Who was Till Eulenspiegel?

"Before Ken Kesey, there was Till Eulenspiegel," wrote Frederick L. Kirshnit of Richard Strauss' tone poem Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks. "Prankster, fool, hooligan, imp," wrote Barbara Heninger in her program notes: "These words only begin to describe the legendary Till Eulenspiegel."

In the 1960s, the New York Times wrote of John Irving's first novel, Setting Free the Bears: "Imagine a mixture of Till Eulenspiegel and Ken Kesey and you've got the range of the merry pranksters who hot-rod through Mr. Irving's book."

Who was Till Eulenspiegel? Though "known all over the globe," writes Rachael Haring at Fairietales.com "his name is relatively obscure. He has been described variously as an 'avenger of peasants, a critic of language, a good-for-nothing, a cynic, and a representative of a new age'."

The "Story Lovers" web site illuminates Till "Ulenspiegel," telling of the background and development of his story, with links to book catalogues, Eulenspiegel societies, and miscellaneous "Ulenspiegel maniacs."

The earliest known edition of Till's exploits had long been a chap book printed in Germany in 1515 -- Ein Kurzweilig Lesen von Dil Ulenspiegel. When a portion of a yet earlier printing (1510) was discovered around 1990, scholars began to identify Hermann Bote of Brunswick as the probable first compiler/author of the Dil Ulenspiegel tales.

The Wesleyan University Press published a direct translation of the 1515 text into English in 1972: Paul Oppenheimer's A Pleasant Vintage of Till Eulenspiegel: born in the country of Brunswick; How he spent his life; 95 of his tales; Translated from the edition of 1515, with Introduction and Critical Appendix (written in the Strassburg dialect of Middle High German and published in 1515 by Johannes Grieninger, with reproductions of the eighty-seven original woodcuts).

In 1860, the Boston firm of Ticknor and Fields, eminent publishers of Emerson, Thoreau, and Hawthorne, brought out a loose English translation in a deluxe edition: Kenneth R.H. Mackenzie's The Marvellous Adventures and Rare Conceits of Master Tyll Owlglass. It was issued in both red and blue covers ornamented, in gold, with the jester Tyll. Inside were thirty-four pen-and-ink illustrations by Alfred Crowquill, including six fine chromolithograph color plates.

In 1869 in Belgium appeared a totally fresh, re-imagined version of the prankster's life and times, Charles de Coster's The Legend of the Glorious Adventures of Tyl Ulenspiegel in the Land of Flanders and Elsewhere. In 1922, the American writer Ben Hecht (1894-1964) listed "Fifty Books That Are Books," posting at #8, between Nietzsche's Zarathustra and Rabelais' Gargantua, the Charles De Coster book, The Legend of Tyll Ulenspiegel ("a historical novel crowded with poetry, pep, and pleasure," Hecht wrote).

In the winter of 1894-95, Richard Strauss composed his tone poem, Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks. In her program notes for a performance of it in 2002, Barbara Heninger wrote of a Boston critic’s commenting, in 1900, "No gentleman would have written that thing. It is positively scurrilous. There are places for such music, but surely not before miscellaneous assemblages of ladies and gentlemen," adding, "Even Claude Debussy, himself no stranger to criticism, wrote in the Revue Blanche, 1903, that the work resembled ‘an hour of music in an asylum ... You do not know whether to roar with laughter or with pain’."

In March, 2001, The National Endowment for the Humanities sponsored Arthur Miller in delivering the 30th Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities. Miller spoke "On Politics and the Art of Acting." In his book having the same title, Miller devotes a full page to the 1515 woodcut of Dil Ulenspiegel. He tells of "Eulenspiegel, the mythical arch prankster of 13th Century Germany, who was a sort of mischievous and loveable folk spirit, half child-half man. Eulenspiegel challenged society with his enviable guile...."

