Christian Tønsberg
Christian Tønsberg, Nils Christian Tønsberg ( born December 7, 1813 in Bergen, † February 6, 1897 in Kristiania ) was a Norwegian publisher and the owner of the largest publishing house in Norway in the 19th century.
Youth and Education
His parents were the reserve lieutenant, ship manager and later Ekstraskriver Johan Christian Tønsberg (1788-1832) and his wife Anne Marie Olsen Dahl ( 1788-1837 ). He married on 1 May 1835 in Bergen Maren Dorthea Bødtker (23 January 1813-17. May 1893 ), daughter of the broker Arnt Henning Schøning Bødtker ( 1785-1865 ) and Dorthea Reutzer, widowed Kobro ( 1785-1847 ).
Tønsberg grew up in tight economic conditions in mountains. At 14 he got a job as a clerk in the office of Justice of the pin High Court and in the authority of the city recorder. He had several years unwaged a teaching job at the Sunday School, and from 1834 to 1839 he was assistant to the podestà in Bergen. Tønsberg was ambitious and learned after work, so that he was in Christiania 1834 Preliminærexamen. He then returned to his work and the evening classes back in Bergen.
Career beginnings
In 1839 he moved with his wife and three children to Christiania to educate yourself among others. He was a copyist in the Ministry of Finance and worked for several lawyers at the Supreme Court, but also began with administration of estates, auction Affairs and other stores. By the way, he studied law and economics in 1845 and put a very good state exam. As head of an auction house, he received posthumous collections of books and Verlagsremittende, often along with the publishing rights and began the private sale. As the publishing house " Guldberg and Dzwonkowski " in 1844 its operations ceased, he took over a large part of the legal literature of the publisher. In the autumn of 1844 he published the first part of the norske Obligationsret (Norwegian Law of Obligations ). Within a few years two more parts were added to the family law and an introduction to the Norwegian law, which had been written anonymously by the 23 -year-old lawyer Torkel Halvorsen Aschehoug. The legal department of the publishing house was constantly expanded, and the publisher has won a good reputation in this field.
The success
In time, most of the then known historian left their works in Tønsberg embarrassed, says Rudolf Keyser and Ludvig Daae. In 1851 he was co-founder of the Norwegian Booksellers Association. The biggest success was the publication of Peter Andreas Munch's central and Det norske Folks significant work history from 1851 to 1863 in eight volumes. Munch was not an easy customer. He was dissatisfied with the fee, was constantly in need of money and had exaggerated ideas about the role of a publisher. The fee was 7,000 speziesthalers. Tønsberg lost 2,500 speziesthalers in the publication. 1861 Munch tried to accommodate his work at Gyldendal publishing house in Copenhagen, but turned it down because he looked at Munch as bound to Tønsberg, Tønsberg and felt obliged to look after the work up to the end.
Tønsberg Henrik Wergeland had met in Bergen and became his best friend and support. He bought the unsold copies of his works from a small publishing house. As Wergeland had his house " caves " sell in need of money, Tønsberg was the auctioneer. He bought without the knowledge Wergelands the house itself and let Wergeland live there until he would find a more appropriate home. At the end, he sold " caves " at a loss. After the death Wergelands Tønsberg issued his writings, but the interest in Wergeland went back, and this issue ended with a loss. On Fiction was little interest in Norway. Nevertheless, Tønsberg brought some poetry books on the market. He gave Henrik Ibsen's The Feast at Solhoug out, but without success. Then he moved Magnus Brostrup Landstad Norske Folkeviser.
Tønsberg hung on the Norwegian National Romanticism and collaborated with many artists. This resulted in several picture books, some with illustrations in folio format. He wanted to put Norway with its nature and culture at home and abroad. The largest plant was Norske folkelivsbilleder, malerier above tegninger av A. Tidemand in three volumes. The image explanations were written in three languages: Norwegian, German and English and were intended for the European market. The color lithographs were made by Caspar Scheurenstraße after a drawing by Adolph Tidemand. As authors, he won among other Welhaven and Ivar Aasen. Most of these books were produced in Berlin. The colored picture books then dissolved in Norway enthusiasm. But it was a losing proposition. The volumes of the picture panels cost 21,000 speziesthalers. Revenue yielded only 13,000 speziesthalers. He received in 1857 a favorable credit by the Storting in the amount of 5,000 speziesthalers to 4% interest and against his life insurance as collateral. He should pay back ten years 250 Spd. Although the risk was assessed as high, the Finance Committee and the Storting held the support of the publisher for a national task. Five years later, when the half was paid off, he asked for a reduction in the amortization rate. But this reduction to twice a year 75 speziesthalers and later further reduction to 50 Spd annually without interest could not avert bankruptcy.
The decline
He edited many important works in themselves, but he was more concerned with meritorious issues, as with his financial situation and a proper calculation. He later launched several attempts to sell his publishing. Finally, he held a lottery, in which he used his books as a prize. The first prize was worth 100 Spd. Each ticket cost 1 Spd. The win was not enough for his debts. A new lottery had to be canceled due to lack of buyers. In May 1864 he was forced to declare bankruptcy and his book camp was foreclosed. Tønsberg began to sicken and then worked until 1874 as a customs clerk in Tvedestrand. Then he retired. A year later, the Storting increased his pension if his contributions to Norwegian culture. He continued his publishing activities in modest continued until 1891. His last years were marked by worry, and he was almost blind. When he died, his debt still amounted to 7438.47 speziesthalers. The Bank Owned Life Insurance provided only 1,400 speziesthalers.
Honors
Tønsberg had become a cultural institution. He had good contact with the royal family. It was built in 1854 Consul General of the Kingdom of Bavaria ( until 1870 ). 1857 to 1860 he was Consul General of Mecklenburg. 1878 to 1892 he was Consul of the United States of Colombia. 1879 to 1888 he was Consul General for Liberia and 1881-1886 of Romania.
He was Commander of the Order of the African liberation (Liberia), Knight of the Dannebrog, Knight 1st Class of the Order of St. Michael (Bavaria), Knight of the Order of Charles III. (Spain ), Knight of the Friedrichs- Order ( Württemberg), Knight 1st Class of the Order of Francis I (Naples and Sicily both ), Knight 3rd class of Guelph - Order ( Hannover), Knight of the Order of the Crown of Romania and Knight the Order of the lion Zähringerplatz (Baden).
Important issues
- Hasselnødder of Wergeland, and its Samlede Skrifter.
- Norske Folkeviser of Landstad
- I Norge Fremstillet tegninger, tekst av PC Asbjørnsen. 1848
- Christiania og Omegn, med på norsk tekst parallell, eng og engelsk. 1850
- Norske Nationaldragter; tegnede af forskjellige norske og kunstnere ledsagede med oplysende text, med på norsk tekst parallell, eng og engelsk. 1852
- Berømte Nordmænd. En heterocycle mindeblade om fortjente landsmænd i with older and nyere tider. 1853-1856
- Norske folkelivsbilleder, malerier above tegninger av A. Tidemand. 3 volumes. 1854
- Norge. Illustreret Reisehaandbog. 1874 ( Supplementary Volume 1876; New Edition: Illustreret Norge Haandbog for travelers with 144 views and 18 cards in 1879.. . )
- Illustreret Christiania og omegn. 1879