The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen

Münchhausen, the hero of the famous collection of amusing tall tales. Baron Münchhausen’s stories about his astonishing travels and campaigns in Russia (Baron Munchausen's Narrative of His Marvelous Travels and Campaigns in Russia), published in 1785 in London. Its author, R. E. Raspe (Raspe, 1737–1794), reshaped historical anecdotes that had been appearing in Berlin periodicals since 1781. Even earlier, around Hanover (Germany), an oral tradition had taken shape based on the tales of a professional soldier, Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von Münchhausen (von Mnchhausen; 1720–1797); and the literary tradition of these lying yarns dates back to the 11th century.