Johann Wendler

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Johann Wendler (born October 23, 1713 in Nuremberg ; † October 14, 1799 in Leipzig ) was a German bookseller , publisher and donor .

Life

Johann Wendler was born the illegitimate son of the miller Hans Wendler and Margaretha Eichel, both from Röthenbach near Rückersdorf .

From 1743 to 1745 he was managing director of the Weidmannsche Buchhandlung in Leipzig and, after becoming a citizen of Leipzig in 1745, started his own business as a bookseller and publisher until he retired into private life in 1766. He was a leading importer of English fonts. A catalog from 1755 lists among the available titles, for example, Samuel Richardson's Grandison , which had appeared two years earlier, John Milton's classics Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, and a ten-volume complete edition of the works of Alexander Pope . In 1756 Johann Wendler published the first edition of his Brittische Bibliothek , a review organ for English-language books, which appeared until 1767, and which in its last edition provided an overview of English books comprising more than 500 titles. From 1765 the offer of English lessons at the Leipzig University is occupied, the Nicolaischule followed in 1773; until then it was possible to acquire knowledge of English through private scholars, among others.

From the beginning he published the writings of the Enlightenmentist Christian Fürchtegott Gellert , which contributed to his rapid rise and wealth and to whom he erected Germany's first poet's monument in his private garden.

When he retired into private life in 1766, he sold his publishing and retail bookstore to Zacharias Remigius Fritsch (1737-1815).

Johann Wendler was buried in the old Johannisfriedhof in Leipzig. The incorrectly stated date of birth 23 October 1713 in Nuremberg on the monument was possibly intended to conceal its origin.

Foundations

In 1788 he donated 10,000 thalers to build a school for children of poor parents, which was named after him as Wendler's free school . Seven teachers were employed at the school, including Georg Friedrich Baumgärtel , who taught from 1799, and Ernst Anschütz , who taught history from 1799 to 1806.

Furthermore, in the 1790s he donated six scholarships for students born in Nuremberg, which were paid out until 1930. In 1794 he donated 1,800 Rhenish guilders , which enabled the construction of a school in Nuremberg- Gostenhof . He also donated 4,000 thalers to the widow's fund of the University of Leipzig , 3,000 thalers for the Vespers and 3,000 thalers for the alms fund.

Honors

On October 5, 1898, it was decided (proclamation and entry into force on November 10, 1898) to name a new street in the Leipzig district of Kleinzschocher "Wendlerstrasse" after him

Works (selection)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Leipzig biography. Retrieved March 15, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Manfred H. Grieb: Nürnberger Künstlerlexikon: Fine artists, artisans, scholars, collectors, cultural workers and patrons from the 12th to the middle of the 20th century, p. 1653 . Walter de Gruyter, 2007, ISBN 978-3-11-091296-8 ( google.de [accessed on March 17, 2018]).
  3. ↑ New Rheinisches Conversations-Lexicon: or Encyclopedic Concise Dictionary for Educated Estates, p. 359 . Comptoir for art and literature, 1836 ( google.de [accessed on March 17, 2018]).
  4. ↑ Online version of Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained
  5. ↑ Jennifer Willenberg: Distribution and Translation of English Literature in Germany in the 18th Century, p. 111 . Walter de Gruyter, 2008, ISBN 978-3-598-44106-6 ( google.de [accessed on March 17, 2018]).
  6. ↑ Lore Knapp, Eike Kronshage: Britisch-deutscher Literaturtransfer 1756-1832, p. 27 . Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG, 2016, ISBN 978-3-11-049814-1 ( google.de [accessed on March 17, 2018]).
  7. ^ Karl Christian Kanis Gretschel: History of the Saxon People and State, p. 283 . Orthaus, 1853 ( google.de [accessed on March 17, 2018]).
personal data
SURNAME Wendler, Johann
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wendlerus, Johannes; Wendlerus, Joannes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German bookseller, publisher and donor
DATE OF BIRTH October 23, 1713
PLACE OF BIRTH Nuremberg
DATE OF DEATH October 14, 1799
Place of death Leipzig