Abstract

The author reviews the first volume of the new Gesamtausgabe des Briefwechsels von Leopold von Ranke, edited by U. Muhlack and O. Ramonat, covering the period from 1813 to 1825. These letters have always been considered essential for an understanding of Ranke, but earlier editions were very unsatisfactory, owing to a process of «stylization» started by Ranke himself. The new volume, rich in commentary, aims to rescuing these significant documents from under the weight of this conditioning. The author discusses also the period the published letters refer to, from the years in Schulpforta to the publication of the Geschichten der germanischen und romanischen Völker in 1824