In the summer of 2002 came the Los Angeles premiere, at The Sacred Fools Theater, of a "hilarious and frightening account of a fool who sees more of the world than most men" -- the play Crazyface, by Clive Barker. "Drawing from European folktales," wrote Martin Hernandez in the L.A. Weekly, "Barker traces the exploits of the hapless Til Eulenspeigel."

Alter, Robert Rogue's Progress: Studies in the Picaresque Novel. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1964. First edition. Hardcover in dust jacket. Signs of ex-library: end paper at back has been replaced; there is a line of paper remnants where d.j. cover had been glued; else very good; very good. $15.00.

Bellow, Saul The Adventures of Augie March. "First Edition Library" edition [1981]. A facsimile of the first edition. Harcover in dust jacket, both in "as new" condition. This is a facsimile copy of the first editon of The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow, first published in 1953. It is apparently a facsimile from the First Edition Library, who published this exact copy of the original book for members, who paid for their copies by subscription. The book was issued by the club in a slipcase; this copy is not in a slipcase. $35.00.

Bierce, Ambrose. The Devil's Dictionary. New York: Dover Publications,1993. Paperback. $3.00.

Brendle, Thomas R. and William S. Troxell Pennsylvania German Folk Tales, Legends, Once-Upon-a-Time Stories, Maxims and Sayings Spoken in the Dialect Popularly Known as Pennsylvania Dutch. Norristown: Pennsylvania German Society, 1944. First edition. Hardcover in dust jacket. Fine; near fine. A good portion of the book is dedicated to the adventures of "Till Eileschpijjel," ("Of a person who persists in doing things his own peculiar way, it is said, 'He is a real Eileschpijjel,' or 'He has the ways of Eileschpijjel'.") $60.00

Clouston, W. A. The Book of Noodles: Stories of Simpletons; or, Fools and Their Follies. New York: A.C. Armstrong and Son, 1888. Hardcover. First edition. Green cloth. Gilt (gilt owl logo at bottom right corner of cover beautifully preserved); spine worn, darkened with wear; previous owner's bookplate at front; else very good condition. A very thorough scholarly 1888 investigation into fools and pransters in world literature. $50.00

Donleavy, J.P. The Ginger Man. New York: Berkley Medallion, (1955), 1968. 10th printing. Paperback. "The complete and unexpurgated edition as first published and banned in Paris." Owner's mark, front inside cover, else in very good condition. $5.00

Grimmelshausen, Hans Jacob Christoffel von The Adventures of a Simpleton (Simplicius Simplicissimus). (Translated by Walter Wallich.) Continuum Publishing Group, 1993. Paperback. As new. "The harrowing and hilarious adventures of a simpleton -- unanimously acclaimed as the greatest German novel of the 17th century." $10.00

Grimmelshausen, Johann Jakob Christoffel von Simplicius Simplicissimus. (Translated by George Schulz-Behrend.) Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1976. The Library of Liberal Arts. Paperback. Fifth Printing. Spine very lightly sun faded; previous owner's signature on front end paper covered with plain white sticker; else near fine. $12.00

Irving, John Setting Free the Bears. New York: Avon, (1968) 1974. Paperback (First paperback edition). John Irving's dazzling first novel, in its colorful first paperback printing. "The most nourishing, satisfying comedy I have rread in years. I admire the hell out of it." - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. The spine is lightly faded; there is a tiny stain of black ink on the bottom of the book (it is not a remainder mark); the previous owner has very lightly written his or her last name in black ballpoint on the inside of the front cover; else clean and bright. A very nice copy of this first paperback edition, hard to come by. $15.00.

Irving, John The World According to Garp. New York: Pocket Books, (1976) 1979. Paperback. 22nd Pocket Books printing, issued to accompany the film. Beige cover with hugely grinning Robin Williams. (Also on cover: "The National bestseller! Now a major motion picture from Warner Bros."; John Irving, author of The Hotel New Hampshire.") "His world is totally outrageous. And as real as your own." Fine condition inside and out. $8.00.

