v. 1 : 1813-1848. Foreword -- Sources -- Paternity and ancestry -- Geyer -- The child -- The Kreuzschüler -- The Leipzig student -- Würzburg -- The last six months in Leipzig -- The state of music in Germany -- The economic and social status of the musician -- Magdeburg -- Minna -- Königsberg and Riga -- The voyage to London -- The "conquest of Paris" -- The return to Dresden -- The early years in Dresden -- The middle years in Dresden -- Friends and enemies -- The storm brewing -- Nearing the end in Dresden --

v. 2 : 1848-1860. Foreword -- Additional sources and references -- Wagner and politics in 1848 -- The literary work of 1848 -- Leading up to the revolution -- Wagner and the revolution : 1. The legal case against him -- Wagner and the revolution : 2. His share in the revolt -- Between Zürich and Paris -- Jessie Laussot -- Friends and public work in Zürich -- Liszt, Wagner, and "Lohengrin" -- Liszt and Weimar -- The rising tide -- Uhlig's visit : expansion of the Nibelungen plan -- Weakening of the link with Weimar -- Distractions and diet : the "Cellini" episode -- The "hailstorm" -- Growing estrangement from the world -- Difficulties in the rounding of the "Ring" -- Marking time in Zürich -- Liszt and Wagner meet again : the "Ring" music begun -- Wagner's finances in Zürich -- The year 1854 -- The London inferno -- Nearing the end in Zürich -- Between Zürich and Paris -- The Asyl catastrophe -- Calm in Venice -- From Venice to Lucerne -- Preparing for the siege of Paris -- Appendix 1 : Wagner and Meyerbeer -- Appendix 2 : Wagner's origins : 1. The Geyer question, 2. The Prince Constantin question --

v. 3 : 1859-1866. Foreword -- Additional sources and references -- The second assault on Paris -- The year 1860 -- En route to "Tannhäuser" -- Gathering clouds -- The storm breaks -- Between Paris and Vienna -- The Minna crisis -- Shipwreck -- The rescue -- Wagner and Ludwig -- At the Villa Pellet -- Cosima -- Settling down in Munich -- Trouble brewing -- The "Tristan" production -- After "Tristan" -- Semper and the Festival Theatre -- "Vincere scis, Hannibal" -- "Victoria uti nescis" -- Haven in Triebschen -- The triangle -- The king and the triangle -- Appendixes. Johanna Wagner and Geyer -- The "madness" of King Ludwig -- The Putzmacherin letters --

v. 4 : 1866-1883. Foreword

Additional sources and references

The Malvina Schnorr episode : 1

The Malvina Schnorr episode : 2

Moves in Munich

Shadows falling

Fröbel and the "Süddeutsche Presse"

The shadows deepen

The "Meistersinger" year

The Bülow-Cosima crisis

Cosima decides

The breach with the king

The "Rhinegold" aftermath

Sunshine and cloud in Triebschen

The Bayreuth idea

Planning Bayreuth

Wagner and Nietzsche : 1

Wagner and Nietzsche : 2

The foundation-stone

Polemics in 1872

Difficulties in Bayreuth

The king to the rescue

Spadework in 1874

Bayreuth in 1875

Preparing for the festival

The festival and after

Nietzsche in 1876

Elisabeth's false witness

The realities of the matter

The load of care

Bayreuth saved

The breach with Nietzsche

Work at "Parsifal"

In search of health

Trouble with Bülow and others

On the way to "Parsifal"

Nearing the goal

"Parsifal"

The end in Venice

Appendix 1 : New light on the "Siegfried Idyll"

Bombastes furioso.