After the success of her first book publication "Goethe's Correspondence with a Child" (1835), Bettine initially showed little interest in a literary career. It was not until five years later that her second work, "Die Günderode," was published, followed in quick succession by "This Book Belongs to the King," "Clemens Brentano's Spring Wreath," a multitude of semi-public letters and brochures, as well as parts of a book for the poor. In the meantime, the inner unity of this broad spectrum has been found in the political will of Bettine von Arnim. Bettine's free handling of the original letters that underlie her novels long irritated researchers. The commentary of this new edition reconstructs the intellectual context of the epistolary novels without neglecting the original letters. Only in this dual perspective does the achievement of the writer Bettine take shape.