NIETZSCHE'S FOURTH PUBLICATION

NIETZSCHE, FRIEDRICH.

De Laertii Diogenis fontibus. I-VI. [Extract from: Rheinishes Museum für Philologie, Vol. XXIII + XXIV. Herausgegeben von F.G. Welcker und F. Ritschl].

Frankfurt am Main, Verlag von Johann David Sauerländer, 1868-69. 8vo. Bound with the general title-pages to both volumes of Rheinishes Museum in a very nice recent marbled paper binding with gilt leather title-label to front board. (Vol. XXIII:) pp. (632) - 653 + (Vol. XXIV:) pp. (181) - 228. The paper is extremely brittle and cracks very easily, thus there are a few smaller marginal tears, no loss of lettering and occassional marginal chipping, far from affecting text.

The scarce first printing of Nietzsche's fourth publication, the third of his philological essays and his most comprehensive, dealing with the question of the sources for Diogenes' work "The Lives of the Philosophers", Nietzsche's main interest at the time and the question that took up most of his philological research. It is in this work that Nietzsche concludes that Diogenes had two sources, namely Diocles of Magnesia and Favorinus of Arles.

Nietzsche's first published work was a philological essay published in 1867 in the respected journal of classical studies, the "Rheinisches Museaum für Philologie". That article, published on the urging of his teacher, appeared when Nietzsche had merely been studying philology for a couple of years. Nietzsche began studying philology at the University of Bonn in the winter semester of 1864/65 and quickly became a prize student. His university studies were fairly quickly interrupted, though, as he spent a year in the Prussian Artillary, from October 1867. After about half a year, he was seriously injured and had to spend the last five months there as a reconvalescent. Nonetheless this year did not mean a break in Nietzsche's studies, quite the contrary. Already in April 1868, before his injury (in May), he published his first book review, namely that of Schoemann's work on "Die hesiodische Theogonie", which had just appeared. And after the injury, he naturally had even more time for studying at his disposal; "Nietzsche's protracted recovery from his military injuries allowed him considerable time to study and to take on other scholarly duties...(Schaberg, p. 10).
"By September of 1868, Nietzsche's studies had produced the first half of a two-part, entitled "On the Sources of Diogenes Laertius" ("De Laertii Diogenis fontibus"), which was published in Ritschl's journal. Diogenes Laertius, the third-century author of Lives of the Philosophers, and the question of his sources was Nietzsche's main ongoing interest and the topic represented well over half of his philological publications. Ritschl had been aware of this interest, and he actually encouraged the writing of the article by his most brilliant pupil by designing a school competition with "The Sources of Diogenes Laertius" as the recommended topic. Nietzsche, who had been working hard on these studies for several years, won the competition easily." (Schaberg, p.11)

De Laertii Diogenis fontibus was published the year Nietzsche finished his studies and meet Richard Wagner for the first time.

The following year, in 1869, Nietzsche intensive studies bore fruit and he was appointed professor of classical philology at the University of Basel. To this day, Nietzsche is still among the youngest of the tenured Classics professors on record.

Nietzsche's interest in classical studies did however not last and "By early January of 1871, Nietzsche was sufficiently disillusioned with philology to apply for the chair of philosophy at Basel, proposing his friend Rhode for his own position. The request was denied but the refusal did little to delay the end of Nietzsche's classical career." (Schaberg 14 pp).

"[I]t is uncertain whether all of these articles [i.e. in the Rheinisches Museum] were issued individually and there is no evidence in Nietzsche's letters to suggest the standard offprint policies of Rheinisches Museum at the time." (Schaberg, p. 13).

Schaberg 11 - 12

Order-nr.: 41474