Brehms Tierleben
Encyclopedia
Brehms Tierleben
is a reference book, first published in the 1860s,
which made its author, Alfred Edmund Brehm
(1829–1884),
known around the world.
, Alfred Brehm
furnished popular-scientific magazines with essays and travelogues
. Because of his success in doing this, in 1860 he was commissioned to write a 10-volume zoological
encyclopedia
. Journeys to Abyssinia
, Scandinavia
and Siberia
both interrupted and enriched the work. The first six volumes of the encyclopedia, published under the title Illustrirtes Tierleben, appeared from 1864 to 1869, published by the Bibliographisches Institut
under Herrmann Julius Meyer
. Illustrated under the direction of Robert Kretschmer
(1818–1872), they met with wide approval from the educated bourgeoisie
.
As of the second edition, which consisted of ten volumes published from 1876 to 1879, the work was already titled Brehms Tierleben. The work made Brehm famous around the world and its title is still a
catchphrase today, even though science has gone far beyond Brehm. Perhaps the greatest change in the second edition was the addition of new illustrations by Gustav Mützel
and others, which Charles Darwin
said were the best he had ever seen. The second edition was reprinted from 1882 to 1884, and a third edition, published from 1890 to 1893, followed. The work has been translated into various languages. Editions have continued to appear into the 20th century, especially in the form of abridged, one-volume works.
is a reference book, first published in the 1860s,
which made its author, Alfred Edmund Brehm
Alfred Brehm
Alfred Edmund Brehm was aGerman zoologist, natural history illustrator and writer, the son ofChristian Ludwig Brehm....
(1829–1884),
known around the world.
Publishing history
As a freelance writerWriter
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, Alfred Brehm
Alfred Brehm
Alfred Edmund Brehm was aGerman zoologist, natural history illustrator and writer, the son ofChristian Ludwig Brehm....
furnished popular-scientific magazines with essays and travelogues
Travel journal
A travel journal, also called road journal or travelogue, is a record made by a voyager. Generally in diary form, a travel journal contains descriptions of the traveler's experiences, is normally written during the course of the journey, intended on updating friends or family on the journey...
. Because of his success in doing this, in 1860 he was commissioned to write a 10-volume zoological
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
encyclopedia
Encyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge....
. Journeys to Abyssinia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
and Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
both interrupted and enriched the work. The first six volumes of the encyclopedia, published under the title Illustrirtes Tierleben, appeared from 1864 to 1869, published by the Bibliographisches Institut
Bibliographisches Institut
The German publishing company "Bibliographisches Institut" was founded 1826 in Gotha by Joseph Meyer, moved 1828 to Hildburghausen and 1874 to Leipzig. Its production over the years includes such well-known titles as "Meyers Lexikon" , "Brehms Tierleben" The German publishing company...
under Herrmann Julius Meyer
Herrmann Julius Meyer
Herrmann Julius Meyer was a German publisher born in Gotha. He was the son of publisher Joseph Meyer ....
. Illustrated under the direction of Robert Kretschmer
Robert Kretschmer
Robert Kretschmer was a German illustrator, known for his illustrations in Brehms Tierleben.- Links :...
(1818–1872), they met with wide approval from the educated bourgeoisie
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
.
As of the second edition, which consisted of ten volumes published from 1876 to 1879, the work was already titled Brehms Tierleben. The work made Brehm famous around the world and its title is still a
catchphrase today, even though science has gone far beyond Brehm. Perhaps the greatest change in the second edition was the addition of new illustrations by Gustav Mützel
Gustav Mützel
Gustav Mützel was a German artist, famous for his animal paintings, including the illustrations for the second edition of Alfred Edmund Brehm's Thierleben.-External links:...
and others, which Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
said were the best he had ever seen. The second edition was reprinted from 1882 to 1884, and a third edition, published from 1890 to 1893, followed. The work has been translated into various languages. Editions have continued to appear into the 20th century, especially in the form of abridged, one-volume works.
Selected editions
- Illustrirtes Tierleben. Eine allgemeine Kunde des Tierreichs. By Alfred Edmund Brehm, Eduard Oskar Schmidt, and Ernst Ludwig TaschenbergErnst Ludwig TaschenbergErnst Ludwig Taschenberg was a German entomologist.-Life:After 1836 Taschenberg studied mathematics and natural sciences in Leipzig and Berlin.He went, then, as an auxiliary teacher to the Franckesche Stiftungen and dedicated himself to arranging the important beetle collection of professor ...
. 6 vols. HildburghausenHildburghausenHildburghausen is a town in Thuringia in central Germany, capital of the district Hildburghausen. It is situated on the river Werra, 20 km south of Suhl, and 25 km northwest of Coburg....
, Bibliographisches InstitutBibliographisches InstitutThe German publishing company "Bibliographisches Institut" was founded 1826 in Gotha by Joseph Meyer, moved 1828 to Hildburghausen and 1874 to Leipzig. Its production over the years includes such well-known titles as "Meyers Lexikon" , "Brehms Tierleben" The German publishing company...
, 1864–1869.
- Brehms Tierleben. Allgemeine Kunde des Tierreichs. By Alfred Edmund Brehm, Eduard Oskar Schmidt, and Ernst Ludwig Taschenberg. 2nd, expanded, ed. 10 vols. LeipzigLeipzigLeipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Bibliographisches InstitutBibliographisches InstitutThe German publishing company "Bibliographisches Institut" was founded 1826 in Gotha by Joseph Meyer, moved 1828 to Hildburghausen and 1874 to Leipzig. Its production over the years includes such well-known titles as "Meyers Lexikon" , "Brehms Tierleben" The German publishing company...
, 1876–1879; reprinted 1882–1884.
- Brehms Tierleben. Allgemeine Kunde des Tierreichs. By Alfred Edmund Brehm, Oskar Boettger, Wilhelm Haacke, Eduard Pechuël-Loesche, W. Marshall, Eduard Oskar Schmidt, and Ernst Ludwig Taschenberg. 3rd ed. 10 vols. LeipzigLeipzigLeipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, WienViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Bibliographisches InstitutBibliographisches InstitutThe German publishing company "Bibliographisches Institut" was founded 1826 in Gotha by Joseph Meyer, moved 1828 to Hildburghausen and 1874 to Leipzig. Its production over the years includes such well-known titles as "Meyers Lexikon" , "Brehms Tierleben" The German publishing company...
, 1890–1893.
Editions on line
- Wikisource: Brehms Thierleben (German) Partial text of the 2nd German edition.
- Brehms Thierleben, 1. German edition digitized in the Virtual LaboratoryVirtual LaboratoryThe online project Virtual Laboratory. Essays and Resources on the Experimentalization of Life, 1830-1930, located at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, is dedicated to research in the history of the experimentalization of life...
of the Max-Planck-Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte - Djurens lif (Swedish) 2nd ed. of the Swedish translation of Thierleben, 4 vols. (pub. 1882–1888); from Project RunebergProject RunebergProject Runeberg is an initiative patterned after Project Gutenberg that publishes freely available electronic versions of books significant to the culture and history of the Nordic countries...
http://runeberg.org/. - Project Gutenberg-DE page on Brehm (German) Includes text from Brehms Thierleben and Tiergeschichten.
- Page on Brehm (German) Includes text from Brehms Tierleben.