The object of the translators of the following tales was to present the English public with a collection, which should combine effectiveness with variety, and at the same time should contain specimens of the most celebrated writers of prose fiction whom Germany has produced. The names of the authors will, they think, be a sufficient guarantee that they have not failed in this last respect, and if the reader finds himself amused or interested by the series, they will have succeeded entirely. It will be remembered that the collection is a collection of tales only, and that it was absolutely necessary, according to the plan of the book, that these tales should be numerous. Any thing like a lengthened novel was therefore excluded, as it would have exceeded the prescribed limits, or rendered impossible that variety which the translators considered an essential of their work. That short tales, from their very nature, cannot often promote any very high purpose, and that amusement for a leisure hour is their principal purpose, the translators are perfectly aware, admitting that their collection, generally speaking, does not convey that amount of instruction in life and thought, which might be obtained from more elaborate works, such as, for example, the Wilhelm Meister of Gšthe. At the same time they trust that Kleist's Michael Koldhaas, Zschokke's Alamontade, Schiller's Criminal from Lost Honour and even Hauff's fanciful Cold Heart, will be acceptable to those who look for something beyond mere amusement, and that some readers will be found to appreciate the psychological truth and profundity of Hoffmann's tales beneath their fantastic exterior. In their versions of the tales the translators have endeavoured, to the utmost of their power, to be correct, preferring even hardness of language to liberties with the original text. The initials in the table of contents will show who was the translator of each particular tale; but it must not be supposed that they worked so separately that the printer and the binder have alone connected the results of their labours. Every tale when finished by the translator was carefully revised by his colleague. In those instances alone have the translators deviated from the original, where they found passages and phrases that they conceived would not accord with English notions of propriety. That in such instances they have softened or omitted, needs no apology.

Tales from the German contens Texts from the most celebrated authors of this country in history: LIBUSSA (J. H. MUSÆUS), THE CRIMINAL FROM LOST HONOUR (FRIEDRICH SCHILLER), THE COLD HEART (WILHELM HAUFF), THE WONDERS IN THE SPESSART (KARL IMMERMANN), NOSE, THE DWARF (W. HAUFF), AXEL (C. F. VAN DER VELDE), THE SANDMAN (E. T. A. HOFFMANN), MICHAEL KOHLHAAS (HEINRICH VON KLEIST), THE KLAUSENBURG (LUDWIG TIECK), THE MOON (JEAN PAUL FRIEDRICH RICHTER), THE ELEMENTARY SPIRIT (E. T. W. HOFFMANN), ST. CECILIA; OR, THE POWER OF MUSIC (H. VON KLEIST), THE NEW PARIS (J. W. GOETHE), ALI AND GULHYNDI (ADAM OEHLENSCHLAEGER), ALAMONTADE (HEINRICH ZSCHOKKE), THE JESUITS' CHURCH IN G——. (E. T. A. HOFFMANN), THE SEVERED HAND (W. HAUFF).

"Tales from the German" is a collection of the 17 most famous German tales from such renowned authors as Friedrich Schiller, E.T.W. Hoffman, and J.W. Goethe. The tales were selected and translated by John Oxenford and C.A. Feiling and first published in London in 1844.

Excerpt from Tales From the German, Comprising Specimens From the Most Celebrated Authors Every tale when finished by the translator was carefully revised by his colleague. In those instances alone have the translators deviated from the original, where they found passages and phrases that they conceived would not accord with English notions of propriety. That in such instances they have softened or omitted, needs no apology. It has been suggested to the translators that a notice of the authors and the works themselves might, with advantage, be prefixed to the collection. With this suggestion they have complied, trusting that the limited space allowed will be a sufficient excuse for the very sketchy nature of the biographies, if indeed the following notices are worthy of that name. Gothe and Schiller have attained that universal celebrity, that it would be mere impertinence to say any thing about their lives in a sketch like this. Those eminent promoters of German literature in this country, Mr. T. Carlyle and Sir E. B. Lytton, have done all they could to make the English public familiar with the life of Schiller, and a tolerably full notice of his literary progress will be found in No. LX. of the Foreign Quarterly Review. Those who can read German are recommended to the elaborate life of Schiller by Dr. Hoffmeister, which is a perfect treasury of information and criticism. The materials for a biography of Gothe lie scattered through a vast quantity of correspondence, reminiscences, conversations, and characteristics; but a biography, such as the greatness of the subject requires, is still a desideratum in German literature. The New Paris, by Gothe, which appears in this collection, is from that delightful autobiography, to which the poet has given the name of Dichtung und Wahrheit. The circumtances under which it is told are sufficiently explained by the short introduction prefixed to it. Schiller's Criminal from Lost Honour was written during what is called the "second period" of his life, when after the completion of Don Carlos he had quitted dramatic writing for a time, and devoted himself to the study of philosophy and history. The facts of the story he had learned from his mend Abel at an early period. Hoffimeister's remarks on this story may be found interesting. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."

"Tales from the German" is a collection of the 17 most famous German tales from such renowned authors as Friedrich Schiller, E.T.W. Hoffman, and J.W. Goethe. The tales were selected and translated by John Oxenford and C.A. Feiling and first published in London in 1844.