did not refuse themselves to me.... With these I have had to come to terms when I have wandered long alone, from them will I accept judgement, to them will I listen when in doing so they judge one another. Whatever I say, re- solve, cogitate for myself and others: upon these eight I fix my eyes and see theirs fixed upon me.31

The list of names differs from time to time, but Nietzsche's "dialogue" with great (and minor) thinkers continued.32

Nietzsche is an unusually personal and existential philosopher who continually uses his experiences, including the people he met and the books he read, for his philosophy. From at least 1879, when he resigned from his profes- sorship at the University of Basel, his life became increasingly isolated, and he rarely met his friends or other intellectually stimulating people. This increased the necessity and value of reading for Nietzsche. The general view among modem readers and philosophers seems to be that Nietzsche created his thoughts and philosophy "out of himself." This is surely true to a large extent, but it is no less true that his reading was of immense value for him and that he sacrificed much for the sake of reading.

3 I have discussed this tendency in regard to morality in my study Nietzsche's Ethics of Character: A Study of Nietzsche's Ethics and its Place in the History of Moral Thinking (Uppsala, 1995), especially in the chapter entitled "The Place and Status of Persons in Nietzsche's Phi- losophy" 105-29.

31 Human, All Too Human, Part One of Volume Two: Assorted Opinions and Maxims, 408 (the last section). The names mentioned here are Epicurus, Montaigne, Goethe, Spinoza, Plato, Rousseau, Pascal, and Schopenhauer.

32 In a letter to his mother, end of April 1885, Nietzsche writes that since there are so few spiritual Germans he "almost only communicate[s] with dead men." In another letter to his sister and mother, 14 March 1885, he writes: "Anyway, there lives now no one in which I would place much value: the persons whom I value are dead since a long long time, e.g. Galiani or Henri Beyle or Montaigne."

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Nietzsche's relative isolation during these last active ten years meant that much of his communication with others was in the form of letters, and this also enables us to follow the course of his reading more closely than we would follow those of most other major thinkers.

It is easy to underestimate the importance of Nietzsche's reading, but many of both the major and the minor themes in his writing are profoundly influenced by it. Nor is his reading unimportant for the comprehension of his later books. Beyond Good and Evil (1886) contains more than 107 different names of persons; Towards a Genealogy of Morals (1887) is to a large extent a response to Nietzsche's reading of and about "English psychologists," including Ree; and in the history of law (his library contains ten books within this field and the majority of these are annotated by Nietzsche). Twilight of the Idols (1888) which Nietzsche calls "my philosophy in a nutshell" contains two parts, the first being a summary of Nietzsche's philosophy and the second (chapters "The 'Improvers' of Mankind," "Expeditions of an Untimely Man" and "What I Owe to the Ancients") being essentially a discussion of Nietzsche's reading. The Anti-Christ (written in 1888) would have been a very different book without Nietzsche's reading the Bible, Jacolliot, Strauss, Renan, Wellhausen, Tolstoi, Dostoyevsky, and many books about Buddhism and Luther.33

Practical Aspects of Nietzsche's Reading

From 1879 to the end of his active life in January 1889 Nietzsche had no permanent address and a very limited income. This causes a number of practical problems for a substantial reader and for our understanding of his reading. It can very reasonably also be an important factor in the belief that the late Nietzsche read little.

At the time when Nietzsche left Basel in 1879, some of his books were moved to his family home in Naumburg, and a substantial number were trans- ferred to his friend Franz Overbeck's mother-in-law, Frau Rothpletz, in Zurich. In 1882 these books were moved to Naumburg. Elisabeth Nietzsche claims that in 1879 Nietzsche sold a significant number of books, especially philological ones.3 During the first half of these ten wandering years Nietzsche often brought a large load of books with him. In 1883 he brought 104 kilograms of books with him to Sils-Maria and left them there until the next summer, when he brought them first to Zurich and then probably further to Mentone and Nice.3

33 Many other books are also relevant, but these are the most important ones. For their respective titles, see the appendix.

34 Elisabeth Forster-Nietzsche, "Friedrich Nietzsches Bibliothek" in Deutscher Biblio- philen-Kalenderfiir das Jahr 1913, ed. Hans Feigl (Vienna, n.d.), 107.

35 "[W]ith this clubfoot which I carry with me, I mean the 104 kilo books, I will not be

able to flee far away from here." Letter to his mother, 4 October 1884, written in Zurich.

673


Thomas H. Brobjer In 1881 Nietzsche spent the winter and spring in Genoa (November 1880-May 1881). When he moved on, he left a crate or suitcase containing books and other things with his landlady there. He was never again to collect this and its contents were therefore lost.36

By the period discussed in this paper, 1885-89, Nietzsche seems to have books placed at several different sites, including his mother's home in Naumburg. He had left the least important ones in Genoa, as discussed in the paragraph above. More importantly, we know that Nietzsche had a relatively large number of books in Nice. In 1885 he seems to refer to one "Bicherkiste" (chest or crate of books), in 1887 he refers to "a great amount of books,"37 and in 1888 he writes that three "Bucherkisten" are being sent from Nice to Turin and later that they have arrived.38 The first crate to which he refers in Nice is likely to be the large 104-kilogram heavy one. He also had at least one chest of books in Sils- Maria.39 Apart from this he used libraries and sent books through the post relatively frequently.

Another practical consideration regarding Nietzsche's reading was his recurring ill health. This, too, can be an important factor in the belief that Nietzsche read little. These illnesses included, among others, often recurrent migraines and stomach-ailments but most important in regard to Nietzsche's reading was his weak eyesight and his severe eye problems:

For the sake of reading and writing I need glasses Nr. 3.-if my three eyedoctors had been correct I would have become blind years ago. There are only a very few hours every day for writing and reading; and when the weather turns dark, none.o4

The problems with his eyes are a major theme in his letters throughout the last ten years.41 The condition was so serious that Nietzsche often referred to himself as half- and three-quarters- blind, and he worried about becoming totally blind. For long periods he could not serve himself at dinner, and had to be served, and this was a reason for his preference for eating alone so as not to be humiliated before the other hotel or boarding guests. Nietzsche's eyes to a large extent determined when and where he traveled.

36 Compare Nietzsche's letter to his mother and sister, Genoa, 28 April 1881 and Elisabeth Forster-Nietzsche's preface to "Friedrich Nietzsches Bibliothek" in Deutscher Bibliophilen- Kalenerfiir das Jahr 1913, ed. by Hans Feigl.

