Friedrich Christoph Perthes
Friedrich Christoph Perthes (* April 21, 1772 in Rudolstadt, † May 18, 1843 in Gotha ) was a German bookseller and publisher.
The interaction of these besides Johann Friedrich Cotta and Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus most distinctive personality publisher of Goethe's time is now primarily associated with the reorganization of the German book trade, including the establishment of the Booksellers Association (1825), in conjunction. At least as important, however, was his activity from the history of science point of view: with large-scale book and magazine projects he offered many younger scholars, especially theologians and historians, optimal starting conditions for intra professional advancement and enhancement of the public.
Life
His ancestors were his father's and mother's side as officials in the service of the princes of Schwarzburg- Rudolstadt. However, Friedrich Perthes followed the example of his uncle, the Gotha Justus Perthes Verlag bookseller, and entered 1787 as apprentices in the Leipzig publishing bookseller Adam Friedrich Böhme. In 1793 he took Benjamin Hoffmann in Hamburg as an assistant on in his bookstore. This change brought to Hamburg Friedrich Perthes the decisive impetus for his life. Initially, the contact with the circle of friends around Johann Michael Speckter and Daniel Runge proved decisive, where he Enlightenment thinking of Kant, Herder and Schiller was brought closer. Last but not least the good relations with the Hamburg merchant families enabled Perthes on July 11, 1796, the founding of the first pure range bookstore in Hamburg. The business was located since 1805 at Jungfernstieg No. 22 and was characterized primarily by customer-friendly innovations such as offering ready -bound books on shelves, seating and window displays. Although they suffered heavy loss of revenue due to the economic decline of Hamburg since 1799, Perthes could and his 1799 acceding partner and brother- Johann Heinrich Better, the business thanks to recording your own publishing projects and the financial intervention hamburgers and Leipzig friends and noble patrons from the vicinity of Matthias Claudius stabilize and even expand since 1811. The acquaintance Claudius had Perthes mediated by the philosopher Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi; eventually even led that Perthes 1797 in Wandsbek Claudius ' daughter Caroline Ilsabe married. The arising therefrom intensive contact with their friends aristocratic circles in Emkendorf and Münster caused a profound change in Perthes ' thinking: the desire for a slow reform of society on the basis of an inter-faith Christianity came to the fore. This reorientation is also reflected in the publishing program: the main authors of the first years, including Matthias Claudius with the last parts of his collected works (1797-1812), Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling "From the soul of the world " (1798 ) and Friedrich Leopold Graf von Stolberg the " history of the religion of Jesus Christ " (1806-1818) belonged to this conservative Christian circles.
The Napoleon's victories over Austria and Prussia, and the subsequent occupation of Hamburg end of 1806 felt Perthes as a political disaster. His desire, the German intellectuals in their transnational resistance provide against the dominant France a platform for discussion, led 1810/11 in the magazine project patriotic museum a, in which among others Friedrich Schlegel, Joseph Gorres and Jean Paul participated. After the failure of the Russian campaign became Friedrich Perthes senior positions in the civil guard and actively participated in the expulsion of the French occupation in March 1813 The temporary reconquest of Hamburg forced him and his family to flee.; the business was confiscated all goods. The intensive military- political cooperation with Ferdinand Beneke, Karl Sieveking and Carl Georg Curtius culminated in August 1813 in the formation of the "Hanseatic directorium " - a kind of government in exile in Hamburg's interests against the allies were represented. Friedrich Perthes campaigned for the formation of a ATTACHING to the old Hanseatic North German federal states to secure the independence of the cities. Also inextricably linked to the negotiations of the Congress of Vienna was the 1816 anonymously published pamphlet " German book trade as a condition of existence of a German Literature" - here headed Perthes from the central importance of science and literature for the identity of the Germans the need for effective copy-right from.
In the following years engaged Friedrich Perthes as part of the revival movement in a leading position in the Hamburgisch - Altonaischen Bible Society. After the death of his first wife, Caroline (1821 ) he left in March 1822 in Hamburg and moved with his youngest children to Gotha to his since 1818 with Wilhelm Perthes (son of Justus Perthes ) married daughter Agnes Marie, where he located in 1825 with his widowed Charlotte Hornbostel (1794-1874), born Becker, married. From this marriage four children were born. As part of this change, he left his partner the range bookstore " Perthes & Besser ," however, remained authorized to sign and took over the majority of publishing articles. At the same time damaged the confrontation with the " rationalists " Johann Heinrich Voss, during which turned away many liberal intellectuals from him, his public reputation. The extremely painful experience caused Perthes ' departure from the journalistic effectiveness in favor of an indirect influence on the promotion of the humanities. Consequently, he supported the efforts to establish a Historical Society in Hamburg ( 1822-24 ) and built in Gotha on a new publisher. Here appeared since 1828, the " Theological Studies and Reviews " ( ed. by Carl Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Carl Ullmann and Umbreit ), since 1829, the "History of European States " ( ed. by Arnold Hermann Ludwig Heeren and Friedrich August Ukert ) and 1832 historical- political magazine ( ed. by Leopold von Ranke ). After in 1840 the inclusion of the son Andreas was ( new name as Friedrich Andreas Perthes &, Hamburg and Gotha ) in the business, was in 1854 in " Friedrich Andreas Perthes ' renamed publisher until 1890, family-owned and was dissolved in 1937. The bookstore went to the final exit of Friedrich Perthes in 1836 to the heirs of Johann Heinrich Better and traded under the name " Perthes - Besser and cracked heels ."
Publications
- The German book trade as a condition of existence of a German literature, 1816 ( digitized and full text in German Text Archive )