Friedrich Adolf Ebert
Encyclopedia
Friedrich Adolf Ebert was a German
bibliographer and librarian.
, near Leipzig
, the son of a Lutheran pastor.
At the age of fifteen, Friedrich was appointed to a subordinate post in the municipal library of Leipzig. He studied theology
for a short time at Leipzig, and afterwards philology at Wittenberg, where he received a Ph.D.
in 1812. While still a student in 1811, he had already published a work on public libraries. In 1812, he published another work entitled Hierarchiae in religionem ac literas commoda.
In 1813, he was attached to the Leipzig University library
, and in 1814 was appointed secretary to the Royal Library of Dresden
. The same year, he published F. Taubmanns Leben und Verdienste and in 1819 Torquato Tasso
, a translation from Pierre Louis Ginguené with annotations.
The rich resources open to him in the Dresden library enabled him to undertake the work on which his reputation chiefly rests, the Allgemeines bibliographisches Lexikon, the first volume of which appeared in 1821 and the second in 1830. This was the first work of the kind produced in Germany, and the most scientific published anywhere.
From 1823 to 1825, Ebert was librarian to the Duke of Brunswick at Wolfenbüttel. He returned to Dresden in 1827 and was made chief librarian of the Dresden Royal library. Among his other works are:
Ebert was a contributor to various journals and took part in the editing of Ersch and Gruber's great encyclopedia
. He died in Dresden on the November 13, 1834, due to a fall from a ladder
in his library.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
bibliographer and librarian.
Biography
Ebert was born at TauchaTaucha
Taucha is a town in the district of Nordsachsen, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Parthe, 10 km northeast of Leipzig....
, near Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig 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...
, the son of a Lutheran pastor.
At the age of fifteen, Friedrich was appointed to a subordinate post in the municipal library of Leipzig. He studied theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
for a short time at Leipzig, and afterwards philology at Wittenberg, where he received a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1812. While still a student in 1811, he had already published a work on public libraries. In 1812, he published another work entitled Hierarchiae in religionem ac literas commoda.
In 1813, he was attached to the Leipzig University library
Leipzig University Library
Leipzig University Library , known also as Bibliotheca Albertina, is the central library of the University of Leipzig. It is one of the oldest German university libraries.- History :...
, and in 1814 was appointed secretary to the Royal Library of Dresden
Saxon State Library
The Saxon State Library in Dresden is the Staatsbibliothek of Saxony and the academic library of the Technische Universität Dresden. It is one of the main public archival centers of Germany. Its treasures, collected over four centuries, were located in the Japanisches Palais and in temporary...
. The same year, he published F. Taubmanns Leben und Verdienste and in 1819 Torquato Tasso
Torquato Tasso
Torquato Tasso was an Italian poet of the 16th century, best known for his poem La Gerusalemme liberata , in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between Christians and Muslims at the end of the First Crusade, during the siege of Jerusalem...
, a translation from Pierre Louis Ginguené with annotations.
The rich resources open to him in the Dresden library enabled him to undertake the work on which his reputation chiefly rests, the Allgemeines bibliographisches Lexikon, the first volume of which appeared in 1821 and the second in 1830. This was the first work of the kind produced in Germany, and the most scientific published anywhere.
From 1823 to 1825, Ebert was librarian to the Duke of Brunswick at Wolfenbüttel. He returned to Dresden in 1827 and was made chief librarian of the Dresden Royal library. Among his other works are:
- Die Bildung des Bibliothekars (1820) ("The Education of the Librarian")
- Geschichte und Beschreibung der königlichen Bibliothek in Dresden (1822) ("History and Description of the Royal Library in Dresden")
- Zur Handschriftenkunde (1825–1827)
- Culturperioden des obersächsischen Mittelalters (1825) ("Cultural Periods of Medieval Upper SaxonyUpper SaxonyUpper Saxony was a name given to the majority of the German lands held by the House of Wettin, in what is now called Mitteldeutschland....
")
Ebert was a contributor to various journals and took part in the editing of Ersch and Gruber's great encyclopedia
Allgemeine Encyclopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste
The Allgemeine Encyclopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste was a 19th-century German encyclopaedia published by Johann Samuel Ersch and Johann Gottfried Gruber, therefore also known as the "Ersch-Gruber." One of the most ambitious encyclopaedia projects ever, it remained uncompleted.It was designed...
. He died in Dresden on the November 13, 1834, due to a fall from a ladder
Ladder
A ladder is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps. There are two types: rigid ladders that can be leaned against a vertical surface such as a wall, and rope ladders that are hung from the top. The vertical members of a rigid ladder are called stringers or stiles . Rigid ladders are usually...
in his library.
Further reading
- Richard Bürger: Friedrich Adolf Ebert: ein biographischer Versuch. Leipzig 1910 (Reissued: Nendeln 1969)
- Uwe Jochum: Bibliotheken und Bibliothekare 1800–1900. Königshausen und Neumann, Würzburg 1991
- See the article in Ersch and Gruber's Encyclopädie, and that in the Allg. deutsch. Biog. by Schnorr von Carolsfeld, his successor in the post of chief librarian in Dresden.