Peter Ambrosius Lehmann

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Peter Ambrosius Lehmann ( 1663 - 1729 ) was a German writer , teacher and Legionsrat. His work The Most Noble European Journeys was an early modern bestseller and the standard work for travelers in the 18th century.

biography

Lehmann was born in the town of Döbeln in 1663 and baptized on December 20, 1683. Little is known about his family, or about his life in general. He attended the Princely School in nearby Meißen and studied theology and history in Leipzig . In 1690 he was appointed Master of Philosophy. He held lectures at the university until he decided to move to Hamburg . The Free Imperial City became the center of his further life. Here he was appointed one of the candidates for the ministry in 1693 and hired himself as a private tutor. However, he soon withdrew from these teaching activities and turned to his "literary work". In 1708 August the Strong , King of Poland and Elector of Saxony, appointed him legionary secretary in the Lower Saxony district ; In 1729 he became a member of the Academy of Sciences in Berlin . He made a few trips, but stayed most of the time in Hamburg, where he hired himself as a writer and finally died on October 31, 1729.

plant

From 1699 to 1704, Lehmann published the magazine Historische Remarques der newest things in Europa , which appeared annually. He also worked with Gottfried Strasberg on the Nova litteraria Germaniae collecta Hamburgi , which was an attempt by the two to create a scholarly journal based on the model of the Acta Eruditorum and appeared from 1703 to 1706. They reported on "the works of scholars, academic writings, honors, deaths, but also on scientific advances in the fields of medicine, natural sciences and coinage". This information was gathered from journals published in Leipzig, Halle, Wittenberg, Jena and Frankfurt. In 1707, this expanded to include foreign literature, which led to the magazine being renamed Nova litteraria Germaniae aliorumque Europae regnorum collecta Hamburgi . This was finally discontinued in 1709. His work The now ruling Europe , published in several parts from 1694-1700, or Description of all Christian potentates, kaysers, kings, Chur and princes so now rule in Europe - as it says in the long title, reflects its title exactly and is called " a kind of forerunner of Gotha's genealogical almanac ”. The most important of his works are probably his “most distinguished European journeys”, of which sixteen editions are verifiably documented. The number of unreported cases is possibly even greater, but with this number of copies the book breaks a record by the end of the 18th century that no other German-language travel guide could even begin to achieve. In his foreword, Lehmann speaks of the “necessity and usefulness of travel” and justifies it. This was necessary because travel as a phenomenon was still more reserved for the privileged and was still developing in the middle class. In his work, he not only addresses the advantages of the trip, but also explains the necessary travel preparations and the usefulness of language skills. The main task of the work, however, is to precisely describe the travel routes that Lehmann knew partly from his own experience or that had been described to him by travelers. This also included recommendations as to which inns could be inexpensive to spend the night in. He is also responsible for a large number of scholars' directories.

reception

With his most distinguished European journeys, Lehmann places himself in a tradition of travel literature that has only just been revived - which can be traced back to the further development of the postal and newspaper system - and decisively shapes it. The high number of editions shows how popular the book must have once been, even if precise information about the number of copies - as is not uncommon for works from the early modern period - has not been passed down. The manual published by the Heroldschen Buchhandlung publishing house in Hamburg was a standard work for travelers, which meant that it was still being reprinted even after Lehmann's death. The names of the editors of the eighth to tenth versions are not known, but the eleventh edition in 1767 shows that Gottfried Friedrich Krebel is responsible, who complains about the sloppy work of those responsible. In the manner of Lehmann, Krebel always brings the editions up to date with the latest technical developments in terms of postal connections, common coins and overnight accommodations. Lehmann's foreword has been replaced by a shorter foreword by Krebel, as the phenomenon of the journey was undergoing a change of heart, so that it was no longer frowned upon and required further justification. From the fourteenth edition from 1791 onwards, he received help from another person who was not named. At least until the end of the 18th century, Lehmann's work was still of the highest relevance, but afterwards it fell into oblivion, like its author and Krebel, so that his person is only very sparsely researched today.

literature

  • Kutter, Uli: Zeller - Lehmann - Krebel. Comments on the development history and the cultural history of travel in the 18th century, in: Griep, Wolfgang; Jäger, Hans-Wolf (ed.): Travel in the 18th century. New investigations. Heidelberg 1986, pp. 10-29.
  • Schröder, Hans: Lexicon of the Hamburg writers up to the present. Hamburg 1870.
  • Siebers, Winfried: Johann Georg Keyssler and the travelogue of the early enlightenment. Wurzburg 2009.
  • lu:  Lehmann, Peter Ambrosius . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 18, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1883, p. 147.

Web links

Remarks

  1. ^ Hans Schröder: Lexicon of the Hamburg writers to the present . Hamburg 1870.
  2. ↑ http://www.haraldfischerverlag.de/hfv/reihen/DtZS/nova_literaria_germaniae.php cf. the description of the Nova litteraria Germaniae collecta Hamburgi from Harald Fischer Verlag
  3. ^ Hans Schröder: Lexicon of the Hamburg writers to the present . Hamburg 1870.
  4. ^ Ulli Kutter: Zeller - Lehmann - Krebel. Comments on the history of development and the cultural history of travel in the 18th century . In: Griep, Wolfgang; Jäger, Hans-Wolf (ed.): Travel in the 18th century. New investigations . Heidelberg 1986, pp. 11/12.
  5. ↑ Peter Ambrosius Lehmann: The most noble European journeys, such as those through Germany, France, Italy, Holland and Engeland, Dännemarck and Sweden, by means of the travel cards prepared for this, to use the most convenient postal routes, and what to do with such curieuses Notice: Wobey the side paths, expenses, coins and lodging are also instructed. Whichever is attached, LV. Accurate Post and Bothen cards, from the most distinguished cities in Europe. In: https://www.slub-dresden.de/sammlungen/digitale-sammlungen/werkansicht/cache.off?tx_dlf%5Bid%5D=57275 . Hamburg 1709. p. 1 ff.
  6. ^ Ulli Kutter: Zeller - Lehmann - Krebel. Comments on the history of development and the cultural history of travel in the 18th century . In: Griep, Wolfgang; Jäger, Hans-Wolf (ed.): Travel in the 18th century. New investigations . Heidelberg 1986, pp. 10-29.
personal data
SURNAME Lehmann, Peter Ambrosius
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German writer, teacher and legionary councilor
DATE OF BIRTH 1663
DATE OF DEATH 1729