Adolf Henze

Adolf Henze in 1860

Book The Money of All Nations by Adolf Henze, 1873

Obituary notice for Adolf Henze in Illustrirten Anzeiger No. 2 from 1884

Adolf Henze (born June 24, 1814 in Volkmarsen ; † December 28, 1883 in Leipzig ) was a German publisher , author , graphologist and numismatist from Leipzig. He also used the pseudonym Arthur von Nordeck . Henze became particularly well-known through the establishment of the Chirogrammatomantie (literacy) and the publication of the magazine Illustrirter Anzeiger on forged paper money and improper coins , then after renaming Illustrirter Anzeiger for Contor and Bureau (1868 to approx. 1920). In the magazines, Henze warned in words and pictures about current counterfeiting of money and banknotes, which had been officially stopped at this time. He was a legally sworn comparator of manuscripts in the Austrian Empire , Switzerland and the federal states in the German Empire .

life and work

Adolf Henze was born as the sixth child of his parents in Volkmarsen in northern Hesse. He himself was very inquisitive even before he went to school and later on was characterized by a keen eagerness to learn. Shortly after starting school, he moved to the Progymnasium in Warburg and later to the Lyceum in Fulda . He was noticed again and again for his above-average performance, which was often awarded. According to his father's will, Henze was to become a Catholic clergyman. So he was after his compulsory education at the seminary Fulda added to there theology study. In the seminar, in the old writings of the library, Henze was particularly interested in the historical prints and their production. Here, as he later reported himself, he built up a basis for his many graphological studies.

Shortly before his ordination, he voluntarily left the seminary in 1836. At first he began teaching in a type foundry in Darmstadt , which was also known for its wood-cutting art. He learned how to use dies, punches, casting ovens and the cliché machines that had just been invented. In order to expand his knowledge in the field of book printing, Henze soon moved on to Stuttgart . Here he devoted himself to the study of xylography , but his preliminary destination was the city of Frankfurt am Main . After six months as a type founder, he left Frankfurt again to travel through Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Back in Frankfurt, Henze married and under his leadership founded an “Institute for Young Typographers and Principal Sons of Book Printers”. Own publications followed, which deal with the various processes of the art of printing. His manual of the type foundry and related branches appeared in 1844 with great success . Henze quickly gained general attention in the professional world. In the winter of 1844/1845 he moved to Leipzig with his family . There he wanted to develop his life's work, "Chirogrammatomantie", and set up shop as a bookseller.

A book about The Secret Scripture - Instructions on how lovers and friends should write letters and billets that third parties should not read , was published in 1847 by Poenicke & Sohn under the pseudonym "Arthur von Nordeck". It delighted many readers. Henze initially devoted himself to the book trade in Leipzig. With additional geographic activities for maps, he could soon acquire a modest wealth. Another book about his theory that shorthand ( stenography ) with its own alphabet, followed also in 1847 and should be particularly useful for business people. However, it could not prevail. As early as 1845, Henze published the Journal für Kupfer- und Stahlstechkunst , which presented the various methods. On May 15, 1847, a contract was signed with the Leipzig publishing house Poenicke to take over a stone and sheet music printing company. Later, the work Magnentii Rhabani Mauri de Laudibus sanctae crucis , known in church circles , was published, which was only printed in a few splendid copies under the Henze edition and is kept, for example, in the State Library of Munich and the University Library in Göttingen. One of these magnificent volumes with rich gold coinage was Pope Pius IX at the time . and was delivered to the Vatican .

In 1854 Henze published his work on the festivals of the Catholic Church , with colored lithographs . An illustrated Sunday paper for the Catholic family did not bring the hoped-for success and was discontinued in 1855. He began his work as a handwriting assessor and went public through advertisements in the newspapers. For a fee he now assessed the manuscripts of the interested public. On January 1, 1856, Henze founded his own publishing house and began with a wide range of products. Henze's greatest work, Die Chirogrammatomantie , was published in Leipzig in 1862 by JJ Weber. In this book he wrote down his research into writing as well as the basic elements of a conscientious assessment and interpretation of scriptures, which are still preoccupying science in the 21st century. Other publications such as The Handwriting of German Poets and Poets or Das Handschriften-Lesebuch contained a collection of manuscripts and their graphological properties as explained by Henze.

