Dennis Schäfer, co-winner of Princeton University Library’s 2024 Elmer Adler Book Collecting Prize, received the second prize in the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest for his collection of illustrated editions of works by E.T.A. Hoffman. 

Currently a graduate student in Princeton University’s Department of German, Schäfer’s interest in collecting started academically. Schäfer was introduced to Hoffman during his undergraduate work at the University of Cologne. Though he purchased Hoffman editions for his studies, his collecting habit began after receiving an illustrated edition of “The Golden Pot.”

“The experience of receiving such a masterfully done limited edition transformed the way I began to engage with the text,” Schäfer said. “All of a sudden, my reading experience was transformed by the simple and yet arresting beauty of a book.”

Within Schäfer’s collection are two items he considers among his favorites. The first is an edition of “Klein Zaches, gennant Zinnober” (“Little Zaches, called Zinnober”) illustrated by Steffan Faust and published by Serapion am See, a small German publishing house that produced small print runs of illustrated Hoffman text in the early 2000s.

“In the coming years it is my goal to assemble the entire portfolio,” Schäfer said. 

Second, Schäfer is fond of his recently acquired Hoffman stamp set, issued by the West German postal service on the 15th anniversary of his death in 1972.

“It was an interesting foray into philately and showed me ways in which my collection can ultimately move beyond books towards other artistic engagements with Hoffmann’s life and work,” Schäfer said.

Though Schäfer prides himself on the Hoffman collection, he has been a lifelong collector, beginning with comic books and graphic novels in his youth, and later aggregating all manner of books. He also maintains a collection of postcards, with a focus on ones related to authors, and more recently, book paraphernalia, such as ex libris, or bookplates. 

“What began as a way to individualize my books has recently turned into yet another obsessive collecting impulse,” Schäfer said. “Luckily, bookplates do not take up too much space!”

The 2025 Adler Prize is now accepting submissions, and the deadline is Friday, February 21, 2025. 

Those interested in applying can also attend the Wintersession, “Curious About Book-ish Collecting?” to learn more about the process.