Raspe, Rudolf: The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen (illus). v1. 31 Jan 2020
 

The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen
By Rudolf Erich Raspe (1737-1794) and anonymous contributors

Illustrated by William Strang (1859–1921) and J. B. Clark (1857–1938)

Introduction by Thomas Seccombe (1866–1923)

Baron Munchausen, the fictional German nobleman created by Rudolf Erich Raspe, is an iconic character who spins the tallest of tall tales.

This series of comedic adventures is narrated by the Baron himself, recounting near-impossible exploits around the globe, and even beyond. He has been known to catch flying cannonballs with his bare hands, to spend four-and-one-half hours in the stomach of a gigantic fish, to build a bridge from Africa to England, to climb to the Moon via beanstalk. Clearly, this is a hero not to be scorned.

-------------
The character is loosely based on a real baron who became a minor celebrity within German aristocratic circles for telling outrageous tall tales based on his military career. Perhaps fearing a libel suit, Raspe, a German writer, scientist, and con artist, never acknowledged his authorship of the work, which was only established posthumously. The initial nucleus of “Baron Munchausen,” written by Raspe (Chapters 2 through 6), was first published in 1785. The following century saw the publication of numerous editions with many anonymously written additions. (See the Introduction for a complete history of this book.)

-------------
The source for this ebook, The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen, illustrated by Strang and Clark, was published in 1895 by Lawrence and Bullen, London. This book is in the public domain in countries where the copyright term is “Life+80” or less, and in the USA.

-------------
Frankly, the first half of the book is the best, the second half has a lot of topical satire on personalities and politics of the time. But you will find general satire, fantasy, a bit of science fiction, and lots of just plain fun.

Enjoy the fibs with a clear conscience.
;)