37 Letter to Franziska Nietzsche, 29 December 1887. 38 Letters to his mother, 11 December 1888 and 21 December 1888. 39 Letter to Franz Overbeck, 2 July 1885. 40 Letter to Carl Fuchs, 22 August 1888. 41 For example, "The eyes, painful day and night, forbid reading and writing" "the eye-

morality calls to me 'do not read and write, my Herr Professor!' " and "My eyes give me great worry and still more discomfort and boredom. My condition is such that I only with effort can read because of the many veils which moves before my eyes: and the eyes weep continually."

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My three-quarters-blindness forced me to give up all my own experi- mentation and as fast as possible to flee to Nizza, which my eyes have "learnt by heart." Yes, truly! And it has more light than Munich! Until now, I know no area with the exception of Nizza and Engadin [Sils- Maria] where I can manage to be working with the eyes a few hours daily.42

In spite of the problems with migraines and semi-blindness Nietzsche seems even during the worst periods to have been able to work for a couple of hours most days.

One way to alleviate the most acute problems when the eyes prevented reading and writing was to have someone do it for him.43 Among others, his mother, sister, and Peter Gast often read to him. However, during the period 1885-89 Nietzsche's life was so isolated that he seems not to have employed his friends and family much to read to him. At least in 1885 it seems as if Nietzsche invited and employed for several weeks in Sils-Maria "a German lady from Meiningen" to read and write for him.44 Occasionally other acquain- tances of Nietzsche's seem to have offered to read to him.45

Nietzsche on the Art of Reading

Nietzsche had strong objections to general reading. This is perhaps most clearly expressed in the preface to Jenseits von Gut und Bdse, where the reason for this objection is also given: "with the aid of freedom of the press and the reading of newspapers, a state of affairs is achieved in which the spirit would no longer so easily feel itself to be a 'need!' " This critique, and especially its application to the reading of newspapers and journals, is a recurrent theme in his letters and writings and is related to his claim that one should be untimely. It is, at least partially, a heritage from Schul Pforta, in which the reading of newspapers was prohibited since it was regarded as preventing a deeper con- cern with history and antiquity. Nietzsche's fundamental objection to reading is that it makes the reader impersonal. This applies especially to scholarly reading. "The scholar, who really does nothing but 'trundle' books ... finally loses altogether the ability to think for himself. If he does not trundle he does not think. He replies to a stimulus (-a thought he has read) when he thinks- finally he does nothing but react."46 For similar reasons he claims: "Only ideas

42 Letter to Reinhart von Seydlitz in Munich, 26 October 1886. 43 Twice in Nietzsche's notebooks from 1885 he writes that he needs to have someone

who reads to him. KSA 11, 29[4] and 34[40]. 44 Nietzsche's letter to his sister, 20 May 1885 (letter 602). 45 Nietzsche's letter to his mother, c. 10 August 1885 (letter 620). 46 EH, "Clever," 8. Compare also FW, V, 366 and KSA 13, 11[412].

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Thomas H. Brobjer won by walking have any value."47 It is, however, a misconception to draw the conclusion from this that Nietzsche is against all forms of reading and every form of reader. Nietzsche's own writing with a view to publishing then be- comes inconsistent and his desire for readers still more so.

Nietzsche criticizes "bad" reading-and what he calls the modem reader- who seeks comfort or drunkenness when reading.48 The reader today, says Nietzsche, "takes about five words in twenty haphazardly and 'conjectures' their probable meaning"49 and he adds "how lazily, how reluctantly, how badly he reads!"50

As is so often the case with the understanding of Nietzsche, the critical or destructive side of his thinking has been emphasized much more than its con- structive side. In regard to reading, for example, Nietzsche says much about its importance and about the value of "good" reading. Speaking about the transi- tion from antiquity to the Middle Ages, Nietzsche expresses his regret for what existed in antiquity, but then was lost: "Every prerequisite for an erudite culture, all the scientific methods were already there, the great, the incomparable art of reading well had already been established-the prerequisite for a cultural tradition, for a uniform science."51 Already in Menschliches, Allzumenschliches (1878) Nietzsche had written a section entitled "The Art of Reading" in which he claims: "It was only when the art of correct reading, that is to say philology, arrived at its summit that science of any kind acquired continuity and con- stancy."52

What is the "right" reading according to Nietzsche? "Right" reading does not primarily require insight or a special method but rather character and train- ing. In theory it is simple; it is in practice that it is difficult and rare. Fundamen- tally, it requires two qualities: first, a slow, careful, thoughtful reading which is able to defer judgment and decision,53 and second but equally important, the

47 Twilight of the Idols, tr. R. J. Hollingdale (Harmondsworth, 1968), "Maxims and Ar- rows," 34 (hereafter GD from the German title).

48 KSA 11, 34[65] 49 Beyond Good and Evil, tr. R. J. Hollingdale (Harmondsworth, 1973), 192 (hereafter

JGB from the German title Jenseits von Gut und Bose). 50 JGB, 246 5' The Anti-Christ, tr. R. J. Hollingdale (Harmondsworth, 1968), 59 (hereafter AC). In the

last section of Die frohliche Wissenschaft, 383, he expresses his willingness "to remind my readers of the virtues of the right reader-what forgotten and unknown virtues they are!"- however without actually there doing it.

52 Human, All Too Human, tr. R. J. Hollingdale (Cambridge, 1986), I, 270 (hereafter MA from the German title Menschliches, Allzumenschliches).

53 In the preface to Morgenrote, section 5, written and added in 1886, Nietzsche writes: "I just as much as my book, are friends of lento. It is not for nothing that I have been a philologist, perhaps I am a philologist still, that is to say, a teacher of slow reading: ... For philology is that venerable art which demands of its votaries one thing above all: to go aside, to take time, to become still, to become slow-it is a goldsmith's art and connoisseurship of the word which has nothing but delicate, cautious work to do and achieves nothing if it does not achieve it lento.... this art does not so easily get anything done, it teaches to read well, that is to say, to

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almost opposite quality of the reader's personal presence, involvement and ru- mination.54 The correct synthesis of these abilities leads to good reading. How- ever, to this some other qualities need to be added, especially courage-to dare to see the world as it is." Nietzsche's recurrent praise of "realism," of not falsifying the world, includes the art of reading well. Finally, in the preface to Der Antichrist Nietzsche emphasizes that his readers must have intellectual integrity, courage, and reverence for themselves.

