(Born: Skinnskatteberg, Västmanland, Sweden, 22 December 1766; Died: Skinnskatteberg, Västmanland, Sweden, 28 June 1852) Swedish mineralogist, chemist, geologist & palaeontologist.

Hisinger was a wealthy landowner and proprietor of a foundry, and for amusement, he worked privately as a scientist. In 1803, together with J.J. Berzelius he is credited with the discovery of the element cerium. Hisinger researched the electrolysis of salts and found the amount of decomposition proportional to affinity of compound components and to surface contact with the conductor. The extensive mineralogical and geological collections he accumulated during his lifetime were bequeathed to the Swedish Natural History Museum in Stockholm.

Biographical references: Barr, Index to Biographical Fragments, 1973: 123. • Biographiskt Lexicon. • Cleevely, World Palæontological Collections, 1983: 152. • DSB: 6, 436-7 [by G. Regnéll]. • Heijenskjöld, C., "Wilhelm Hisinger. Bidrag till hans levnadsteckning", Me Hammare och Fackla, Stockholm, 6, (1934), 56-72. • ISIS, 1913-65: 1, 583. • Kongl. Svenska Vetenskaps Academiens Handlingar: 1854, 385-91. • Lambrecht & Quenstedt, Catalogus, 1938: 202-3. • Poggendorff: 1, cols. 1111-2. • Regnéll, G., "Wilhelm Hisinger, geologist (1766-1852)", Striae, 31, (1990), 17-24. [Uppsala Stud. Hist. Sci., no. 8.]. • Sarjeant, Geologists, 1980: 2, 1267 & Suppl. 2 (1995), 1, 726. • SBA: Scandinavian Biographical Archive: B-119, 053. • Svenskt Biografiskt Handlexikon: 1, 500, portrait. • Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon: 19, 97-100. • WBI.

1. Swedish, 1790.
Samling till en Minerographie öfver Sverige, af W. af Hisinger. Stockholm, Tryckt hos Johan A. Carlbohm, 1790.

8°: 216 p. An early topographical work describing the mineral resources of Sweden. Extremely rare.

Bibliographical references: Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung: 1791, no. 2, 142. • Gatterer, Mineralogischen Literatur, 1798-9: 1, 170. • LKG: XIV 807. • NUC [no copy listed]. • SWIM.

Samling till en Mineralogisk Geografi, 1808

2. Swedish, 1808 [2nd edition].
[Ornate rule] | Samling | Till En | Mineralogisk | Geografi | Öfver | Sverige. | [ornate rule] | Af | W. af Hisinger | [...3 lines of titles and memberships...] | [tapered rule] | Stockholm | Tryckt hos H.A. Nordström, | 1808.

8°: π¹ *¹⁰ A-R⁸ S⁶; 153l.; [2], [I]-XX, [1]-276, [8] p., 5 plates (3 folding). Page size: 212 x 138 mm.

Contents: [2 pgs], Engraved title page, verso blank.; [I]-II, "Til Läsaren."; [III]-XX, "Inledning."; [1]-276, Text.; [7 pgs], "Register öfver Orternas Namn."; [1 pg], "Rättelser och Tilläggninar."

Scarce. An early and important work on the geology of Sweden. Zittel writes that "this work contains a historical review of all the facts known of Swedish rocks up to that date, and applied Werner's systematic arrangement." After a general introduction, with descriptions of the most common rock-types and their geographical distribution, the text starts with separate chapters each covering a province of Sweden (the north is not treated). The general petrography is followed by short descriptions of the mines known to the region and their minerals. Provinces covered are Dalarne, Vestmanland, Upland, Södermanland, Nerike, Vermeland, Dahlsland,Vestergöthland, Östergöthland, Småland, Skåne and Gottland. The plates show a cross-section and various maps of the Swedish country. \JKjellman

Bibliographical references: Dana's 7th (Bibliography): 73. • LKG: XIV 808a. • Zittel, History of Geology, 1901: p. 117.

3. Swedish, 1843 [3rd edition].
Handbok | för | Mineraloger | under resor | i | Sverige | [ornate rule] | [ornate rule] | Stockholm, 1843. | P. A. Norstedt & söner, | Kongl. Boktrykare.

8°: π³ 1-11⁸ 12⁴ 13²; 97l.; [i]-vi, [1]-188 p.

Contents: [i-ii], Titlepage, verso blank.; [iv]-vi, Foreword signed Stockholm, Februari 1843. W. Hisinger.; [1]-188, Text.

