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Richard Winston
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Hermann Hesse
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The Glass Bead Game: (Magister Ludi) A Novel Kindle Edition

by Hermann Hesse (Author), Theodore Ziolkowski (Foreword), Richard Winston (Translator), Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,306 ratings
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The Glass Bead Game, for which Hesse won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946, is the author's last and crowning achievement, the most imaginative and prophetic of all his novels. Setting the story in the distant postapocalyptic future, Hesse tells of an elite cult of intellectuals who play an elaborate game that uses all the cultural and scientific knowledge of the Ages. The Glass Bead Game is a fascinating tale of the complexity of modern life as well as a classic of modern literature.

This edition features a Foreword by Theodore Ziolkowski that places the book in the full context of Hesse's thought.

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  1. Print length
    580 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Holt Paperbacks
  4. Publication date
    December 6, 2002
  5. File size
    1.7 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
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  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a genre blend of science fiction, fantasy, and fictional biography, leavened with musicology, poetry, and Hesse’s unique swirl of Eastern and Western philosophy." - The American Scholar

About the Author

Hermann Hesse (1877-1962) was a German poet and novelist. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962. He was the author of numerous works including Siddhartha, Steppenwolf, and Demian.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00ANI9G0O
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Holt Paperbacks; First edition (December 6, 2002)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 6, 2002
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.7 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 580 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,306 ratings

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  1. Richard Winston

    Richard Winston

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  2. Hermann Hesse

    Hermann Hesse

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    Hermann Hesse (1877-1962) was born in Germany and later became a citizen of Switzerland. As a Western man profoundly affected by the mysticism of Eastern thought, he wrote many novels, stories, and essays that bear a vital spiritual force that has captured the imagination and loyalty of many generations of readers. In 1946, he won the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Glass Bead Game.

    Photo by unknown [Dutch National Archives, The Hague, Fotocollectie Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau (ANEFO), 1945-1989 / Public Domain] [CC BY-SA 3.0 nl (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/nl/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,306 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book thought-provoking and full of unexpected insights into the meaning of life. They describe it as a precious work of art with great imagination. Many readers consider it a timeless classic worth owning. However, some find the print size small and the book too long. Opinions are mixed on the writing quality - some find it superbly written and complex, while others consider it difficult to read and expository.

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Thought provokingArt qualityValue for moneyClassic bookWriting qualityEntertainment valuePrint size
33 customers mention "Thought provoking"27 positive6 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and providing new insights into life, friendship, and honor. They describe it as an excellent agglomeration of existentialist perspectives that is spiritually stimulating and amusing with a sly wit. The novel weaves education, politics, and a magisterium into a world that almost seems real.

"...A plateau of refuge for all who think, a respite for newcomers seeking the Everest of truth, found only in Jesus...." Read more

"...The stories are well told and genuinely interesting...." Read more

"...Not for the casual reader, this serious novel offers remarkable insights into the joys and dangers of a narrowly focused intellectual life that..." Read more

"...do ask us to think - yet at its heart it is a great and virtuous tale of awakening...." Read more

10 customers mention "Art quality"10 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's art quality. They find it original, fascinating, and beautifully written with thought-provoking imagery. The story is described as subtle yet powerful.

"...I highly recommend it because of it's uniqueness and because Hermann Hesse had to be absolutely brilliant to write it...." Read more

"...This is one of the best works of art and one that can and should move each reader to greater things then they have done before." Read more

"This story struck me as subtle yet made a powerful impression...." Read more

"...Hardcover itself looks good. The paper is low qualty but bearable. Very annoying small font (significantly below average size)...." Read more

10 customers mention "Value for money"7 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the book's value for money. They find it insightful, brilliant, and masterful. The music descriptions are worth reading, making the experience worthwhile.

"...At over 500 pages, it is rich, insightful, and masterfully written with a moving conclusion...." Read more

"...They stand alone as brilliant delicasies worth owning and reading the book for." Read more

"...It's awful junk GARBAGE!!! Printed on the thinnest and cheapest newsprint stock. This book will DISINTEGRATE from aging in just a couple years...." Read more

"...As spectacular as the entire volume is, the 3rd short story at the end was a wonder filled sucker punch awakening me.. that started me on a..." Read more

9 customers mention "Classic book"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book timeless and appealing. They say it's a classic to the counterculture of the 1960s. Readers also describe it as one of the most original, fascinating novels they have ever read.

"...Hesse is a classic writer whose works touch me now as much as they did many years ago...." Read more

"This is the strangest book I ever read!..." Read more

"This book, which was a classic to the counterculture in the 1960s, holds a deep, quiet appeal...." Read more

"One of the most original & fascinating novels I have ever read. Dear to my heart & mind." Read more

34 customers mention "Writing quality"22 positive12 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality. Some find it superbly written, with beautiful language and complex prose. Others find it difficult to read, with an expository style that's poorly executed and impossible to express satisfactorily. The vocabulary used is sometimes of a college level, and Hesse never really matures as a writer.