Nietzsche as Reader, Annotator, and Commentator, 1885 to 1889

An examination of the annotated books in Nietzsche's library shows that Nietzsche often was a highly active reader. Many of the annotated books contain more than ten markings (mostly underlining and marginal lines) per page for whole chapters. Nietzsche's comments in the margins of many books show that he often went into a sort of dialogue with the author expressed in frequent

read slowly, deeply, looking cautiously before and aft, with reservations, with doors left open, with delicate eyes and fingers.... My patient friends, this book desires for itself only perfect readers and philologists: learn to read me well!" In section 8 of the preface to GM, written in 1887, Nietzsche writes: "An aphorism, properly stamped and molded, has not been 'deci- phered' when it has simply been read rather, one has then to begin its exegesis, for which is required an art of exegesis.-To be sure, one thing is necessary above all if one is to practice reading as an art in this way, something that has been unlearned most thoroughly nowadays ... something for which one has almost to be a cow and in any case not a 'modern man': rumina- tion" In GD Nietzsche has a chapter called "What the Germans Lack" in which he discusses culture, Bildung, and education and emphasizes that culture and Bildung are the purpose of education and society. At the end of the chapter he emphasizes that for this three things are necessary: the ability to see, to think, and to speak and write. His description of the ability to see, in section 6, is instructive for his view of reading: "Learning to see-habituating the eye to repose, to patience, to letting things come to it; learning to defer judgement, to investigate and comprehend the individual case in all its apects.... A practical application of having learned to see: one will have become slow, mistrustful, resistant as a learner in general. In an attitude of hostile calm one will allow the strange, the novel of every kind to approach one first." In AC, 52 Nietzsche writes: "Another mark of the theologian is his incapacity for philology. Philology is to be understood here in a very wide sense as the art of reading well-of being able to read off a fact without falsifying it by interpretation, without losing caution, patience, subtlety in the desire for understanding. Philology as ephexis [indecisiveness] in interpretation" Compare KSA 13, 14[60] and 15[90]. In EH, "Books," 5 Nietzsche asks for "a good reader ... a reader such as I deserve, who reads me as good old philologists read their Horace."

4 In EH, "Wise," 2, Nietzsche describes the opposite of a decadent with the words: "He is always in his own company, whether he traffics with books, people or landscapes." The importance of personal involvement permeates Nietzsche's whole philosophy but is perhaps most visible in his rejection of philosophies which de-personalize. 55 EH, "Books" 3: "When I picture a perfect reader, I always picture a monster of courage and curiosity, also something supple, cunning, cautious, a born adventurer and discoverer." EH, Foreword, 3: "How much truth can a spirit bear, how much truth can a spirit dare? that became for me more and more the real measure of value. Error (-belief in the ideal-) is not blindness, error is cowardice.... Every acquisition, every step forward in knowledge is the result of courage, of severity towards oneself, of cleanliness with respect to oneself."

677


Thomas H. Brobjer use of words such as "yes," "no," "good, "very good," "bravo," "why" etc. Occasionally longer comments are written in the margins or at the bottom of the page.

Nietzsche is as a reader much more tolerant and more well-informed than one would perhaps have guessed from knowing only his published statements. This is, for example, the case with Mill, Lecky, Goncourt, and Zola whom Nietzsche curtly dismisses in his published writings and letters. However, Nietzsche's several copies of books written by Mill, Lecky, and Goncourt, re- spectively, are highly annotated and full with "ja" "gut" and "sehr gut."

Nietzsche's markings are mostly made by lead pencil. Sometimes red or blue pencil is used.56 Occasionally lead and colored pencil markings are found in the same book and on the same pages, implying at least partial rereadings (and it seems likely that he also often reread books with or without a lead pencil in his hand, making double and triple readings difficult to determine).

Nietzsche rarely (I believe not once during the period 1885-89) wrote his name (and the year) in the books he possessed. Usually, but not always, one can recognize Nietzsche's style and handwriting in the annotations. Especially his "NBs" (nota benes) are frequent and characteristic.

The most commonly recurring annotations, apart from marginal lines and underlinings, are (in approximate order of decreasing frequency): "NB," "!," "ja, "gut," "sehr gut," "?, "nein," "bravo," "falsch," occasionally names of persons, "warum?" and "ecco." In French books some of the shorter comments are in French. Occasionally, but rarely, invectives such as "Esel" (ass) are used. Nietzsche rarely annotates the beginning of books, possibly suggesting a sort of suspended judgment.

Unfortunately, a large number of the annotated books, perhaps as much as a third, have been bound, or rebound, in Weimar. In that process the pages have been cut so that many of Nietzsche's annotations, especially the longer comments, have been lost or are only partially left and often illegible. The fact that they were bound in Weimar strongly indicates that this was done by Nietzsche's sister after Nietzsche's mental collapse in 1889.

Nietzsche's Reading, 1885 to 1889

It has become evident that Nietzsche was a rather substantial reader. Ap- pendix 1 lists the books Nietzsche read or used during this period and contains about 200 entries. However, a number of these are doublets (books which he read and reread during the period 1885-89) and he may or may not have read some books (mostly these books are indicated with a left bracket at the beginning of the entry). When these are subtracted, the appendix lists about 140

56 In books he read early, long before 1885, he not infrequently used brown and black ink.

678



different titles which Nietzsche most probably read during these four years. Appendix 2 (which lists books in Nietzsche's library published in 1885 or later, but for which there is no information about when he read them) lists nine annotated books (i.e., books certainly read in 1885 or later by Nietzsche) and approximately 25 unmarked books (which Nietzsche may or may not have read). If we take into account that many of the books Nietzsche read would have left no noticeable or identifiable traces, we can, very roughly, conclude that he read or used a little over 200 titles these years, i.e., approximately one book per week.

The late Nietzsche read widely in many fields. He read mostly, and most intensively, books about philosophy and the history of literature (especially contemporary and near-contemporary French literature). Thereafter books about religion and prose literature (this last field is probably underrepresented in the appendices because Nietzsche often borrowed these books, because he sometimes bought them and then gave them away (as did also his sister after his collapse), or because such reading often left no identifiable notes or comments).

Probably Nietzsche's most important reading in 1885 was of the two new books, one by Guyau, Esquisse d'une morale sans obligation ni sanction (1885) and one by Rolph, Biologische Probleme zugleich als Versuch zur Entwicklung einer rationellen Ethik (1884), both heavily annotated, and the rereading of older books such as Spir, Duhring, and perhaps Emerson. To the important reading belong also a few books which reflect Nietzsche's appraisal of French culture; Galiani, whom he began reading in 1884 and seems to have read and reread every year until 1888, Bourget about French literature and Lefebvre about French culture. This year he also read and discussed in hostile language St. Augustine's Confessions.

