# Is "Storm of Steel (In Stahlgewittern)" by Ernst Jünger a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Storm of Steel (In Stahlgewittern) by Ernst Jünger (Selbstverlag, 1920) is identified by: German-language true first: 'In Stahlgewittern. Original-language German first (Leisnig / Selbstverlag, 1920) precedes all translations.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- German-language true first: 'In Stahlgewittern
- Aus dem Tagebuch eines Stoßtruppführers,' self-published at the family's expense and printed by Robert Meier at Leisnig, 1920, in a small edition (reported at about 2,000 copies) issued in original printed wrappers — a fragile pamphlet-style paperback, not a cased book
- The primary tell is the absence of any commercial-publisher imprint (self-issued/Selbstverlag, Robert Meier the printer at Leisnig); the first trade edition is a separate book, E. S. Mittler & Sohn, Berlin, 1922
- Granular wrapper sub-states are not standardized because so few 1920 copies survive
- Publisher imprint reads Selbstverlag
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ernst Jünger |
| Publisher | Selbstverlag |
| Year | 1920 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | German-language true first: 'In Stahlgewittern |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
German-language true first: 'In Stahlgewittern. Aus dem Tagebuch eines Stoßtruppführers,' self-published at the family's expense and printed by Robert Meier at Leisnig, 1920, in a small edition (reported at about 2,000 copies) issued in original printed wrappers — a fragile pamphlet-style paperback, not a cased book. The primary tell is the absence of any commercial-publisher imprint (self-issued/Selbstverlag, Robert Meier the printer at Leisnig); the first trade edition is a separate book, E. S. Mittler & Sohn, Berlin, 1922. Granular wrapper sub-states are not standardized because so few 1920 copies survive.

## Is this the true first?
Original-language German first (Leisnig / Selbstverlag, 1920) precedes all translations. First edition in English is 'The Storm of Steel,' translated by Basil Creighton with an introduction by R. H. Mottram, Chatto & Windus, London, 1929 — the collected English-language first; a US issue and later reprints (e.g., Howard Fertig) followed.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Major first-thus trap: Jünger revised the text repeatedly (1922, 1924, 1934, 1961, 1978), so nearly all 'In Stahlgewittern' copies are later revised-text printings and the 1961/1978 Sämtliche-Werke text differs substantially. The 1922 Mittler edition is what most collectors actually obtain; only the 1920 self-published wrappers pamphlet is the rare true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Storm of Steel (In Stahlgewittern)* by Ernst Jünger a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/storm-of-steel-in-stahlgewittern
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.