Schuh’s Annotated Bio-Bibliography

HAIDINGER, Wilhelm Karl Ritter von.

(1795 – 1871)

(Born: Vienna, Austria, 5 February 1795; Died: Dornbach, near Vienna, Austria, 19 March 1871) Austrian mineralogist & geologist.

Haidinger received his basic education in Vienna, but moved to Graz in 1812, where he became assistant to F. Mohs. Mohs recommended him as a traveling companion to Count Breunner, and it was during these travels he was introduced to Georges Cuvier [1769-1832] and J.-B. Biot [1774-1862] in Paris and George Greenough [1778-1855], David Brewster [1781-1868] and T. Allan in Edinburgh. Haidinger must have made an impression in Edinburgh as he was hired to arrange Allan's mineral collection in 1823. While in Scotland, he began to publish papers on the determination of mineral species as well as his first major work, an English translation of Frederich Mohs Grundriss der Mineralogie (2 vols., Dresden, 1822-4), which was published in 1825. After 1827, Haidinger also became interested in pseudomorphs and the absorption of light in crystals-the later studies probably sparked by his association with David Brewster. In 1827, he returned to Elbogen, Austria where he worked in a china factory founded by his two brothers. He remained there until 1840 when an appointment as an inspector of mines (Bergrath) took him to Vienna. Through many years of patient lobbying, Haidinger helped establish the Austrian Geological Survey in 1849, of which he was named its first director. Haidinger also was a co-founder and member of the Imperial Royal Geographical Society in Vienna, co-founder of the Werner Association for Geological Research in Moravia and Silesia, co-founder of the Geological Association for Hungary, and co-founder of the Società geologica Milan. Haidinger is also credited with discovering a phenomena that enables detection of plane polarized light, now known as "Haidinger's brushes" in his honor.

Biographical references: ADB: 10, 381. • Almanach der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien: 21 (1871), 159-204. • American Journal of Science: 3rd Series, 101 (1871), 392. • Anonymous., "Abschiedsgruss von Wilhelm von Haidinger," Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie, Geologie und Paläontologie, 1868, 377-84. • Ausland: 44 (1871), 449-52. • Barr, Index to Biographical Fragments, 1973: 109. • Bericht über die Haidinger-Feier am 5. Februar 1865. Vienna, 1865. [Commemeration of Haidinger's 70th year.]. • Bonn, Corresp. Blatt Nat. Hist. Ver.: 1871, 15-21. • Cleevely, World Palæontological Collections, 1983: 140. • DBA: I 461, 271-295; II 513, 129-145. • DSB: 6, 18-20 [by J. Weavers]. • Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th edition. • Geological Magazine: 8 (1871), no. 84, 240. • Jahrbuch der k.k. Geologischen Reichsanstalt, Wien: 21 (1871), 31-40 [by F. von Hauer]. • Jahrbuch der k.k. Geologischen Reichsanstalt, Wien: 6 (1856), v-xix ["Die Haidinger Medaille"]. • Johannsen, Descriptive Petrography, 1939: 2, 72, portrait. • Lambrecht & Quenstedt, Catalogus, 1938: 183. • Maygar Tud. Ak. Évk.: 13 (1876), no. 10, 15-27. • Nature: 3 (1871), 450. • NDB: 7, 519-20 [by H. Meixner]. • Poggendorff: 1, cols. 996-7 & 3, 573-4. • Proceedings of the Edinburgh Royal Society: 7 (1869-72), 537-8. • Proceedings of the Royal Society of London: 20 (1872), xxv-xxvii. • Quarterly Journal of Geological Society of London: 28 (1872), l-li. • Revué Cours Scient.: 1 (1871), 410-4. • Sarjeant, Geologists, 1980: 2, 1178. • Schiffner, Alter Freiberger Bergstudenten, 1935-40: 1, 31-2. • WBI. • World Who's Who in Science: 1735.

8°: vi, 312 p., 15 engraved plates.

Scarce. The author's introduction to mineralogy.

Bibliographical references: Dana's 7th (Bibliography): 72. • Freilich Sale Catalog: no. 220. • NUC: 226, 284-5 [NH 00333502].

