Publications

The Collection spans more than two hundred years of Beethoven publications from the late 1700s to the present day. The 4,500 items include volumes on Beethoven’s life and works, numerous essays, scores, facsimile editions, magazines, periodicals, newspapers, and other material from all over the world. Given the vastness of the collection, we only highlight a few examples that are significant in terms of both their content and aesthetics. We start with a number of historic first editions written by acquaintances of the composer. We then continue with a selection of editions that not only feature important historical content but also demonstrate the extraordinary heights of book art in the Romantic, Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles of the 19th and early 20th centuries.  

After the Second World War, there was a drastic move away from originality and quality and an era of large-scale distribution began with print runs in the thousands focused almost entirely on content.

Today, the physical “book” has been downsized (along with bookshops) and so, consequently, has the pleasure of seeing and touching a cover with its artistic qualities, gold and embossed decorations and lettering, gilt edges, fine paper…

For these reasons and because of our love of books in general, we set ourselves the goal of preserving at least one original first edition copy in our library, in good condition and with the original publisher’s presentation. Our focus has been on historic, valuable, autographed, numbered and luxury editions.

zoom_in FIRST BIOGRAPHIES FROM THE 1800s
JOHANN ALOYS SCHLOSSER, *Meßkirch, 1785 – †Augsburg, 1857 or 1858.
Ludwig van Beethoven's Biographie, Prague, Stephani und Schlosser, 1828, 1st edition, original paperback. First printed book on Beethoven, published in September 1827, shortly after the composer’s death. zoom_in FIRST BIOGRAPHIES FROM THE 1800s
FRANZ GERHARD WEGELER, Beethoven’s physician and friend, *Bonn, 22 August 1765 – †Coblenz, 5 July 1848.
FERDINAND RIES, *Bonn, 28 November 1784 – †Frankfurt am Main, 13 January 1838.
Biographische Notizen über Ludwig van Beethoven, Koblenz, Bädeker, 1st edition, 1838. zoom_in FIRST BIOGRAPHIES FROM THE 1800s
ANTON FELIX SCHINDLER, *Medlov, Moravia, 13 June 1795 – †Bokenheim, Frankfurt am Main, 16 January 1864.
Biographie von Ludwig van Beethoven, Münster, Aschendorff Buchhandlund, 1840, 1st edition, 296 pages.
An important but not always reliable biography written by Beethoven’s assistant. zoom_in zoom_in FIRST BIOGRAPHIES FROM THE 1800s
Studii di Beethoven ossia trattato d'armonia e di composizione, first Italian version with notes by FETIS AND ROSSI, Milan, Giovanni Canti, 1855, two volumes, 386 pages in total. zoom_in zoom_in FIRST BIOGRAPHIES FROM THE 1800s
GERHARD VON BREUNING, Austrian physician and researcher, *Vienna, 28 August 1813 – †Vienna, 6 May 1892.
Aus dem Schwarzspanierhause: Erinnerungen an L. van Beethoven aus meiner Jugendzeit. Vienna, L. Rosner, 1874, 1st edition, VIII–129 pages. zoom_in FIRST BIOGRAPHIES FROM THE 1800s
LEOPOLDO MASTRIGLI, composer and music writer, *Albano Laziale, 1856 – †Lausanne, 1914.
Beethoven la sua vita e le sue opere, Lapi, Città Di Castello, 1886, 1st edition, 208 pages. First Italian biography, with author’s handwritten submission. zoom_in zoom_in HISTORIC EDITIONS FROM THE 1800s WITH ROMANTIC BINDING
DR KARL OPPEL, *Frankfurt am Main, 9 August 1816 - †Frankfurt am Main, 12 May 1903.
Tondichter-Album (Album of Sound Poets), Koblenz, W. Groos publisher, 1885, 1st edition, 277 pages.
The finest book in the collection, with a green, embossed artistic cover and gold decorations. zoom_in zoom_in HISTORIC EDITIONS FROM THE 1800s WITH ROMANTIC BINDING
[KARL FRIEDRICH] LUDWIG NOHL, *Iserlohon, Westphalia, 5 December 1831 - †Heidelberg, 15 December 1885.
Briefe Beethovens, Verlag der Cotta’schen Buchhandlung, 1st edition, Stuttgart, 1865.
First volume of letters, luxury edition with gold and black decorations, marbled edges. zoom_in zoom_in HISTORIC EDITIONS FROM THE 1800s WITH ROMANTIC BINDING
