The Lay of Love and Death of Cornet Christopher Rilke — 1st Ed

The Lay of Love and Death of Cornet Christopher Rilke, Rainer Maria Rilke — 1st Edition

Publication: London, Lindsay Drummond, 1948

Formatting: 8vo, pp. 81.

Condition Report: Very Good. The pale green cloth binding remains bright and structurally sound, with the circular gilt-and-green vignette on the upper board sharply defined. The spine exhibits slight, uniform darkening, though the gilt lettering against the dark green spine label remains perfectly legible and unrubbed. The binding is remarkably tight and square, showing no evidence of leaning, shelf-slant, or loose hinges. Internally, the text block is generally clean and bright, with the German and English parallel texts well-presented, though there is scattered, mild foxing and offsetting confined primarily to the preliminary leaves and introductory pages. The top edge of the text block is slightly dust-dulled, as is common for the era. The original unclipped dust jacket, importantly retaining the dual printed prices for both the limited and ordinary editions on the front flap, shows minor age-toning, particularly to the spine and the plain, unprinted rear panel. There is some trivial rubbing to the extreme corners and a negligible, tiny nick to the upper edge of the front panel, but it remains a highly attractive, complete example devoid of significant tears or loss.

Catalogue Note: First English edition thus, representing the first appearance of this specific translation by Leslie Phillips and Stefan Schimanski, with Schimanski also contributing the contextual introduction. The text is presented in a bilingual format, featuring the original German alongside the English translation on facing pages.

The striking, neo-romantic cover design and title page vignette are the work of the noted French illustrator and aesthete Philippe Jullian, whose distinctive style perfectly captures the haunting, dreamlike atmosphere of Rilke's youthful prose poem.

This ordinary trade edition was issued simultaneously with a limited, numbered edition of 500 copies printed on special paper (as noted on the dust jacket's front flap).

While the limited slipcased edition appears occasionally in commerce, this standard trade issue, especially when retaining its fragile, original, and intact dust jacket, has become increasingly uncommon on the open market.

Originally written during a single, feverish night in 1899 when Rainer Maria Rilke was just twenty-three, The Lay of Love and Death of Cornet Christopher Rilke is a haunting, lyrical prose poem that follows the brief, passionate, and tragic trajectory of a young seventeenth-century cavalryman. It became a massive, unexpected cultural phenomenon in Germany, deeply resonating with a generation of young men facing the devastating realities of early twentieth-century warfare. This 1948 edition, beautifully presenting the text in both German and English, offers readers a poignant and highly accessible entry point into one of the most universally beloved and foundational works of Rilke's early literary career.