Heinrich Döring - German Treasury of Legends for School and Home - 1840

Antique German edition of Deutscher Legendenschatz für Schule und Haus, compiled by writer and literary historian Dr. Heinrich Döring and printed and published in 1840 by Friedrich Mauke in Jena.

The volume contains dozens of rhymed legends about Christian saints and religious traditions. For this, Döring collected works by various German poets, including Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johann Gottfried Herder and Friedrich Rückert. According to the title and preface, the collection was intended for use in both school and domestic settings and thus also forms an interesting example of German religious and literary culture from the first half of the 19th century.

This copy is notable for its historic paper binding. The cardboard boards and spine are fully covered with blue-brown marbled paper featuring a pronounced stone-like pattern. The paper was probably marbled by hand using a traditional technique in which floating dyes are shaped on a liquid surface and then transferred to paper. The spine still features the old handwritten paper title label.

The interior is printed in Fraktur script and is in neat condition for a book from 1840. The table of contents runs to page 282 and the last contribution listed there, Der betrogene Teufel by Friedrich Rückert, is also present on page 282.

Details:

• Title: Deutscher Legendenschatz für Schule und Haus
• Compiler: Dr. Heinrich Döring
• Publisher: Friedrich Mauke
• Place of publication: Jena
• Year: 1840
• Language: German
• Script: Fraktur
• Extent: front matter + 282 pages
• Contents: poetic German legends of saints and religious tales
• Authors in the volume: including Goethe, Herder and Rückert
• Binding: cardboard binding with historic marbled paper
• Decoration: blue-brown stone-like marbled pattern
• Spine: handwritten paper title label
• Dimensions: approx. 20.8 × 13.8 cm
• Thickness: approx. 2 cm
• Origin: Jena, Germany
• Period: first half of the 19th century / Biedermeier period

Condition:
Good antiquarian condition. The binding is in good order and the interior is remarkably neat for its age, with normal age-related discoloration and scattered light foxing. The historic paper binding shows signs of use and wear along the edges and corners. At the head and tail of the spine, the covering paper is clearly worn and locally lost. The marbled paper is otherwise well preserved and still has an attractive bright blue-brown pattern. At the front is a small old owner's name. The book runs complete through to the last text listed in the table of contents on page 282. See the photos for a complete picture of the condition.