"...At over 500 pages, it is rich, insightful, and masterfully written with a moving conclusion...." Read more

"This is not an easy book to read, esp. the first 80-100 pages. But, if you are a Hesse fan, it's a must reading." Read more

"...Hesse's use of of language is beautiful, even in translation...." Read more

"...It's Hesse's poetic voice and dark plots that make his books so full of depth...so delicious...." Read more

22 customers mention "Entertainment value"13 positive9 negative

Customers have different views on the book's entertainment value. Some find the stories interesting and enjoyable to read, while others consider them boring and pointless. The conclusion seems inconsequential for some readers.

"...and the 3 short stories at the end are a joy to read. He deserved the Nobel prize." Read more

"...general introduction to the game, is likely to be the least interesting to the general reader and may be skipped without concern that important..." Read more

"This book challenges the concept of Utopia and it brings the reader into much internal discussion around the practices of meditation as well as the..." Read more

"...toward the reader commanding attention, creates a meditative, half mesmerizing mood that goes deep, always eluding the intellect--at least this..." Read more

9 customers mention "Print size"0 positive9 negative

Customers find the print size of the book quite small and the font size significantly below average. They also mention that the book is long and boring.

"The book is massive, boring, long, descriptive, did I say long? Long...." Read more

"The font is so small I had to strain to read. I would suggest finding an alternate publication of this classic." Read more

"...HOWEVER, in this particular version of the book, the print is quite small and there are a number of misprints/typos...." Read more

"...It is a review of the printing. It's awful junk GARBAGE!!! Printed on the thinnest and cheapest newsprint stock...." Read more

It's Buddhism, Folks, Plain and Simple
4 out of 5 stars
It's Buddhism, Folks, Plain and Simple
This book can be a companion piece to Hesse's most famous work, Siddhartha, or even a sequel, only set far in the future where Zen Buddhist-types call Life a Glass Bead Game and learn to appreciate it more than figure it out... It's about learning, becoming, being.The main character learns to meditate in a cave and has no women in his life. He's basically Buddhist. Doesn't take a Ludi to figure that one out. And it's a great book, very hypnotic, and like The Game itself never completely makes sense, which is what's so mesmerizing, enigmatic and addictive...The first part starts almost like an intentionally vague philosophy course, and then turns into a biography of a great man. Sometimes particular avenues are mentioned, teased... like spending a weekend in the real world with the non-believer our man debates... only to be quickly rejected, making one wish it wasn't brought up at all since the book does get a bit claustrophobic, and often seems like several possible adventures are abandoned.But Monks (and Priests, for that matter, although this book is very anti-Catholic) are "cloistered", aren't they? PS The photo I included is the cover I prefer. The new colorful cover looks like a How to Play Pool book.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Greenstone
    5.0 out of 5 stars Within the Cosmos of Ideas
    Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    "The Glass Bead Game" reveals a distant galaxy within the Cosmos, a realm of thought adrift in the universe.

    Author Herman Hesse stirred this ancient mind when searching life's meaning as a newly arrived member, just entering onto the world stage, literally.

    Freedom of thought is a constant star sought for by the populations of the world, great and small, noted and insignificant. "The Glass Bead Game" challenges the reader to mount this distant plane page by page, paragraph by paragraph, sentence by sentence, thought by thought.

    A plateau of refuge for all who think, a respite for newcomers seeking the Everest of truth, found only in Jesus.

    Far down and away on the slippery slopes of reality, as a young man I stumbled upon Hesse on the Emerald Isle, where reality clashes head-on with the mortal mind, directing the temporal person to eternal vestiges unseen.

    Cleaving open the distant reaches of inter-communications, the author leads the way to the inner depths of connectivity intertwining the pursuits of all in journey of reason and the quest for peace.

    Hesse's greatest accomplishment is the discovery of mutuality from the heights of intellectual endeavor. One finds a score in music, translated into mathematics, which in turn converts onto a canvas, then pummeled into a figure of clay, finding momentary rest in marble, only to be reflected through a poem, 'und so weiter'.

    Perhaps the most powerful moment reveals when one perceives arriving only at the edges of one galaxy within the ever-expanding universe of undiscovered space.

    Even half a century on, the look back is a dot on the map. Man's frustrations announcing the ultimate truth in their unwitting anguished cries which can only be answered through Jesus Christ.

    And then the shock of hearing one's youngest, embedded in Bible School, requesting a copy of a book he's heard of called "The Glass Bead Game," thrusting one back through the decades to the night's in Grosvenor Square, Rathmines, hot tea and milk before a coal fire, soaking in "Siddhartha", with "The Glass Bead Game" awaiting at the side.

    Now these seeming eons gone by, new generations continue, also entering upon the world stage, moved to seek the capturing of thought within the cosmos of ideas.

