First published in German in 1922, Siddhartha is Hermann Hesse's enduring novel of spiritual restlessness and self-discovery.

Set in ancient India during the time of the Buddha, it follows a young Brahmin who abandons certainty in pursuit of enlightenment, only to discover that wisdom cannot be inherited, taught or borrowed—it must be lived. While deeply informed by Buddhist and Hindu philosophy, the novel is less a religious text than an exploration of experience itself: desire, love, work, loss, and the slow dissolution of the ego.

Hesse allows profound philosophical questions to emerge through deceptively simple prose. The novel became a touchstone for generations of readers—from post-war existentialists to the counterculture of the 1960s—and remains one of the twentieth century's most widely read works of philosophical fiction. This New Directions edition, translated by Hilda Rosner, is the version responsible for introducing the novel to many English-language readers and remains the standard translation.

New Directions first edition paperback in the classic black-and-white cover design, translated by Hilda Rosner. Moderate rubbing, creasing and edge wear to the wraps with age toning throughout; binding remains solid and the text is clean.