Johann Heinrich Meyer (publisher)

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Johann Heinrich Meyer (born March 2, 1812 in Braunschweig ; † November 4, 1863 there ; actually Heinrich Meyer ) was a German printer and publisher .

origin

Heinrich Meyer came from an old family of book printers that had been working in Lemgo since 1610 . His great-great-grandfather Heinrich Wilhelm Meyer moved to Braunschweig in 1707 and took over the printing works from Christoph Friedrich Zilliger in 1716 . Heinrich was the eldest son of Johann Heinrich Meyer (1768–1827) and Dorothea Elisabeth born. Pfeiffer († 1862), the daughter of a glazier.

Live and act

Attending school at the Braunschweig Katharineum inspired Heinrich for the sciences, but the early death of his father prevented a planned course of study. Under the direction of his mother, he joined his father's book printing company, developed high standards for typography and expanded his knowledge through specialist literature and sightseeing trips to print shops, machine shops and libraries in Germany, the Netherlands, France and Denmark. In 1834 he founded the Journal für Buchdruckerkunst, whose editor he remained until the end of his life. On October 27, 1838 Meyer received his doctorate from the Philosophical Faculty of the University of Jena on the basis of his writings and achievements in the typographical field .

Because he could not agree on the management of the company with his mother, Heinrich founded a font and stereotype foundry around 1838 and, in 1841, with his brother Hermann , the Meyer Brothers book printing company on the same street as his father's business , which he expanded in 1843 to include an engraving company. In 1848 his mother handed over the family business to the brothers. The title of “Hofbuchdruckerei”, which he had received in 1840, was revoked in 1852, presumably because of the printing of democratic writings.

After the death of his brother Hermann on December 8, 1860, Heinrich continued to run the company on his own under the name of his father. After a long nervous ailment, however, he also suffered lung and kidney disease in September 1863, to which he succumbed on November 4th.

Family and succession

Heinrich Meyer married Luise Dangers, the daughter of a senior bailiff in Jerxheim , on September 27, 1843 , and after her death (April 10, 1858), his second marriage in 1860 was the merchant's widow Marie Nickel, née. Mellin, who outlived him for many years.

The business was only continued under guardianship until his eldest son Stephan (born January 2, 1845) was of legal age and took over the business. He expanded the Journal für Buchdruckerkunst again, but passed it on to Ferd on October 1, 1881. Schlotke in Hamburg and retired from business in 1892. The company "Joh. Heinr. Meyer ”was transferred to Heinrich Kleucker from Hildesheim and has since changed hands several times.

The printing and publishing house Joh. Heinr. Meyer still exists in Braunschweig today. In addition to the Braunschweig address book, the company now mainly publishes literature with a regional reference. In addition, brochures and specialist magazines are printed.

Works

At the age of 22 Meyer founded the journal for book printing, type foundry and related subjects , which soon became the organ of the entire branch. It appeared monthly from July 1, 1834, twice monthly from 1845 and weekly from 1860.

Specialist books from his range were:

  • Handbook of Stereotype , 1838
  • Gutenberg's album , 1840 - a model achievement of the time, especially in typographical terms, published by Vieweg & Sohn
  • Address book of the book printers of Central Europe, the stone, copper and steel engraving printers, etc. , 1854

He gradually developed the Braunschweig address book founded by his father in 1805 into a state handbook.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Biographies of Braunschweig natural scientists. P. 55 f. ( Memento of August 8, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Retrieved August 8, 2016.
personal data
SURNAME Meyer, Johann Heinrich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Meyer, Heinrich (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German printer and publisher
DATE OF BIRTH March 2, 1812
PLACE OF BIRTH Braunschweig
DATE OF DEATH November 4, 1863
Place of death Braunschweig