Nothingness and "the nothing"

[Paul Mackin]

Although it may be of no importance to the reading of Pynchon, I noticed
in a book I happen to have called _Martin Heidegger Basic Writings_ that
the translation for Heidegger's "das Nichts" is "the nothing" rather
than "nothingness," which is of course the well known English
translation for Sartre's "le neant." (at least in the title of his book)

This particular translation of "Was ist Metaphysik" appeared for the
first time in 1977 (my book says) though possibly "the nothing" was
carried over from an earlier English translation. (there was one that P
could have read)

Not particularly a student of the subject but interested,
P.