Kant

Herder

Herder’s Notes
(Varia)

[ Introduction ] [ Metaphysics ] [ Moral Phil. ] [ Physical Geogr. ] [ Logic ] [ Physics ] [ Math. ] [ Varia ]

How to Use these Pages     ➝ to the transcripts 

Manuscripts: The manuscripts are arranged into groups: two sets each of notes on physics and math, and then additional notes from three of Herder’s notebooks. These groups are accessed by clicking on the red-links in the light yellow window at the top of the page (e.g., [XX.188]).

Explanatory Notes / Textual Notes: There are two windows with notes: explanatory and textual. The text in those windows on this page explains what you will find in them.

Introduction to the: [ Notebooks ] [ List of Manuscripts ]

Introduction to the Notebooks [top]

XX.188: The so-called Blaues Studienbuch (Blue Notebook) is an octavo volume (10 x 17 cm.; ribbed paper), 230 pp., with a pale blue cover. Many sheets have come loose from the binding, including the paper covers (on the label on the front cover, written by Rudolf Reicke in black ink: “(Ausrisse wieder hineingelegt!) / R.”). The inner title-page reads, in Herder’s hand: “Ascetische Sachen.” (On the blue cover, but not in Herder’s hand: “Eigene Poesien und Excerpta.”) Many pages are blank, and others include various drawings and doodles. The ink varies from light to dark brown, and finely written. The pagination in pencil was added later. During and after WW II the notebook was housed in the Tübingen depot.

This notebook is primarily devoted to poetic exercises, but also includes reflections on philosophical topics. Quite often, but not always, these notes on philosophy are written with the book turned upside down – presumably Herder added these notes to an otherwise full notebook, turning the book upside down and filling any empty space. This means that the pagination of the philosophy material often appears to run backwards. For instance, the text transcribed at AA 28: 158-66 has marginal pagination running 119, 117, 116, 113, 114, 110.

XXVI.5: The so-called Braunes Studienbuch (Brown Notebook) is a quarto volume (17.5 x 20 cm), 70 sheets, with a brown cover. It is paginated (apparently by Herder) as I-IV (with I as the title-page) and then 1-137 (the inside back cover is p. 137). The text is all in ink (dark brown or black, on one page red), with pencilled markings by a later user. On the title-page (p. I): “Beiträge / fürs / Gedächtniß. / 1761. / 1762ff.” Haym believes the notebook was begun when Herder was still in Mohrungen and then continued while at the university (1880, 1: 21).

XXVIII.2: The so-called Studienbuch O (Notebook “O”) is an octavo volume (10 x 15.5 cm), 164 sheets, with a gray-green cover. Written on the cover by an unknown hand: “Excerpta mit verschiedenen Bemerkungen”. Text is in brown and black ink. Sheets have been numbered in pencil by a librarian in the upper-right corners, and so pages here are indicated as ‘1r’, ‘1v’, ‘2r’, etc. Some sheets are missing, others are added. Most entries appear to be written while Herder was in Riga (Irmscher/Adler 1979, 241); a book mentioned on 163v was published in 1765.

List of Manuscripts [top]

At the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Nachlass Johann Gottfried Herder:

XXV.38 (8°, 10 x 17.5 cm): 1 p. Text in ink. [XXV.38] (empirical psychology)

XXV.44a (4°, 16.5 x 20.5 cm): 1 p. Text in ink. [XXV.44a] (logic)

XXV.46a (8°): 1 p. Text in ink [XXV46a(A)] (astronomy)

XXV.46a (8°, 10.5 x 17.5 cm): 2 pp. Text in ink. [XXV.46a(B)] (reading notes on Kant’s New Elucidation)

XX.188 (8°, 10 x 17 cm): 4 pp. Text in ink. [XX.188(A)] (introductory notes to metaphysics)

XX.188 (8°, 10 x 17 cm): 15 pp. Text in ink. [XX.188(B)] (introductory notes to physics)

XXVI.5 (4°, (17.5 x 20 cm)): 4 pp. Text in ink. [XXVI.5] (schedule, readings)

XXVIII.2 (8°, 10 x 15.5 cm): 2 pp. Text in ink. [XXVIII.2] (schedule, readings)