    TL Farley,
    author,

    "Blast Off Rapiemur - IVth Edition" - I Thess. 4:17 - Jesus Speaks to the Rapture, the 1st Century proclamation and practice to this very hour.
    14 people found this helpful
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  • "paw63"
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2025
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    Book in great condition and received quickly.
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  • Russell Fanelli
    4.0 out of 5 stars Recommended with reservations
    Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2011
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    The Glass Bead Game is divided into four distinct parts. Part 1, the general introduction to the game, is likely to be the least interesting to the general reader and may be skipped without concern that important information to understand the story will be lost. Part 2 is the fictional biography of Jospeph Knecht, the Magister Ludi of the title of the novel. As other reviewers have noted, the entertainment value of this biography is slight. The story starts slowly with Knecht's childhood and education and then moves to the point in the middle of the novel where he is appointed Magister Ludi (teacher of the game). I was interested in the various problems Knecht faced as Magister in the future world called Castalia. Knecht slowly moves toward enlightenment and we watch his steady progress. His journey becomes more interesting as he faces obstacles, not only with the ruling elite of Castalia, but also in himself. Everyone recognizes that Knecht is an extraordinary human being, but he challenges the status quo and has genuine concerns about the future of Castalia that not everyone wants to hear. The end of Knecht's story comes as an abrupt surprise to the reader.

    Joseph Knecht's poetry comprises Part 3 of the novel. The poems help us to understand the inner life and world of Knecht and are useful in that regard. The poems are worth reading even if they did not relate directly to the story.

    In Part 4, the final section of the book, Hesse gives us three long stories related to the novel. Many readers will find these stories the most entertaining part of the novel. In fact, another review suggests readers begin their reading of the novel with these stories - not a bad idea. The stories are well told and genuinely interesting. I read the poems along with the stories; some poems - Stages - I read several times.

    Summary: Many people will not get beyond the general introduction to The Glass Bead Game (Part 1); watching paint dry is how some readers have described it. Joseph Knecht's story (Part 2) will interest those readers who love the work of Hermann Hesse and want to read his final novel, his crowning achievement, as some have called it. I am in this category of readers and read with interest this final novel. The poetry and short stories which complete the novel are genuinely entertaining and similar in style to much of Hesse's other work. If the general reader starts at the end and enjoys the short stories and poetry, skips the general introduction, and then moves quickly through the early life of Joseph Knecht, reading The Glass Bead Game may be an enjoyable experience.
    74 people found this helpful
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  • JohnnyT
    5.0 out of 5 stars If you love Hesse ...
    Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Obviously, this review is about the author, not the particular publication ... though the publication is superb too. If you love Herman Hesse, you will love this novel. Hesse won the Nobel prize in literature for it in 1946. While not his most famous book (because it is quite "dense"), it is a masterpiece! At over 500 pages, it is rich, insightful, and masterfully written with a moving conclusion. Not for the casual reader, this serious novel offers remarkable insights into the joys and dangers of a narrowly focused intellectual life that excludes emotional sensitivity.
    17 people found this helpful
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  • Harvey Nyberg
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book
    Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This book is as advertized and just came a day or two latefr that planned, undoubtably due to our remote small town location.
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  • San Francisco Fog
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hesse's magnum opus
    Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This is not an easy book to read, esp. the first 80-100 pages.
    But, if you are a Hesse fan, it's a must reading.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Thay Kozen
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fresh translation - which I think is closer to the German as I understand it
    Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I read this book many years ago as a student. Now as an old man, I am re-reading many of the books I read when I was younger. Hesse is a classic writer whose works touch me now as much as they did many years ago. I think that I see more in The Glass Bead Game now than I did when I first read it, when I knew it originally as Magister Ludi. The subtleties of the arrogantly limited narrator seem to stand out more while the character of the Magister Ludi seem even more defined in this translation. It is difficult reading at times - the vocabulary used is sometimes of a college level - the thoughts and narration do ask us to think - yet at its heart it is a great and virtuous tale of awakening. The eastern influence of meditation and self discipline are well represented and dear to my own practice. Do read the book, it is worthwhile.
    31 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Andrius Vaicenavicius
    5.0 out of 5 stars beautiful, spiritual book about seeking of the knowledge and wisdom
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 19, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    A very beautiful book with a lot of beautiful insights. It encourages to reflect many societal notions, seeking of knowledge, wisdom and generally the role of achievements in life
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  • Riya Chaturvedi
    5.0 out of 5 stars Love It!
    Reviewed in India on April 26, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Beautiful cover. Amazing quality. Hermann Hesse is my absolute favourite.
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  • mhachi
    3.0 out of 5 stars a lire
    Reviewed in France on May 22, 2023
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    a lire
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  • pv
    1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible publication
    Reviewed in Brazil on December 3, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    The layout is atrocious, the font is microscopic, the cover is pixelated and terribly printed.

    Do yourself a big favor and do not buy the "Blurb" or "Stellar Books" edition of this title.
    Report
  • Nuria
    5.0 out of 5 stars Un buen complemento a "El lobo estepario"
    Reviewed in Spain on October 15, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Por fin he entendido una parte que me tenía intrigada de "El lobo estepario". En este libro no me quedó claro en que consistía "el teatro mágico", aquí se explica perfectamente y me ha encantado.
    Como siempre, Hesse nos traslada un poco más allá y a través de sus personajes nos muestra un poco de nosotros mismos y del mundo.
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