With the cyclical form of this large and most extensive narrative work of the poet, which includes well-known stories such as "The Mines of Falun," "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," and "The Lady from Scuderi," as well as music-critical essays, portrait sketches, and anecdotes, E.T.A. Hoffmann connects to the tradition of significant European collections from Boccaccio to Goethe, which have reflected not only the tales told but also the art of storytelling and its conditions. This edition presents Hoffmann's most extensive work in the form he himself gave to this collection between 1819 and 1821. It documents the cuts, expansions, and rephrasings Hoffmann made compared to the first editions for the collection. There is a comprehensive commentary on the creation of the collection and the individual pieces contained within it.