In this edition, Hesperus, the successful novel by Jean Paul (1763–1825), is for the first time presented in all three printed versions (from 1795, 1798 and 1819). The model used in the edition makes it easy for the reader to reconstruct the compositional process. The history of the work also includes as yet undiscovered handwritten drafts. For this reason, the volumes of text are accompanied by the first publication of the Hesperus manuscript. It is followed by a textual commentary, which uses hitherto inaccessible posthumous texts to help decode the author’s metaphors and their world. The Hesperus edition is the model project for the new criticalhistorical edition of Jean Paul’s works.