The Magic Mountain
Signed, limited edition,1927
MANN, Thomas (1875-1955). The Magic Mountain. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1927.

First edition in English of the author’s masterpiece, limited issue, number 120 of 200 copies printed on special paper and signed by Mann. It tells the story of Hans Castorp, whose three-week visit to his tubercular cousin in a sanatorium in the Swiss Alps turns into a seven-year stay, due to his failing health. Mann began writing The Magic Mountain in 1912 as a much shorter narrative in a humorous vein. When his work was interrupted by the First World War, “the intervening events led Mann to a major examination of human nature, European history and politics and to ponder the great questions surrounding life and death” (Felice Aull).

Two volumes, large octavo. Original quarter vellum over patterned boards (minor spotting to front board of volume 1); unprinted acetate dust jackets; publisher's slipcase.