In the 19th century, collecting autographs represents a widespread fashion, but also a philologically motivated activity. The essay analyzes the literarization and popularization of autograph collecting on the basis of contemporary guidebooks and handbooks as well as on the basis of prose and poems by Goethe, Droste-Hülshoff, Lenau, James, and others. Stefan Zweig’s important autograph collection, which he commented on in several essays, is considered a highlight of this history of fascination.
