The history of Nietzsche reception cannot be separated from the distortions and political manipulations of Nietzsche's texts by the activities of the Weimar Nietzsche Archive. This work examines the historical and intellectual conditions leading up to the establishment of the archive. It sheds light on Nietzsche's own editorial activities as well as his relationships with his publishers, his struggle for the typographical form of his writings, and the emergence of the first complete edition. The work reveals tendencies of a problematic Nietzsche reception and edition even before the founding of the archive. While Nietzsche intended to write for a small but select audience, the archive's editorial policy caters to a remarkably broad readership. A text corpus authorized by the archive's management, which has become canonical, is made available to the book market in various formats, ranging from a limited deluxe edition to an affordable wartime edition.