The stories about Münchhausen were first collected and published by an anonymous author in 1781. An English version was published in London in 1785, by Rudolf Erich Raspe, as <i>Baron Munchhausen's Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia</i>, also called <i>The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchhausen</i>. It is not clear how much of the story material derives from the Baron himself; however, it is known that the majority of the stories are based on folktales that have been in circulation for many centuries before Münchhausen's birth. (Summary by Wikipedia)
