# Is "Steppenwolf (Der Steppenwolf)" by Hermann Hesse a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Steppenwolf (Der Steppenwolf) by Hermann Hesse (S. Fischer Verlag, 1927) is identified by: German first edition, S. The German S.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- German first edition, S. Fischer Verlag, Berlin, 1927
- The first printing is identified by the statement '1.-15
- Auflage' (1. bis 15
- Auflage) on the copyright page (and repeated on the front jacket panel), and by the separately paginated booklet 'Tractat vom Steppenwolf' bound in between pages 64 and 65 with its own (yellow) wrappers
- Issued in pale blue linen with the gilt 'hh' monogram on the front board
- Original dust jacket is scarce
- Publisher imprint reads S. Fischer Verlag

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Hermann Hesse |
| Publisher | S. Fischer Verlag |
| Year | 1927 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | German first edition, S. Fischer Verlag, Berlin, 1927 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
German first edition, S. Fischer Verlag, Berlin, 1927. The first printing is identified by the statement '1.-15. Auflage' (1. bis 15. Auflage) on the copyright page (and repeated on the front jacket panel), and by the separately paginated booklet 'Tractat vom Steppenwolf' bound in between pages 64 and 65 with its own (yellow) wrappers. Issued in pale blue linen with the gilt 'hh' monogram on the front board. Original dust jacket is scarce.

## Is this the true first?
The German S. Fischer 1927 edition is the true first. The first English edition (US Henry Holt, 1929, translated by Basil Creighton) is the English first thus.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later German printings carry a higher Auflage statement (a higher 'Tausend') on the copyright page; the first printing reads '1.-15. Auflage.' The Creighton English translation (Holt, 1929) is not the world first; the later Joseph Mileck revision of the Creighton translation is a different, separate text state.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Steppenwolf (Der Steppenwolf)* by Hermann Hesse a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/steppenwolf-der-steppenwolf
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.