Items Hesse used at his desk - from glasses to deskpad.

Below, his parents' faïence writing set boasting the emblematic wisdom: "Was man schreibt, das immer bleibt" (roughly: "A thing written is a thing forever").

As early as 1916, Herman Hesse began to send out to friends smaller works he had had printed. These first private prints were - right in keeping with the tradition of the missionary tracts - followed up by further circulars mailed to friends and correspondents.