Which 1924 book by André Breton formally defined the principles of Surrealism?

André Breton’s 1924 book The First Surrealist Manifesto formally defined the principles of Surrealism.

Published in Paris, the manifesto described Surrealism as a means of expressing thought without the control of reason or conventional aesthetic rules. Breton emphasized automatism, dreams, imagination, and the unconscious, drawing heavily on contemporary interest in psychoanalysis.

The text appeared during a period when former Dada participants were seeking a new movement with a more focused theory. Breton’s definition helped distinguish Surrealism from Dada’s broader spirit of protest, even though the two movements overlapped and shared artists.

The work is often confused with Breton’s Second Manifesto of Surrealism, published in 1929. The first manifesto is the foundational statement that introduced the movement’s central ideas and helped establish Paris as its international center.