Irving, John The World According to Garp. New York: Pocket Books, (1976) 1979. Paperback. 26th Pocket Books printing. Black cover, all in italic calligraphy letters. (On the cover: "John Irving, author of Cider House Rules.") "His world is totally outrageous. And as real as your own." Light crease, top left corner of back cover; else very good; contents bright, unmarked. $8.00.

Kesey, Ken One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. New York: Signet, 1962. 16th paperback printing. "A great new American novelist!" -- Jack Kerouac. Used paperback, good condition. $5.00.

Lesage, Alain-Rene Histoire De Gil Blas De Santillane. Boston: D.C. Heath and Company, 1929. Hardcover. Good condition. Heath's Modern Language Series. "Abridged and edited with Exercises, Notes and Vocabulary by Joseph F. Jackson." The text is in French; the Foreword, Introduction, Notes, and Vocabulary section are in English. Withdrawn from the Green Acre (Maine) Baha'i Library. $19.00

Mackenzie, Kenneth R.H. The Marvellous Adventures and Rare Conceits of Master Tyll Owlglass. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1860. Original red cloth, edges gilt, with gold ornamentation. Good condition (considerable wear to covers; stained by an apparently avid reader with greasy hands; but the inside pages are clean and bright). Thirty-four pen-and-ink illustrations by Alfred Crowquill, including six chromolithograph color plates. $130.00

Mackenzie, Kenneth R.H. The Marvellous Adventures and Rare Conceits of Master Tyll Owlglass. London: Trubner and Company, 1860. Original red cloth, edges gilt, with gold ornamentation. Fair to good condition (considerable wear to covers; stained by an apparently avid reader with greasy hands; book's spine is ragged, with obvious repairs; some of the pages have been turned by the greasy hands of an avid reader; as above, the plates are all preent and fine). Thirty-four pen-and-ink illustrations by Alfred Crowquill, including six chromolithograph color plates. $75.00

Miller, Arthur On Politics and the Art of Acting. New York: Viking, 2001. First Edition. Hardcover in dust jacket. RM, else fine. Illustrated with photographs and a woodcut. An adaptation of his 2001 National Endowment for the Humantities Jef ferson Lecture in the Humanities. "Human beings, as the poet said, cannot bear much reality, and the art of politics is our best proof." Miller considers the twin arts of acting and politics in our Age of Entertainment; with illuminating notes on "the mischievous and lovable folk spirit, half child, half man," Till Eulenspiegel. $11.00

[Lazarillo of Tormes ] The Life of Lazarillo of Tormes: His Fortunes and Misfortunes, as Told By Himself. NewYork: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1973. Hardcover in dust jacket (price clipped). Very good; very good. Translated, and with an Introduction by, Robert S. Rudder; with a sequel by Juan de Luna. "This edition is superbly illustrated with seventy-three drawings by the Dutch painter Leonard Bramer (1596-1674) - the first time these drawings have been made accessible to the American reader." The identity of the author continues to be a mystery. The folly of man and the irony of life emerge. "Lazarillo tells his story as if it had a happy ending. Only the reader can make up his mind on that." $25.00

Pirsig, Robert M. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values. New York: Morrow/Quill, 1974, 1979. Paperback. As new. ("With a New Introduction by the Author"). 12th printing. "The motorcycle you're working on is called yourself." The silver, black, mint green cover (wrench rising out of leaf fronds). This particular copy is a fluke, having a duplication of pages 371-418 bound in before the title page AND, rightly, after page 370. "A miracle. It sparkles. An American classic." $20.00.

[Pirsig, Robert M.] DiSanto, Ronald and Thomas J. Steele. Guidebook to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. New York: Morrow, 1990. First edition. Hardcover in dust jacket. Fine; fine. Notes on the book's initial critical reception, reviews. Guidebook with a chronology, map, philosophical back- ground information, a bibliography. Blue cover, black cloth spine. $45.00.

