Schuh’s Annotated Bio-Bibliography


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ESPER, Eugen Johann C.

(1742 – 1810)

(Born: Wunsiedel, Germany, 2 June 1742; Died: Erlangen, Germany, 27 July 1810) German zoologist.

Esper was active as a professor for philosophy and as a director of the material assets collection of the University of attaining and published from 1776 to [ 1830 ] its famous work Die Schmetterlinge in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen. Esper's scientific work concentrated on systematics, taxonomy, fauna and bio-geography.

Biographical references: ADB. DBA: I 294, 289-333; II 341, 103-104. Hamberger & Meusel, Gelehrte Teutschland, 1796-1834. NDB: 4, 655 [by F. Heller]. Poggendorff: 1, cols. 684-5. WBI.

1. German, 1810.
Lehrbuch | der | Mineralogie | in | kurzem Auszug | der | neuern mineralogischen Systeme | zum | Gebrauch academischer Vorlesungen | und Einrichtung mineralogischer Sammlungen | von | Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper, | [...13 lines of titles and memberships...] | [tapered rule] | Erlangen, | bey Johann Jacob Palm. | 1810.

8°: π4 A-Z8 Aa-Gg8 [Hh8] Ii4 Kk3; 259l.; [i]-viii, [1]-510 p., index. Page size: 197 x 115 mm.

Contents: [i-ii], Title page, verso blank.; [iii]-viii, "Vorbericht."; [1]-472, Text.; 473-510, "Namen Register."

Very scarce. Based upon the specimens in the mineralogical museum of the Friedrichs-Alexanders University in Erlangen, of which Esper was curator. The author attempts to create a new mineralogical classification that is based upon Leonhard, Merz and Kopp's Systematisch-Tabellarische übersicht und charakteristik der Mineralkörper (Frankfurt am Main, 1806). Whereas the earlier work was essentially theoretical, Esper applies the theory to the mineral collection in a practical treatment. Esper provides the standard data for each mineral species including species, family, name, synonyms (mostly from Gmelin's translation of Linneaus), localities, chemical characters, petrifications are treated separately, characteristics based on the works of Emmerling, Estner, Suckow and Reuss. The book has a short introduction that defines terms, while the remainder is devoted to the description of the species.

Bibliographical references: BL [726.f.25.]. DSB: 12, 184. Leonard's Taschenbuch: 5, 329. LKG: XII 184. NUC [no copy listed].

2. German, 1784.
Naturgeschichte im Auszüge des Linneinchen Systems, mit Erklärung der Kunstwörter und des Verzeichniss sämtlicher Geschlechter und Gattungen; nebst Bemerkung der europäischen und innländischen Arten, wie auch sieben zur Kenntniss derselben dienenden Kupfertafeln zum Gebrauch academischer Vorlesungen. Nürnberg, G.N. Räspe, 1784.

8°: 740 p., 7 plates.

Rare. This general introduction to Linnaeus' classification system apparently has substanial mineralogical content. In fact, LKG lists it as containing a systematic mineralogy.

Bibliographical references: BL [956.c.8.]. DSB: 12, 184. Leonard's Taschenbuch: 5, p. 329 [review]. LKG: XII 184. NUC: 722, 85 [NE 0169803].

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