Nietzsche seems to have read significantly fewer books in 1886 than in 1885, 1887, and 1888. This year he read very few if any philosophical books. The fields that dominate are prose literature, literary history, and French culture. However, the book which is most heavily annotated and has led to most notes is Naigeli's Mechanisch-physiologische Theorie der Abstammungslehre (1884). Other books of special interest are Lippert's Christentum, Volksglaube und Volksbrauch (1882), which, according to Nietzsche, contains much of his own kind of thinking about religion, and books about comparative law and the history of law, especially Kohler's three books which probably influenced Nietzsche's writing in Zur Genealogie der Moral.

Nietzsche's reading increases dramatically in 1887. The main fields are again philosophy, the history of literature, and prose literature, but also general history and especially religion. In the field of philosophy Nietzsche read Spinoza, Kant, Mill, possibly Pascal, Simplicius, and he reread Schopenhauer. He read many books in the field of literary history, mostly oriented towards French literature; of special interest is the Journal des Goncourt of which he read one

679


Thomas H. Brobjer volume this year and two the following year. Nietzsche read several works about the French Revolution and about Napoleon during both this year and the other years covered by this study. In prose literature, the most important reading was due to his discovery of Dostoyevsky. Most prominent of all is perhaps Nietzsche's readings concerning religion: Renan (seven volumes?), Wellhausen, the Bible, Thomas a Kempis, and probably the most annotated book from 1887, Guyau's L'lrreligion de l'avenir (1887). Nietzsche also read and annotated heavily either in 1887 or 1888 Hoffding's Psychologie in Umrissen and Gebhart's Etudes meridionales.

In 1888, Nietzsche's most productive year, during which he wrote six books, he read almost as much as in 1887. In philosophy he read Roberty and Brochard and reread Schopenhauer and Hartmann. In the history of literature he read four books by Brandes and books by Hehn, Goncourts, Desprez, and Constant; in prose literature and poetry, Baudelaire, Stendhal, Dostoyevsky, and three works by Strindberg. Most annotated, and giving rise to the most notes, are the books about religion; Jacolliot, Tolstoy, Wellhausen, the Bible, and a rereading of Renan's Vie de Jesus.

It is probable that Nietzsche had read many more books than the ones listed in appendices 1 and 2.5 For example, of the seventeen authors Nietzsche mentions in Ecce Homo as the most important for him and "to whom I return again and again," only five are listed in appendix 1. This is due both to the fact that Nietzsche's list is unreliable and to the fact that rereadings, especially of prose literature, will rarely give rise to notes or comments in letters and therefore be almost undetectable.58

Nietzsche's library is an important source for Nietzsche's reading, but as shown in appendix 1, less than half of the books he read are also found in his library. A more thorough examination of Nietzsche's notebooks of this period will almost certainly lead to the identification of a significant number of books which he read but which are not yet included in the appendices.

Uppsala University.

57 Although it is also true that some of the books listed (even some without brackets to indicate uncertainty) he may have read earlier or used only to a very limited extent.

58 The absence of these authors could be explained if he only had read them before 1885, but not only does he claim that he often rereads them, but several of the recent French authors whom he mentions he almost certainly read after 1884, but without this reading having given rise to sufficient information for them to be listed in the appendices.

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Nietzsche's Reading, 1885-1889 681

Appendix 1: Nietzsche's Reading 1885-1889 in Chronological Order

Appendix 1 consists of a detailed listing of Nietzsche's reading from 1885 to 1889, year by year, based mainly on his letters and notebooks, but also on letters to Nietzsche, the com- mentary volume 14 of KSA (Friedrich Nietzsche, Samtliche Werke, Kritische Studienausgabe), the "Beitrage zur Quellenforschung" published yearly in Nietzsche-Studien, and the words of those who knew Nietzsche at this time (Begegnungen mit Nietzsche, ed. S. L. Gilman, 1981).

Within each year the ordering is only very roughly chronological. First are given the books Nietzsche refers to in his letters. The reference for these are the three-digit numbers given in KSB and KGB, the standard edition of Nietzsche's letters. Thereafter are listed the books Nietzsche mentions, discusses, quotes or uses in his notebooks as published in KSA 11, 12, and 13. The references here are to the number of the notebooks and, in brackets, to the entry in that notebook-unfortunately the numbering of the notebooks is only partially con- secutive-for KSA 12 and 13, i.e., for c. 1886 to 1889 the notebooks are numbered consecu- tively from 1 to 25. However, the notebooks for 1885 (and earlier) belong to a different series and are numbered from c. notebook 34 to 45.

For some of the books listed in the appendices it is uncertain when (and occasionally whether) Nietzsche read them. These are usually marked with a left bracket at the beginning of the line. The first column gives author and title of the work when known (otherwise it is marked with a question mark) and the year of publication. The second column, entitled "BN" for Bibliothek Nietzsches, lists a Y (for yes) if the book is found in Nietzsche's private library. Stars after the Y indicate little (*), medium (**) and much (***) annotations made by Nietzsche in his copy of the work. A parenthesis around the Y means that the book has been lost from the library after 1942. The third column, entitled "Value" for estimate of Nietzsche's evaluation, gives, where this is clear, an approximate estimate of Nietzsche's evaluation of the book from highly critical (-3) to highly positive (+3). The fourth column, only sometimes used, is a very approximate estimate of the extent of Nietzsche's comments, discussions or quotations from the book, by giving the number of lines (or more rarely the number of pages, indicated by "p") in which the book is mentioned, discussed or quoted. Mostly this number only refers to the first and second reference. The last column gives the reference where Nietzsche mentions, or discusses, the book (a three-digit number for letters and a number containing brackets for his notebooks). On the line following each author and title are brief comments. More detailed comments and discussions of individual books will be published in my forthcoming book, Nietzsche's Library and Reading: A Study of the Importance of Nietzsche's Reading for his Thinking.

Title BN Value No. Ref.

1885

Bismarck, Ausgewahlte Reden 1882 Y - 10 568 Christmas Present to N

[Bourget, P. Essais de psych. contemp. 1883 - +2 - 578+581+ N read it in winter 1883/84 JGB,48+KSA

10,24[6]+ KSA13, 11[321]+W,7

Stendhal, Le rouge et le noir - +3 10 578+581+583 General comment

[Montaigne Y+Y* +3 10 578+581+584 General comment, N recommends it

[Sainte-Beuve Y? -2 - 578 General comment, see below


BN Value No. Ref.

