Letters to a Young Poet
Letters to a Young Poet gathers ten letters Rainer Maria Rilke wrote between 1903 and 1908 to Franz Xaver Kappus, a young officer cadet. It was first published in German as Briefe an einen jungen Dichter by Insel Verlag, Leipzig, in 1929, three years after Rilke's death.
- Editions tracked
- 3
- First edition
- Insel-Verlag, 1929
- First published
- Insel Verlag, Leipzig, 1929
The first edition of Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke was published in Leipzig by Insel-Verlag in 1929. We track 3 editions.
Which edition do you have?
First edition
Later and other editions
- Norton1934 Hardback I own Letters to a Young Poet, Norton 1934 Log in to want this
- Euston Press1943 Hardback I own Letters to a Young Poet, Euston Press 1943 Log in to want this
We have not yet researched the issue points for this book. If you know how to tell the first from later printings, tell us and we will credit you once it is checked against a second source.
Awards, adaptations and setting
In print
- Editions recorded
- 144 on Open Library, 52 in English
From Wikidata and Open Library, both CC0. A prize or a new adaptation often lifts demand for the first printing.
More by Rainer Maria Rilke
- Poems from the Book of Hours1905 · 2 editions
- Auguste Rodin1913 · 2 editions
- Duino Elegies1923 · 1 edition
- Die Aufzeichnungen Des Malte Laurids Brigge1930 · 1 edition
- The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge1930 · 1 edition
- Poems1934 · 1 edition
- Sonnets to Orpheus1936 · 1 edition
- The Book of Hours1961 · 1 edition
Questions about Letters to a Young Poet
No questions yet. Not sure which edition you have, or whether a detail matters? Be the first to ask: collectors and our editors answer.
Reviews of Letters to a Young Poet
Read it or own it? Share what Letters to a Young Poet is like to read or collect.
Know what you are looking at
How to Identify a First Edition
To identify a first edition, check that your copy is the first printing of the first edition. Read the copyright …
Read the guide →6 min readBook Condition Grading: Fine to Poor Explained
Book condition grading uses a six-step trade scale: Fine, Near Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Collectors grade the …
Read the guide →7 min readDust Jackets Explained: Why the Jacket Drives a Book's Value
For most books published since the 1920s, the original dust jacket carries a large share of the value, often most …
Read the guide →Frequently asked questions
Who published the first edition of Letters to a Young Poet?
The first edition of Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke was published in Leipzig by Insel-Verlag in 1929.
How many editions of Letters to a Young Poet are there?
We track 3 editions of Letters to a Young Poet, including 1 first edition. Each has its own page with how to identify it.
Where these facts come from
- Letters to a Young Poet, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- Briefe an einen jungen Dichter, German Wikipedia (de.wikipedia.org)
- Letters to a Young Poet (Q914162), Wikidata (wikidata.org)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 21 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.