In addition to desk calendars and calligraphy books for schools, Henze-Verlag published the German School Primer written by Karl Koch in 1863 and, from 1868, the Illustrirte Anzeiger on counterfeit paper money and improper coins . In the same year a lithographic printing company was attached to the publishing house. Since there were still different types of writing in Germany at this time, Henze developed the uniform "National Prize Manuscript", which was in use in schools for many years and was called "Henze's New Normal Alphabet" in 1894. This new writing method was also partially introduced in German-speaking schools abroad, such as America, Switzerland, Russia and England. The publishing house experienced a strong boom, as early as 1869 the publishing house guaranteed school attendance for the 36 children of the publishing house employees by taking over the school costs. The merits that Henze earned were recognized by the Saxon government in 1870 by conferring the honorary title "Commission Council" by decree of the Saxon king .

Henze proves his great love for numismatics with the publication of the books The Money of All Nations and The Book of Gold Coins . Both books show the presented coins printed in relief in gold, silver and copper on a black background. The banknotes shown were always printed mirror-inverted to prevent possible forgery. Further coins from all over the world also appeared regularly in the Illustrirten Anzeiger on counterfeit paper money and improper coins . All information in the Anzeiger came from official sources and was mostly backed up by excerpts from the legal gazettes. It was also informed of the news in banking, customs, postal and other tariffs. The range of publishing products was continuously expanded. There were pocket notebooks and special desk notebooks. Completely new were office maps made up of several segments that were collected and then put together to form a giant map, or the 106 cm large Henze globe , which also consisted of several paper segments and could be illuminated. Henze always tied his sons firmly into the publishing duties and thus enabled them to train as editors, printers, draftsmen, lithographers, experts in comparing fonts and accountants. The publisher was thus well prepared when Henze himself was called to the courts as an expert . After he had made his findings available to the public with great success in the book Die Chirogrammatomantie , the judiciary became aware of this completely new method. In the case of forgery of documents in particular, an expert comparison of the writing was necessary. As early as 1861 his official work began in negotiating banknote and bill forgeries in the Kingdom of Saxony .

On March 2, 1860, Henze was sworn in at the Royal Court Office in Leipzig as a writer comparator. Other German states followed the example and also committed to him. The many written falsification stories and examples presented reported on his extensive judicial review even after his death. Adolf Henze died suddenly after a short illness with his family on December 28, 1883 in Leipzig.

Publications

• Journal für Kupfer- und Stahlstechkunst , from number 1 from 1845 to number 3 from 1849; as editor.
• Instructions on how lovers and friends should write letters and notices that third parties should not read. Leipzig 1847.
• The shorthand (shorthand). Saving an instruction by selected abbreviations when writing almost half the time. Leipzig 1847.
• Magnentii Rhabani Mauri de Laudibus sanctae crucis. Leipzig 1847.
• The feasts of the Catholic Church. Based on the French by Abbe Casimir. Leipzig 1854; as a processor.
• The manuscript reader. Leipzig 1854.
• Illustrated Sunday paper for the Catholic family, 1855; as editor.
• Manuscripts of the German poets. Leipzig 1855.
• The Chirogrammatomantie. Leipzig 1862.
• Selected collection of 193 facsimile manuscripts. Leipzig 1863.
• German school primer. Author K. Koch. Leipzig 1863, as editor.
• Illustrated bulletin on counterfeit paper money and illegal coins , from number 1 from 1865 to number 12 from 1876, Leipzig; as editor and lead author.
• From number 13 of 1877 it was renamed Illustrirter Anzeiger für Contor und Bureau , Leipzig; as editor and main author to number 2 of 1884.
• The book of gold coins. Leipzig 1872.
• The money of all peoples, first part of Europe. Leipzig 1873.

literature

• Numiscontrol: Adolf Henze A portrait. In: Münzen & Sammeln, Issue 5, Regenstauf 2011, pp. 19ff.
• Numiscontrol: Leafed through old coin newspapers. Prussian gold coins and a notice from the Royal Prussian Mint Directorate. In: Münzen & Sammeln, Heft 7, 8, Regenstauf 2011, pp. 14ff.
• Reiner Graff: The Swiss 20-franc gold piece from 1873. In: Numispost. The Swiss magazine for coins. Issue no. 4, Bad Ragaz 2011, pp. 69–71.
• Numiscontrol: There are complaints in the country about our unsightly coins. In: Money Trend, Heft 11, Vienna 2013, pp. 184ff.

Web links

• Reiner Graff: Henze (pseud. Arthur von Nordeck), Adolf . In: Institute for Saxon History and Folklore (Ed.): Sächsische Biographie ., Accessed on January 30, 2020 .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Marion Henze: Adolf Henze publisher and court sworn comparator of manuscripts. Self-published, Munich 2010.
2. ↑ Reiner Graff: Adolf Henze (pseud. Arthur von Nordeck). In: Saxon Biography . Edited by the Institute for Saxon History and Folklore eV, edit. by Martina Schattkowsky. 2018.
3. ^ Address books of the City of Leipzig 1861 to 1910.