One of two books, in this collection. Dual column, in Fraktur (German). Light foxing. All edges marbled, publisher's original three quarter leather on marbled boards with marbled end pages. Booksellers' label. Four smythe bands,  Some wrinkling to the pages. Illustrated.

LESSING, Gotthold A German critic and dramatist, born at Kamenz, Jan. 22, 1729; one of the earliest of the great German classical writers. He was admitted at 17 to the University of Leipzig, where he studied theology, then medicine, and later philosophy and literature. "I realized," he wrote "that books might make me learned, but would never make me a man. I sought society to learn life." He took lessons in dancing, fencing, and riding. He translated French plays for the theatrical troupe of Frau Neuber, in whose theatre he learned much of stage technique, and in 1748 she put on his first play, Der junge Gelehrte. His early comedies include also Die Juden, Der Misogyn, Die alte Jungfer, and Der Freigeist, all more or less under French influence. In Berlin Lessing met Voltaire, for whom he worked; but they soon quarreled, for Lessing betrayed a literary confidence of Voltaire's. Critically Lessing profited greatly by the Frenchman. He became acquainted with Friedrich Nicolai, Moses Mendelssohn, Karl Ramler. and others, with whom he pursued philosophical and literary studies. Meantime he had taken his master's degree at the University of Wittenberg. In 1754 appeared his Vademecum für Herrn Samuel Gotthold Lange, a sharp criticism of Lange's translation of Horace and in general of mediocre literature.

There are quite a few different sets of Lessing, in as many as 13 and few as 2 volumes, including a six volume set from this same publisher that is single column. .