Christoph Martin Wieland set standards. His rise to become the most respected German writer of his time is due not only to his writing and poetry, which revolutionised language, verse, the novel and essay writing. He also embodied a new type of author for whom poetry was both a profession and a vocation.

Thanks to his topical themes and his versatile, elegant style, he managed to interest not only the bourgeoisie but also the aristocracy in German poetry.

Several publishers endeavoured to provide Wieland's works with high-quality editions. Göschen even set out to create a printed monument to Wieland with his 'Sämmtliche Werke'. With this luxury edition, he started a costly competition with great European printers such as Baskerville, Didot and Bodoni.

Reading was a luxury. Even the prices of legitimate normal editions averaged one Reichstaler per volume - a lot of money even for Wieland and Goethe.

The desire to read and the luxury of reading were thus close to each other in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Today, as writing and paper are increasingly detached from each other, the aura of the printed book intensifies again, especially when, as here, masterpieces of the art of printing are presented.

Only a few authors were accorded such great attention and care during their lifetime; until now, they were regarded solely as the classics of antiquity or the splendid works for the high nobility. At the same time, the prints of Wieland's works illustrate in the most vivid way the history of book art - not only German, but European; here, too, his works have left their mark in illustration and typographic art books, right up to the present day.

Exhibition visit
Opening hours: 5 September - 23 December 2022 | Mon - Fri 9 am - 4 pm
Location: Cimelia room in the main library building of the ThULB | Bibliotheksplatz 2
Registration: Central Information | Phone 03641/ 9-404 100 or info_thulb@uni-jena.de
Admission: free

Dates
On the occasion of the exhibition opening on 5 September, the Wieland Research Centre cordially invites you to the evening lecture by Wulf Dietrich von Lucius "Wieland, seine Verleger und die Buchkunst seiner Zeit" (in german).
For more information, please visit the News page of theWieland Research Centre.​​​​​

Contact
The "Wieland-Forschungszentrum" (Wieland Research Centre) is responsible for the exhibition. 

Wieland-Forschungszentrum e. V.
Wielandstraße 16

Represented by:
Dr. Hans-Peter Nowitzki

Tel.: (03643) 545 955 6
E-mail: kontakt@wielandforschungszentrum.de