Baron Munchausen is a German nobleman in Rudolf Erich Raspe’s 1785 book Baron Munchausen’s Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia, whose exploits, narrated in the first person, focus on his impossible achievements as a sportsman, soldier, and traveller; for instance: riding on a cannonball, fighting a forty-foot crocodile, and travelling to the Moon. Intentionally comedic, the stories play on the absurdity and inconsistency of Munchausen’s claims, and contain an undercurrent of social satire. The earliest illustrations of the character, perhaps created by Raspe himself, depict Munchausen as slim and youthful, although later illustrators have depicted him as an older man, and have added the sharply beaked nose and twirled moustache that have become part of the character’s definitive visual representation. Raspe’s book was a major international success, becoming the core text for numerous English, continental European, and American editions that were expanded and rewritten by other writers. The book in its various revised forms remained widely read throughout the 19th century, especially in editions for young readers.
First Appearance Baron Munchausen’s Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia (1785)
First Publisher ○
Appearance List Literature: The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen; or Baron Munchausen’s Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia (English, 1785), The Adventures of Baron Munchausen: A New and Revised Edition; Illustrations by Gustave Doré (English, 1865, 2012) [Internet Archive], Aventures du Baron de Münchhausen; illustrées par Gustave Doré (French, 1866) [Internet Archive], Aventures du baron de Münchhausen; Illustrations par Gustave Doré (French, 1893) [Wikisource], The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen; Illustrated by Willaim Strang and J. B. Clark (English, 1895) [Internet Archive], Mr. Munchausen (1901). Film: Baron Munchausen’s Dream (1911, Georges Méliès), Münchhausen (1943, Josef von Báky with script by Erich Kästner), The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1961, Karel Zeman), The Very Same Munchhausen (1979, Mark Zakharov), The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988, Terry Gilliam). Pulps: Beadle’s Half Dime Library #9 – The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (Nov 12, 1877), “How Münchhausen and the Allies Took Berlin” by Hugo Gernsback in Amazing Stories (Feb 1928). Comic strip: Baron Munchausen (1935-1937, Klaus Nordling).
Sample Read The Adventures of Baron Munchausen: A New and Revised Edition; Illustrations by Gustave Doré [Internet Archive]
Description Baron Munchausen is a German nobleman in Rudolf Erich Raspe’s 1785 book Baron Munchausen’s Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia, whose exploits, narrated in the first person, focus on his impossible achievements as a sportsman, soldier, and traveller; for instance: riding on a cannonball, fighting a forty-foot crocodile, and travelling to the Moon. Intentionally comedic, the stories play on the absurdity and inconsistency of Munchausen’s claims, and contain an undercurrent of social satire. The earliest illustrations of the character, perhaps created by Raspe himself, depict Munchausen as slim and youthful, although later illustrators have depicted him as an older man, and have added the sharply beaked nose and twirled moustache that have become part of the character’s definitive visual representation. Raspe’s book was a major international success, becoming the core text for numerous English, continental European, and American editions that were expanded and rewritten by other writers. The book in its various revised forms remained widely read throughout the 19th century, especially in editions for young readers.
