August Brentano

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August Brentano

August Brentano (born December 23, 1828 in Hohenems , † November 2, 1886 in Chicago , Illinois ) was an Austrian-American book and newspaper seller in New York City .

Life

August Brentano was the youngest son of Johann August Brentano (December 1777 - April 6, 1828), a merchant in Hohenems, and of Maria Hirschfeld (October 1, 1800 - May 6, 1850, née Levi). His ancestors, grandfather Nathan Elias (1757 - July 31, 1811), textile merchant, and his wife immigrated from Schwabach around 1770 . August Brentano's father and grandfather were both active on the board of the Hohenems Jewish community. Brentano lived from his birth until the officially approved emigration to Hohenems, in a house at today's Schweizerstrasse 6 (opposite the synagogue ), in the Jewish quarter.

job

Brentano's logo in New York City .

He emigrated to the USA around 1851/1853 and began delivering newspapers. When Revere House in Boston ( Massachusetts ), he had a greater newsstand and then went to New York. His New York newspaper stand was already a magnet, and the bookstore that was later opened (“Brentano's Literary Emporium”, or “ Brentano’s ” for short ) was known for its wide range. He was one of the first booksellers in the United States to import newspapers from London and other cities in England .

Brentano's bookstore was not only New York's largest and leading business, but also a prominent meeting place for American writers for a long time. Brentano's friends included Charles Dickens and Ralph Waldo Emerson .

In 1877 the nephew August Brentano (August 1, 1853 - 1899) took over the newspaper business and the bookstore of their uncle August in New York together with his brothers Arthur († 1944) and Simon († 1915). At times, Brentano's was the largest bookstore chain in the United States, with four stores in New York City and individual stores in Chicago , Philadelphia , Boston, and Washington, DC

death

Brentano never married. He died on November 2, 1886 in Chicago , Illinois , where he had lived since 1883. He was buried in Cypress Hills Cemetery, New York.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Johann August (Isak) Brentano (Elias) , Hohenems Genealogy, Jewish families in Vorarlberg and Tyrol.
  2. ^ Maria Hirschfeld (Levi) , Hohenems Genealogy, Jewish Families in Vorarlberg and Tyrol.
  3. ^ August Brentano , Hohenems Genealogy, Jewish Families in Vorarlberg and Tyrol.
  4. ^ August Brentano , Hohenems Genealogy, Jewish Families in Vorarlberg and Tyrol.
  5. ^ New York Herald Tribune , Feb.17, 1930, p. 13.
  6. ^ Death of August Brentano , New York Times , Nov. 3, 1886, p. 4; August Brentanos Funeral , New York Times, Nov. 6, 1886, p. 8.
  7. ^ August Brentano , Hohenems Genealogy, Jewish Families in Vorarlberg and Tyrol.
personal data
SURNAME Brentano, August
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian-American book and newspaper seller in New York City
DATE OF BIRTH December 23, 1828
PLACE OF BIRTH Hohenems
DATE OF DEATH November 2, 1886
Place of death Chicago , Illinois