ALEXANDER WHEELOCK THAYER, *South Natick, Massachusetts, 22 October 1817 – †Trieste, 15 July 1897.
L.v. Beethoven's Leben (Life of Ludwig van Beethoven), first volume, XXIV-384 pages of the complete 5-volume edition. Berlin, Ferdinand Schneider, 1866. Luxury edition of the largest biography of the composer. zoom_in HISTORIC EDITIONS FROM THE 1800s WITH ROMANTIC BINDING
[KARL FRIEDRICH] LUDWIG NOHL, *Iserlohon, Westphalia, 5 December 1831 - †Heidelberg, 15 December 1885.
Eine Stille Liebe zu Beethoven (A Silent Love for Beethoven), Leipzig, Ernst Julius Günther, 1875, 1st edition, 266 pages. An enlightening book on Beethoven’s difficult relationship with his nephew Karl. zoom_in zoom_in HISTORIC EDITIONS FROM THE 1800s WITH ROMANTIC BINDING
WILHELM JOSEPH von WASIELEWSKI, *Leźno, 17 June 1822 – †Sondershausen, 13 December 1896.
Ludwig van Beethoven, Berlin, Brachvogel&Ranft, 1888, original 1st edition, cover with black and gold embossing. zoom_in zoom_in HISTORIC EDITIONS FROM THE 1800s WITH ROMANTIC BINDING
L. VAN BEETHOVEN, SONATAS for the Pianoforte, edited by ERNST PAUER, London, Augener & Co., 1885, volume in 8vo (15)–429 pages. Binding with ornaments and decorations engraved in gold, red and black. Fine gilt edging on three sides. One of the finest books in the Collection. zoom_in HISTORIC EDITIONS WITH ART NOUVEAU BINDING
DANIEL GREGORY MASON, *20 November 1873 – †4 December 1953.
Beethoven and his forerunners, New York, The Macmillan Company, 1904, 1st edition, 352 pages, artistic cover with gold embossing. zoom_in HISTORIC EDITIONS WITH ART NOUVEAU BINDING
FRIEDRICH KERST, *Elberfeld, 8 February 1870 – †Wuppertal-Hahnerberg, 19 April 1961.
Beethoven in Eigenen Wort (Beethoven in His Own Words), Berlin-Leipzig, Schuster & Loeffler, 1904, 1st edition, 213 pages. Secessionist-style graphic artwork, cover by the famous Austrian illustrator Carl Zander. zoom_in HISTORIC EDITIONS WITH ART NOUVEAU BINDING
Beethoven Kalender für 1907, Berlin–Leipzig, Schuster & Loeffler, 1907.
Unusual calendar with interesting text and illustrations. Art Nouveau cover designed by Carl Zander. zoom_in HISTORIC EDITIONS WITH ART NOUVEAU BINDING
HERIBERT RAU, *Frankfurt am Main, 11 February 1813 – †Offenbach, 26 September 1876.
BEETHOVEN. Ein Künstlerleben, (An Artist’s Life). Leipzig, Theod. Thomas, early 1900s, 4th ed. in 2 volumes, 754 pages in total. With artistic Art Nouveau covers with gold embossing. zoom_in HISTORIC EDITIONS WITH ART NOUVEAU BINDING
FRIEDRICH KERST, *Elberfeld, 8 February 1870 – †Wuppertal-Hahnerberg, 19 April 1961. 
Die Erinnerungen an Beethoven (Memories of Beethoven), Stuttgart, Julius Hoffmann, 1913. 1st edition, 2 volumes, 659 pages, gold-decorated covers. With testimonies and extensive coverage from the “Conversation Books”.
zoom_in HISTORIC EDITIONS WITH ART DECO BINDING
ALFRED OREL, *Vienna, 1889 – †1967.
Ein Wiener Beethoven Buch, Vienna, Gerlach & Wiedling, 1st edition, 1921. High-quality edition published in 4 different versions! Cover design by Erich Leischner, *1887 – 1970. zoom_in zoom_in HISTORIC EDITIONS WITH ART NOUVEAU BINDING
ARNOLD SCHMITZ, *Le Sablon, 11 July 1893 – †Mainz, 1 November 1980.
Beethoven, Bonn, Verlag der Buchgemeinde, 1927, 1st edition, 158 pages. Critical biography with artistic dust jacket with wood engraving of the death mask. zoom_in HISTORIC EDITIONS WITH ART NOUVEAU BINDING
RICHARD SPECHT, *Vienna, 7 December 1870 - †Vienna, 19 March 1932.
Ritratto di Beethoven, Milan–Rome, Treves–Treccani–Tumminelli, 1933, 1st edition, 291 pages. Italian version edited by Lamberto Brusotti, from the original German Bildnis Beethovens, Hellerau, Avalun-Verlag, 1930. zoom_in HISTORIC EDITIONS WITH ART NOUVEAU BINDING
J. HAGERS
Beethoven Vredes-Olympiade (Olympics of Peace, Ninth Symphony), 'S-Gravenhage, 1936 (Dutch), illustrations by Alb. Hahn jr., 1st edition, 184 pages. On the cover: “Brothers, not this tone!” But a foreboding sentence on page 112 reads:
“The eagle of war obscuring the sunlight!” (this is 1936).