Rare Book of the Day – Being and Nothingness, Jean-Paul Sartre. First American Edition.

in philosophy •  7 years ago 

This one is without a doubt one of the most important philosophical texts of the twentieth century. Sartre was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, activist, and one of the key figures of Existentialism. Being and Nothingness is his principal philosophical work and is often called the "Bible of Existentialism." A dense and complex work, its impact on culture and literature was immediate and felt worldwide, from the absurd drama of Samuel Beckett to the soul-searching cries of the Beat poets. Originally published in France in 1943, this is the first American edition from 1956:

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The man himself:

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More info here:
http://www.rarebooksleuth.com/featured/sartre

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Interesting that it took them so many years to have it published in the US. Perhaps because existentialism was quite unknown there? Or perhaps because although it's a great book, also pretty inaccessible and not per se very well written. (Personal opinion, of course)

That's a good question. Perhaps also due to the difficulty of translating Sartre's French?

I once downloaded this on a pdf and printed it. I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that.

Anyways, it's very interesting. It would be great to have a physical copy. Yours looks like it's in great shape!

Do you own all these amazing books?

I do!

Any more Jean?

Aside from a Selected Writings published in the '60s (I believe), nothing else currently. But I'm always getting new stuff in!