Manifestoes of Surrealism begins with a preface written by author André Breton to accompany a 1929 reprint of his original 1924 manifesto. The preface speculates about the meaning of reprinting works and about the influence of the Surrealist movement on the wider world during the previous five years. Breton mentions that the movement also faced controversy, but he does not elaborate about what that entailed. The background of this controversy can be found in other sections of Manifestoes of Surrealism and mostly involves the political positions of individual Surrealists, in contrast to that of the movement as a whole. He explains why he is not updating the manifesto: Although some former Surrealists left the movement, new ones entered it, and the character of the world changed, the underlying principles of the work remain the same. Breton also speaks on his own life; Surrealism did not change the world to any great degree, and he sometimes wonders why he continues to live, but he is becoming more comfortable with finding small sources of inspiration and wonder.

The preface begins with a philosophical question about the nature of being a writer. Evaluating his work in retrospect, Breton believes that his own status as the writer is irrelevant.