Plummer, William The Holy Goof: A Biography of Neal Cassady. New York: Paragon House, 1990. Paperback. First thus. Fine condition. Jack Kerouac's friend Neal Cassady inspired Jack to write On the Road. This holy fool -- "the fastestmanalive" - later took the wheel of the bus for Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters. The book is out of print and a copy in this fine condition is hard to come by. $35.00

Roth, Philip Sabbath's Theater. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1995. First edition. Hardcover. Aging, raging puppeteer Mickey Sabbath embarks on a turbulent journey into his past, following the death of his longtime mistress, an erotic free-spirit whose adulturous daring exceeds only his philandering. Finalist for the National Book Critic's Circle Award and the National Book Award winner for 1995. Fine, in fine dust jacket. $20.00

Salinger, J.D. Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters; and Seymour: An Introduction. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1963. First edition. Hardcover; no dust jacket. Grey cloth covers are worn; the spine is sun faded; there is a slight slant to the book; light blue ballpoint pen scribbles on fep; date "1/29/63"at top right of the following page; else good condition (there are no marks/highlighting on the content). $7.00.

Torrance, Robert M. The Comic Hero. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1978. Second printing, 1979. Hardcover; dust jacket. Fine/fine. "This lively book is a portrayal and a celebration of the hero in comedy, from ancient Greek literature to modern American fiction. Robert Torrance shows us a hero who survives by continually changing, who cherishes what others mock and commands assent by adherence to the truth of his own invention." $16.00

Waddell, Helen The Wandering Scholars. New York: Doubleday Anchor, (1927) 1955. Paperback. Previous owner's bookplate inside front cover; cover has light wear from handling; contents clean and bright. Now and then priests and monks, students and scholars would leave the churches and monasteries and universities where they were supposed to devote themselves to the greater glory of God, and take to the roads and the taverns, tasting and celebrating the pleasures of the senses. These "wandering scholars" are the subject if this book - a book that was influential, in the 1950s, on the then emerging beat generation. $7.00.

Waddell, Helen The Wandering Scholars. Hammondsworth, England: Penguin Pelican, (1927) 1954. Paperback. Some discoloration to cover and spine; occasional pencil underling. Now and then priests and monks, students and scholars would leave the churches and monasteries and universities where they were supposed to devote themselves to the greater glory of God, and take to the roads and the taverns, tasting and celebrating the pleasures of the senses. These "wandering scholars" are the subject if this book - a book that was influential, in the 1950s, on the then emerging beat generation. $12.00.

Watzlawick, Paul Munchhausen's Pigtail: or Psychotherapy & "Reality": Essays And Lectures. New York: Norton, 1990. First Edition. Hard Cover in dust jacket. Fine; fine. "Citing the mythical Baron von Munchhausen's method of rescuing himself… by hoisting himself up by his pigtail, Paul Watzlawick… asks: do we - by choosing to see the world in a particular way - blind ourselves to seeing it in another way? Is it possible to… see life from the outside with new eyes?" $12.00

Welsford, Enid The Fool: His Social and Literary History. New York: Anchor Books, 1961. ("First published in 1935 by Faber and Faber Ltd.") Paperback. Purple fountain pen ink has stained the bottom left corner of the cover and final seven pages; else in very good condition. $25.00

Wolfe, Tom The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. New York: Bantam. Paperback; fifth printing. Crease to bottom right front cover, else in good condition. The riveting, luminous story of Ken Kesey and The Merry pranksters. "Tom Wolfe is more than brilliant… He writes like a master." - Karl Shapiro, Book World. $6.00.

Wolfe, Tom The Purple Decades: A Reader. New YorkFarrar, Strauss Giroux, 1982. First edition; first printing. Excerpts from Tom Wolfe's books selected by the author. Introduction by Joe David Bellamy. "It was in the 1960s and 1970s - those 'purple decades' - that Tom Wolfe rose to fame as one of the late twentieth century pioneers of American Literature. He became the foremost chronicler of the gaudiest period in American history" -- from The Pump House Gang through The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test to The Right Stuff. $12.00.

Yolen, Jane Favorite Folktales from around the World. New York: Pantheon Books, 1986. Paperback. Diagonal crease, lower front of cover; else fine. $12.00

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