[Renan General comment

[M6rim6e General comment

Galiani, Lettres a d'Epinay 1882 General comment + abstract

Keller, G., Das Sinngedicht 1882 Read spring 1885

[Taine M., Graindorge Recommends, sends to sister

Brosses, Memoires der alten De 1858 Read and recommends

Augustin, Confession der heilige Augustin Reading, discuss, critique

Bourget, P., Nouveau essai psych. contemp. 1885 Wishes to acquire; reading

[Teichmuller (2 unidentified books) Mentioned; returns them to Overbeck

[Mainliinder, Die Phil. der Erlosung 1876 Mentioned

Widemann, Erkennen und Sein 1885 Mention, reading, discuss

Duhring, Cursus der Philosophie 1875 Discuss + Quotation (p. 79)

Gregorovius, Korsika 1878 Reading p-ref to vol. 2

R6e, Entstehung des Gewissen Reading

Salome, Lou, Kampf um Gott Reading, mention

F6rster, B., Deutsche Colonien ... Paraguay 188< Reading

Seydlitz, Le Japonisme Reading?

Emerson, ? Quotation and p-ref. 283

Lefebvre, Essai l'influence franCaise 1885 Abstract+p-ref 248

Sainte-Beuve, Les Cahiers survis de ... 1876 N excerpts without ref.

[Kant, Kritik der reinen Verunft Abstract

Drossbach, Uber scheinbaren und wirklichen Ursachen 1884 Abstract

Lange, F. A., Geschichte des Materialismus Quotation and discussion

Y? -2

Y? +2

578

578

Y** +2 2+12 581+587+ 588+34 [7+18]+ 35[79]+36[49]

Y +3 5 763

-1 5 583

- 0,+1 4+5 588+948+ 5[88]

-3 15 589+1[65+70]

Y** - 7+2 607+650

0 3+2 609+645

0 1 609

Y* ?,-2 - 613+614+ 616+618+

KSA12,5[100]? Y** -3 17+1 613+624

Y ? 5 619

- -2,-1 11+7 634+636+649

- +2 7+7+2 634+636+649

5- 0 2 646+847

- +2 2 647+657

? - 3 KSA11, 31[42]

Y* - 3+5+3 34[34+35+ 41+43+44]

Y - 3 34[45]+38[6]

- 10 34[70]

Y*** - Much 34[70+82+ 120+131+ 171+246-7]+ 36[10+21+ 25+31]

Y* 13 34[99]+ 25[318]

682

Title

Thomas H. Brobjer



BN Value No. Ref.

[Dargenty, G., Eugene Delacroix par lui-meme Y* 1885, Delacroix discussed

[Semper, K. Existenzbedingungen der Tiere Y* 1880, Abstract, Possibly read earlier

[Spencer, Die Thatsachen der Ethik 1879 Y** Discussion

[Hartmann, Phdnomenologie sittlichen Bewufit. Y*** 1879, Important discussion, read 1883

[R6e, Ursprung der moralischen Empfindungen Y 1877, Important discussion, read 1876/77

Guyau, Esquisse d'une moral sans obligation Y*** 1885, Important discussion, read 1885

Rolph, Biologische ... rationellen Ethik 1884 Y*** Important discussion, read 1884/85

Spir, A., Denken und Wirklichkeit 1877 Y*** Quotations II 7, 15, 93, 56; I, 76, 26

Teichmuller, Die wirkliche und ... Welt 1882 Quotations, p. 25+5+40

[Baker, Samuel White. The Albert Nyanza... 1866, Quotation

[Wellhausen, ? Y? Brief abstract

[Lagarde, Paul de, ? Critique of Lagarde

Sainte-Beuve ? Y? Abstract

Diihring, E., Sache, Leben und Feinde 1882 Y* Critique

[Windisch, Ernst, Iti-vuttaka Mention/A title

2 34[166] +36[42]

- 34 12[217]

-2 7 35[34]

-2 7 35[34]

+2 16 35[34]

+2

+2

16 35[34]

11 35[34]

- 3+3+3 35[56+61]+ 40[12+24+41]

- 6+18 40[12+24+30]

3 KSA 12, 1[25]

1 1[26]

- 1[196]+ 11[384]

- 1[219]

-3 4 1[226]+958

2 1[245]

1886

Th6o, La Corse a travers les Maquis 1883 Short discussion + p-ref. 200

Bunge, Vitalismus und Mechanismus 1886 Y** N thanks Overbeck

Bleibtrue, Revolution der Litteratur N thanks Overbeck, discuss

Bourget, P. Un crime d'amour 1886 Short discussion

[Hamack, Dogmengeschichte 1886 Mention. Probably not read

Lippert, J. Christentum, Volkstum ... 1882 Y* N recommends to Overbeck

Fuchs, Die Zukunft der musikal. Vortrages 1884 Y Read recently + discussion

[Augustinus, De musica N recommends to Fuch

Alfieri, Filippo Mentioned/Recommend

+2 3 672+JGB 154+210

- - 684

- - 684+843+847

+2 8 684+ GM,III,26

0 2 684

+2 5 684

+2 4 688+691

+1 4 688

+2 1 714

Title

683


Thomas H. Brobjer BN Value No. Ref.

Litteratur-Kalender von 1885 Asks mother to bring

Niigeli, Mechanisch-Physiologisch ... 1884 Mention+discussion+p-ref.

Ratzel, F., Anthropo-Geographie 1882 Mention

[Daudet, Le Nabab 1878 Recommend, read earlier

[Deussen, Das System des Veddnta 1883 N comments on D's book

Stendahl, Le rouge et le noir Quotation

Goncourts, Idees et sensations 1877 Expression

Doudan, X., Pensees etfragments ... 1881 Short discussion, p. 10.

Scherer, E., Etudes litt. contemp. VIII 1885 Name and p-ref., p. 292

[Lucretius, De rerum naturae Short quotation

Sainte-Beuve, Causeries du Lundi 1854 Quotation

Manzoni, Conte di Carmagnola 1820 Listed + short quotation

[Stifter ? Listed

[Keller, G. ? Listed

Stendhal, Vie de Napoleon French quotation+p-ref.

