De geschiedenis van een muis

“De geschiedenis van een muis” (The Story of a Mouse) is a work by Wilhelm Busch, originally created in German under the title Die Geschichte einer Maus. It belongs to Busch’s characteristic genre of illustrated stories in verse, where short rhymed texts are closely paired with sequential drawings.

The story was first published in the late 19th century (1870s; exact first edition varies depending on collected editions), during the most active period of Busch’s career following the success of Max and Moritz (1865). Like many of his works, it later appeared in various reprints and translated editions, including Dutch (De geschiedenis van een muis).

The book tells a simple, ironic tale centered on a mouse, unfolding through a sequence of images accompanied by brief, rhythmic captions. As in Busch’s other stories, the tone combines humor with a slightly dark, moralizing edge. The narrative is driven as much by the images as by the text, with visual storytelling playing a central role—an approach that contributed to Busch’s reputation as a precursor to modern comics.

Rather than being a standalone major title, the story is often included in collected editions of Busch’s works. Its structure is concise, sequential, and strongly driven by images, reflecting the format that made Busch influential in the development of illustrated narrative and early comic art.