Richard Wagner
Selected Letters of Richard Wagner.
W. W. Norton & Company, 1988. First US edition. Translated and edited by Stewart Spencer and Barry Millington. 0393025004 ix/1030 pages.
Volume, measuring approximately 6.75" x 9.75", is bound in half black cloth and black paper-covered boards, with stamped gilt lettering to spine. Book is in fine condition, with solid binding, clean and bright interior. Dust jacket, with price of $35 on front flap, is also well preserved.
"The nineteenth century spawned many geniuses in the creative arts, but none has proven more influential or controversial than the behemoth of Bayreuth, Richard Wagner. In his lifetime, he wrote over 10,000 letters, 500 of which have been freshly translated and annotated by two outstanding Wagnerites, Stewart Spencer and Barry Millington. The letters are arranged chronologically into six sections, each preceded by a substantial essay in which their historical and biographical context is established. Subjects covered range from Wagner's compositional procedures to his political theories, from his racism to his love affairs, from finances to ethical values, from his dealings with patrons to his opinion of critics. May passages, suppressed in previous editions, have been fully restored. Other letters, never before published, appear in their entirety. Of great interest to the general reader as well as the specialist, this elegant collection will surely hold the field for generations to come."