[Ziegler, Th., Geschichte der Ethik 1881-86 Listed

[Ree, Ursprung der moral. Empfindungen 1877 Discussion

1 715

Y*** +2 Much 720+2[61?+ 63+68+69+ 70+76+92+ 95+175]+7 [9+25]

Y* ? 5 720

Y** +1 2+3 727+770

Y* +2 4 752

- +2 5 779

Y* - - 2[23]

Y** - 2 2[121+173]

1 2[173]+M, Preface,3

1 2[187]

- 5 2[194]

2 3[16+17]

1 3[16]

? 1 3[16]

4+5 4[2+3]+ 10[159]

2 5[1]

Y 16 5[5]+GM, Preface,4+7

1887

Unidentified French book? French quotation

Simplicius, Kommentar zu Epiktetos 1867 Reading now. Discuss

Dostoyevsky, L'esprit souterrain, Reading, Discuss. Mention

Dostoyevsky, La maison des morts Reading. Discuss. Mention

? - 2 786

Y*** -2 11 790+10 [150+151]

- +3 - 798+800+ 804+812+ 814+847+ 1134

+3 - 814+7[6]+ 10[50]

684

Title



BN Value No. Ref.

Dostoyevsky, Humilies et offenses Reading. Discuss. Mention

Dostoyevsky, Junger Nachwuchs Mention

Nietzsche, GT + JGB N reads himself this winter

Renan, Les Origines du Christianisme 1863 Read winter 1886/87. Short discussion

Sybel, "Hauptwerk," in French translation Reading, quot., short dis.

[Tocqueville ? General statement

[Taine, Die Entstehung des modemen Frankreici 1877/78, General statement

[Montalembert, Les moines d'Occident 1860-77, N asks if Overbeck knows it

[Lecky, Sittengeschichte Europas 1879 Read earlier

[Draper, 2 works Read earlier

Three issues of antisemitic journal Severely critical

Bleibtrue, Revolution der Litteratur 1886 Reading now, discuss.

("I have this winter acquainted myself widely with European literature")

Barbey d'Aurevilly, Oeuvres et hommes 1886 Reading now

Buckle, Geschichte der Civ. in England Reading now

Gozzi, Das laute Geheimnifi N mentions opera text

Stein, H.v. Gesch. der Anfang Asthetik 1886 Read

Taine, "Napoleon" Revue des deux mondes Feb. 1887, Read May 1887, quot+p-ref

Bourget, P., Andre Cornmelis Discuss

Tertullian, Two works Search quot+discuss

Deussen, P., Die Sutras des Vedanta 1887 Mention, recommend

Spitteler, Asthetische aufsatze Read, recommend

Spitteler, Theater und theatralisches Read winter 1886/87

+3

+3

814

822+1160

2 802

- -2 7 804+KSA 11,25[148- 151]+5[43]+ 7[12]+A,32

-1 13 804+5[43]

- - 2 804

h- - 2 804

-1 5 804

Y*** -2 2 820

Y+Y -2 2 820

-3 21 819+823+ 7[67]

-2,-3 4+24 843+847

831 - 5 843+872+6[5]

-3 5+13 851+11[409]+ 16[39]+GM,I, 4+GD

~- - 856+864 Y

2 4 868

+2 7+12 872+5[90+91]

Y -2 7 872

- - - - 876+900+ 9[15]+ GM,I,15

Y +2 4+4 895+899+ 903+913

- +2 5+6 904+907+ 914

? - 4 907

Title

685


686 Thomas H. Brobjer Title BN Value No. Ref.

Montaigne, Essais Y+Y* +2 2 940 Reading now

Galiani, Lettres a d'Epinay ... 1882 Y** +2 20+3 948+958+ Reading now, discuss 9[107]+11

[13+16+19+ 54+59]

Goncourt, Journal des. Vol. 2 1887 Y* +2 20 948+958+ Read + discussion 9[93+110+

126] Brandes, Works about French and German lit. - +2 3 961

General statement Pougin, A., Die erste Anfdnge derfran. Oper - - 9 964

Short discussion Wellhausen, ? Y? - 9 5[86+88]

Abstract [Montesquieu ? ? - 2 5[87]

Short French quotation [Gury, Compendium theologiae Moralis - - 6 5[110]

Ratisbonae 1862, List of six titles [Bouvy, P. E., Poetes et Melodes - - 5 6[5]

Mention, Greek rhythm,p-ref [Meyer, W. Anfang, Ursp. lat. u. grech. rhyth. - - 3 6[5]

1884, Mention, Greek rhythm Spinoza, Trac. de intel. emendatione Op. II. - - 4 p 7[4]

Discuss+quot.+p-ref Spinoza, Ethica - - 4 p 7[4]

Discuss+quot.+p-ref Feuerbach, Grundsdtze Phil. der Zukunft - - 3 7[4]

Short quotation Fischer, Kuno, Spinoza-Biographie - - 6 7[4+57?]

Uses, short discussion Leibniz, Essais de theodicee - - 3 7[4]

Short quotation with p-ref Kant, Der Steit der Fakultaten - - 7 p 7[4]

Abstract+quot.+discussion Kant, Kritik der Urteilskraft - - 7 p 7[4]

Abstract+quot.+discussion Kant, Die Religion innerhalb ... - - 7 p 7[4]

Abstract+quot.+discussion Kant, Kritik der praktischen Vernunft - - 7 p 7[4]

Abstract+quot.+discussion Unidentified French book on music and cultural history - 2 p 7[7]

Excerpts [Nigeli, Mechanisch-Physiologisch ... 1884 Y*** - - 7[9+25]

N uses same arguments [Post, A. H., Bausteine ... Rechtwissenschaft Y** - 6 8[6]

1880, Summary of pp 212+216 B6rard-Varagnac, Portraits litteraires 1887 Y** - - 9[20+29]+

Abstract JGB,5+191 +GD,'Sokr.'



BN Value No. Ref.

Mill J. S., A. Comte und der Positivis. 1869 Discuss + several quotations

Mill, J. S., Uber Aphorismen Discuss+quot.

Joly, H., Psychologie des grands hommes 1883 Excerpts

Schopenhauer, Parerga II Short abstract+p-ref (440)

Liebmann, Gedanken und Tatsachen 1882 Four short quot.+p-ref

Albert, La litt. fran. au XIX siecle 1885 Two quotations

Herrmann, E., Cultur und Natur 1887 Quot. + Abstract + p.-ref.

Bruniere, Etudes critiques ... litt. fran. 1887 Short abstract

Nietzsche, Also sprach Zarathustra "Ich lese Zarathustra"

Schopenhauer, Welt2, Weltl, Parerga ... Several short quotations

[Reuter, Augustinische Studien Listed, possibly not read

[Reuter, Religiose Aufklirung des Mittelalters Listed, possibly not read

Sainte-Beuve, Port-Royal 1840-59 Listed, possibly not read

[Teichmiiller, Historia philosophiae Graecae ... Listed, possibly not read

Pascal, Gedanken, fragmente und Briefe 1865 Quot.+discussion+p-ref.