4°: π⁴ 1-19⁴ 20³; 83l.; [i]-viii, [1]-156, [2] p., 2 plates. Page size: 260 x 200 mm.

Contents: [i-ii], Title page, verso blank.; [iii], Dedication to Karl Friedrich Freiherrn Kübeck von Kübaw.; [iv], Blank.; [v-vi], Text of dedication signed Wilhelm Haidinger, 8 June 1842.; [vii]-viii, "Vorwort."; [1]-149, Text.; [150], Blank.; [151]-156, Index.; [1 pg], "Inhalt."; [1 pg], Blank.

Very scarce. This is a catalog of the mineral collection of the K.K. Hofkammer Im Münz- Und Bergwesen, which was founded in 1835. The two plates show (1) 2 figures of the typical show cases with dimensions and (2) a plan of the museum's layout.

Bibliographical references: BMC: 5, 2218. • NUC: 226, 284-5 [NH 00333512]. • Partsch, Katalog der Bibliothek, 1851: no. 468. • Roller & Goodman, Catalogue, 1976: 1, 501.

8°: π⁸ b⁸ c² 1-39⁸ 40³; 333l.; [i]-xxxvi, [1]-630 p., 560 text illus.

Contents: [i-ii], Title page, verso blank.; [iii], Dedication to Prince Johann.; [iv], Blank.; [v]-[vii], Text of dedication, signed W. Haidinger, 20 January 1845.; [viii], Blank.; [ix]-xiv, "Vorrede."; [xv]-xxxvi, "Inhalt."; [1]-591, Text.; [592], "Verzeichniss | der beschriebenen oder erwähnten mineralogischen | und physikalischen Apparate."; [593]-625, "Register."; [626]-630, "Berichtigungen Und Zusätze."

Very scarce. Organized upon the Mohs system of classification.

Bibliographical references: Dana's 7th (Bibliography): 72.

Krystallographisch Figuren-Tafeln, 1846

Oblong 2°: [4] p., 15 plates. Page size: 295 x 420 mm.

Contents: [2 pgs], Title page, verso "Gedruckt bei Anton Benko in Wien."; [1 pg], "Vorwort."; [1 pg], "Inhalt."; [At end], 15 plates numbered I-XV showing all manner of apparatus and crystal drawings.

Very rare. Published the year after Haidinger's Handbuch der Bestimmenden Mineralogie, this rarely mentioned atlas shows all manner of crystallographical apparatus and many crystal diagrams. It was meant to accompany the Handbuch; however its rarity suggests that not many copies of the atlas were prepared.

Bibliographical references: BMC: 2, 765.

8°: π⁸ b⁸ c² 1-39⁸ 40³; 317l.; [i]-xxxvi, [1]-630 p., 560 text illus. Very scarce.

Bibliographical references: Dana's 7th (Bibliography): 72.

6. German, 1865 [3rd edition].
Handbuch der bestimmenden Mineralogie, enthaltend die Terminologie, Systematik, Nomenklatur und Charakteristik der Naturgeschichte des Mineralreiches. Von Wilhelm Haidinger ... Neue Ausgabe zur Jubelfeier des Verfassers. Wein: Wilhelm Braumüller, 1865.

8°: xxxvi, 630 p., 765 text illus.

Very rare. Prepared in celebration of Haidinger's 70 birthday, this is a reprint of the original edition of 1845, with a new title page and the addition of a biographical sketch.

Bibliographical references: NUC: 226, 284-5 [NH 00333534, 00333535 & 00333536].

7. German, 1845.
Uebersicht der Resultate mineralogischer Forschungen im Jahre 1843. Erlangen: Ferdinand Enke, 1845.

8°: [2], 150 p., [1] leaf of plates (folded). Includes bibliographical references and index.

Rare. The first presentation of a series that would be carried on by Adolf Kenngott under the same title.

Bibliographical references: BMC: 2, 765. • Dana's 7th (Bibliography): 73. • NUC: 226, 284-5 [NH 0033620].

Naturwissenschaftliche Abhandlungen ... Herausgegeben von Wilhelm Haidinger. (Wien, 1847-1851).
See under: Naturwissenschaftliche.