Wellhausen, Skizzen und Vorarbeiten III 1887 Quot.

Stendahl, Vie de Napoleon Ref. + quot.

Bible, Das neue Testament Abstract + p-ref.

Kempis, Thomas A, De Imitatione Christi 1858 Listed + mentioned

Guyau, L'irreligion de l'avenir 1887 Mentioned with religion

Fouillde, La science sociale contemp. 1880 Mentioned + p.-ref.

2 p 9[24+44+ 47+51+55]+ 10[147+170]+ 14[48]

8 9[67]

1,5 p 9[67+68+ 69+70]

4 9[84]

5 9[92]

2+10 9[133+134]

1,5 p 9[140+151]+ 10[13+15+16]

4+3 9[165+185?]

9[190]

7 10[98+99+ 101+166+ 173]

1 10[120]

1 10[120]

1 10[120]

1 10[120]

4 10[128]

3+5 10[130+131]

- 1+3 10[159]+ 11[33]

(Y*) - 1 p 10[169+179+ 181+182+ 183+185+ 187+199+ 200]

Y 1 10[169+172]+ 11[174+409]+ GD, Streifzuge,4

Y*** 2 10[170+171]

Y** - 1 10[171]+ 11[137+ 144+147]

Title

687



[Lowenfeld, Die Moderne Behandlung der Nervenschwache

Disc. Weir-Mitchell Kur

2 1056+14 [155]+GM,I,6

1888

Roberty, L'ancienne et la nov. philosophie 1887 Short discussion

Brandes, Emile Zola 1888 Short discussion

Brandes, "Goethe und Danemark" Goethe-Jahrbuch 1881, Mention

Schopenhauer, Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung II Short disc. + p-ref.

Brandes, Modeme Geister 1887 Mention, recommends

Desbordes-Valmore, Marceline Mention

Plutarch, Caesar 1827/61 Same comment in GD

Spitteler, Die Aesthetik des fransosische Drama Read other works earlier

Baudelaire, Les fleurs du Mal 1882 Similarities with Wagner

Baudelaire, Oeuvres posthumes et Corresp. 1887, Quote and discussion

Brandes, Die romantische Schule in Deutschlana 1887, Reading now or recently

[Ercole, Pasquale d', Notizia ... filosofico P Ceretti 1886, N receives book + mention

Jacolliot, Les legislateurs religieux 1876 Praise + discuss + quote

Spitteler, Uber Schubert 1888 Short discussion

Stendhal, Rom, Naples et Florence 1854 Short discussion and quote

[Stendhal, Journal Mention, probably not read

Nohl, L., Das Leben Wagners Short discussion and quot.

[Knortz K, Amerikanische Gedichte der Neuzeit 1883, Letter of thanks

[Knortz, Karl, Walt Whitman 1886 Letter of thanks

-1 4 969

+2 2+2 973+974

+1 1 974

5 975

? 3 976+977+ 997+10[66]

2-3 991+11[67]

3-4 991+9[18]

+2 7 999+1062+ 1066

4 1000

- 2+17p 1000+11 [160-225+ 230-234]

+3 5+4 1009+1096

Y - 4+8 1039+1040+ 1043

Y* +2 Much 1041+14 [106+175- 178+190+ 196+198+ 200+202+ 212+214+ 216]+16[60]+ GD+AC,56

- +2 4 1046+1061

- +3 8 1049+1071+ 1085

- - - 3 1049

- 7+12 1049+16[67]+ EH,'MA',2

3 1050

3 1050

688

Title



BN Value No. Ref.

Hehn, V., Gedanken iiber Goethe 1888 Discussion + quotations

(Y)

Goncourt, Journal des, Vol. I, 1887 Abstract + quotation

[Hillebrandt K, Frankreich und die Franzosen Y** 1874, "best German book on France"

[Meysenbug, M. v., Memoiren einer Idealistin Y Mention

Unidentified book N returns unknown book

[Riemann, See Fuchs Probably read earlier

[Wagner, Gesammelte Schriften 9 vols. 1871/73 Y* By mother. N wants quot.

Strindberg, Les maries 1885 N praises

Strindberg, Pere:tragedie en trois actes N praises

[Galton, The hereditary genius 1869 N refers to it

Nietzsche reads many of his own works MA; FW,V; Prefaces; Z,iv

Nietzsche reads his own work GT: Praise

Strindberg, Novelle: Remords 1885 Praise. Sent back

Desprez, Louis, L'evolution naturaliste 1884 Y** Quote+Excerpt

Sand, G., Lettres d'un Voyageur "I read"

Goncourts, Journal des, II. Y* Quot.

Carlyle, Unknown Biography Discusses Carlyle

Hartmann, Philosophie des Unbewufiten 1869 -? Discussion

Unidentified French book Quotations+abstract

Book about Pessimism??? ? Discussion

Tolstoi, Ma religion 1885 Quot. + discussion

Wellhausen, Skizzen und Vorarbeiten III 1887 Y** Quot.+discussion

1065+1091+ 15[71+75+ 86]+16[36]+ W,3

+2 2+7p 1065+11 [296+302+ 315]+14[38]+ 15[9+14]+ 18[3]

+3 4 1071

+1 5 1078

- 3 1094+1102

8 1096+W,11

- 8 1146

+3 8+3 1148+1151

+3 lp+7+3 1160+1163+ 1175+1176+ 1182+ 1199

+1 4 1176

+3 6 1181+1184

+3 4 1207

+3 4 1229

~- - ~ 11[15+34]

11[24]

~- - ~ 11[9+26+32]

~- - ~ 11[45]+GD,12

- 2-3 p 11[61+71+ 72+75+76+ 77+101]

2,5 p 11[62-70]

- p 11[228]

- 15 p 11[236-282+ 356+360+ 364+365+ 368]+14[129]

5 p 11[287-295]

Title

689



Constant, B., Quelque refl. theatre allemand Quotations

Constant, B. Adolphe 1816 Quotations

[Hugo, V., Notre-Dame de Paris 1482 Short quotation

Dostoevsky, Les Possedes 1886 Quotations

Wellhausen, Prolegomena zur G. Israels 1883 Quotations

Renan, Origines I: Vie de Jesus Quotations

Loti, P., Pecheurs d'Islands 1886 Only name and title

Lobeck, Aglaophamus 1829 Quot. + disc. N read 1868

Nietzsche, Die Geburt der Tragodie N reads himself

Brochard, V., Les sceptiques grecs 1887 Actualizes Pyrrho + sophists

Fere, Ch., Degenerescence et crim. 1888 Abstract, discuss + p.-ref.

[Goncourt, Edmond de, La Faustine 1882 Mentions, cf. with Wagner.

Goncourts, Journal des, III. 1888 Abstract

[Teichmiiller, Wirkliche, scheinbare Welt 1882 Listed, with 3 other titles.

[Spir, A., Denken und Wirklichkeit, 1877 Listed, with 3 other titles.

[Miiller, Islam in Morgon- und Abendland 1885-87, Listed, with 3 other titles?

4 p 11[304-307+ 311+315]

- 2 11[308-309]+ W,2

- 1 11[343]

12 p 11[331-351+ 365+379+ 380]

Y*** 5p 11[377]

6 p 11[368+382- 405+408]+ 12[1]22

+2 1 [406]+25 [9]+EH, Klug,3

-2 3 14[35]+24 [1]+GD, Alten,4

Y +2 Much 14[85+100+ 129+135+ 137+141+ 142+149+ 150+162+ 191]+15 [5+58]+ 21[1]+EH

Y* - 2,5 p 14[119+172+ 181]+15[37+ 40]+16[40]+ 17[9] 15[6]

Y* - - 15[86]

21[1]

Y*** - 21[1]

21[1]

690

Title



Appendix 2

This appendix contains books in Nietzsche's library published 1885 or later and not included in appendix 1. It begins with books in Nietzsche's library annotated by him but with no comments to determine when he read these, thus excluding these books from appendix 1. These books are followed by about 25 books which also are found in Nietzsche's private library and published during, or after, 1885 in which there are no annotations. It is thus uncertain both if and when he read these. It seems reasonable to assume that he read a number of these books, but as yet it has not been established which and when.

Books containing annotations by Nietzsche

Trolle, Albert, Das italienische Volkstum und seine Abhdngigkeit von den Naturbedingungen (Leipzig, 1885)'

Christaller, Erdmann Gottreich, Die Aristokratie des Geistes als Lisung der sozialen Frage: Grundriss der natiirlichen und verniinftigen Zuchtwahl in der Menschheit (Leipzig, 1885)2

Kohler, Jos., Das Recht als Kulturerscheinung: Einleitung in die vergleichende Rechtswis- senschaft (Wurzburg, 1885)3

Kohler, Jos., Zur Lehre von der Blutrache (Wurzburg, 1885)4 Kohler, Jos., Das chinesische Strafrecht: Ein Beitrag zur Universalgeschichte des Strafrechts

(Wurzburg, 1886)5 Duncker, Max, Geschichte des Altertums, Bd. II (Leipzig, 1886)6

1 Nietzsche's paperback copy of Trolle's Das italienische Volkstum und seine Abhdngigkeit von den Naturbedingungen: Ein Anthropo-Geographische Versuch (Leipzig, 1885), 147 pages, is very worn. Nietzsche has marked his copy from the first page to page 144 with lead pencil (but pages 122 and 123 are also marked with red pencil suggesting a partial re-reading of the book). Especially pages 65-112 and 124-44 are heavily marked. The book consists of an intro- duction-on the first page of which Nietzsche has written "Weder H. Beyle, noch J. Burkhardt bekant"-and two parts: Part I "Einwirkung der landesnatur auf die physische Bethatigung des Volksorganismus," pp. 13-64 and Part II "Einwirkung der Landesnaur auf die psychische Bethatigung des Volksorganismus," pp. 65-147.

2 This book was published anonymously and without the year of publication. It consists of such chapters as "Die natiirliche Zuchtwahl"; "Die Verteilung der besten Lebens- bedingungen"; "Das Schicksal der schlechtangepassten Individuen in der Menschheit"; "Wirkung des physischen Ausschusses," etc. Nietzsche has marked his copy relatively frequent with marginal lines, rare underlinings and a very few NBs (nota benes). Read between 1885 and 1888.

3 Nietzsche possessed, had read and annotated three books by Kohler, all three relatively short works. Das Recht als Kulturerscheinung (1885) consists of only 25 pages and no subdi- visions or chapters. Nietzsche's copy is annotated throughout. In it Kohler discusses such themes as "Schuldrecht" and "Strafrecht"-themes important for Nietzsche's Zur Genealogie der Moral.

4 Kohler's Zur lehre von der Blutrache (1885) consists of 31 pages of which Nietzsche has made marginal lines on a few of the last pages-all in the last chapter. The study is divided into five sections: "Einleitung"; "Blutrache bei Naturvolkern"; "Birmanisches Recht"; "Die Blutrache nach islamitischen Rechtsbichern" and "Blutrache und staatliches Strafrecht bei den christlichen Kirchenvatern."

5 In Zur Genealogie der Moral, II, 13 (1887) Nietzsche refers to Chinese law, probably because of his reading of Kohler's Das chinesische Strafrecht (1886). This implies that Nietzsche read this work in 1886 or 1887.

6 Nietzsche had already in July 1872 written a list of books to read which included the first volume of Duncker's Geschichte der Altertums. The copy of volume 2, bought much later, consists of xi+525 pages and is entitled: "Die Staatsleitung des Pericles." Pages 503, 505, and

691


692 Thomas H. Brobjer Hoffding, Harald, Psychologie in Umrissen auf Grundlage der Erfahrung. Aus dem Danischen

iiberg. v. F. Bendixen (Leipzig, 1887)7 Gebhart, Emile, Etudes meridionales: La renaissance italienne et la philosophie de l'histoire

(Paris, 1887)8 Bourde, Paul, En Corse (L'esprit de Clan-Les moeurs politiques-Les vendettas-Le

banditisme) (Paris, 1887)9 Mach, E., Beitrage zur Analyse der Empfindungen und das Verhaltnis des Physischen zum

Psychischen (Jena, 1886)10

Books not annotated by Nietzsche

Baumgartner, Adolf, Dr. M. Lauer und das zweite Buch des Moses Chorenazi (Leipzig, 1885) Baumgarten was formerly a student of Nietzsche's.

Bleibtreu, Karl, Lyrisches Tagebuch (Berlin, 1885) See also Bleibtrue, app. 1, 1886 and 1887.

Bordier, A., La vie des socidtes (Paris, 1887), xv+359 pages Bordier was a professor of anthropology in Paris.

Bourget, Paul, Etudes et portraits. Bd. II, 3. Teil: ttudes anglaises; 4. Teil: Fantaisies. 2. edit. (Paris, 1889)

Although the book has the year of publication as 1889, it seems to have been available alr

brobjer, thomas h. nietzsche's reading and private library, 1885-1889

Documents