Very scarce. This edition is to an extent an entirely new work as the author has expunged all non-mineralogical information. It is outlayed as a rough itinerary for travelling mineralogists, covering the (at the time) mineralogically most interesting mines. \JKjellman

Bibliographical references: NUC. • SWIM.

4. German, 1819 [German transl.].
Versuch | einer | mineralogischen Geographie | von | Schweden, | von | W. Hisinger. | [ornate rule] | Uebersetzt und mit Erläuterungen | und Zusätzen versehen. | K.A. Blöde. | [tapered rule] | Mit einem Kupfer. | [ornate rule] | Freyberg, | bey Craz und Gerlach. | 1819.

8°: xii, 567, [1] p., one folding plate (colored; showing cross-sections). Page size: 174 x 90 mm.

Contents: [i-ii], Title page, verso blank.; [iii], Dedication to J.J. Berzelius, F.J.L. Hausmann and W. Hisinger, signed the translator.; [iv], Blank.; [v]-xii, "Vorrede."-signed K.A. Blöde, 5 May 1819.; [1]-24, "Einleitung."; [25]-103, "Dalarne oder Dalekarlien."; 104-160, "Westmanland."; 161-185, "Upland."; 186-203, "Südermanland."; 204-216, "Nerike."; 217-242, "Wermeland."; 243-250, "Dahlsland."; 251-269, "Westgothland."; 270-288, "Ostgothland."; 289-306, "Småland."; 307-323, "Schonen (Skåne)."; 324-328, "Öland."; 329-336, "Gottland."; [337]-448, "Anmerkungen."; [449]-478, "Erster Anhang. | [rule] | Uebersicht der bekannten geog- | nostischen Verhältnisse | Schwedens, | von Hisinger."; [479]-529, "Zweyter Anhang. | ... | Untersuchung einiger in der Ge-|gend um Fahlun gefundenen Fossi- | lien und ihrer Lagerstätten, von J. | G. Gahn, Jac. Berzelius, C. Wall- | mann und H.P. Eggerz."; [530], "Berichtigungen in Hinsicht der beygefügten An- | merkungen und Zusätze."; [531]-567, "Sachregister."; [1 pg], "Noch einige Berichtigungen."; [At end], One folding colored plate showing cross sections.

Very scarce. Translation by Karl August Blöde from Samling till en Minerographie öfver Sverige (Stockholm, 1808).

Karl August Blöde. (Born: Freiberg, Saxony, Germany, 14 August 1773; Died: 1820) German financial advisor & naturalist. Blöde authored an obituary of Abraham Gottlob Werner.

Bibliographical references: (Blöde) DBA: I 108, 323-325. • Hamberger & Meusel, Gelehrte Teutschland, 1796-1834. • Haymann, C.J.G., Dresdens Theils Neuerlich Gestorbene, Theils jetzt lebende Schriftsteller und Künstler. Dresden, 1809. • Lambrecht & Quenstedt, Catalogus, 1938: p. 44. • Poggendorff: 1, col. 213. • WBI.

Versuch, 1826

5. German, 1826 [German transl.].
W. Hisinger's | Versuch einer | mineralogischen | Geographie | von | Schweden. | [tapered rule] | Umgearbeitete und vermehrte Auflage. | [rule] | Aus der Handschrift übersetzt | von | F. Wöhler. | [tapered rule] | Leipzig, 1826 | Verlag von Johann Ambrosius Barth.

8°: vi, 250 p.

Very scarce. Translated by the noted chemist Friedrich Wöhler, this is the second revised and expanded German version of Samling till en Mineralogisk Geografi öfver Sverige (Stockholm, 1808).

Bibliographical references: Dana's 7th (Bibliography): 74. • DSB: 6, 436. • LKG: XIV 807.

6. Swedish, 1841.
Förteckning | öfver en | geognostisk och petrefactologisk samling | från | Sverige och Norrige, | tillägnad | Kongl. Vetenskaps-Academien | af | en dess ledamot. | [ornate rule] | Stockholm, 1841. | Tryckt hos P.A. Norstedt & söner, Kongl. Boktryckare.

8°: π² [1]-6⁴; 26l.; [4], [1]-44, [47-48], 45-[46] p.

Contents: [2 pgs], Titlepage, verso blank.; [2 pgs], "Anmälan" (presentation), verso blank.; [1-2], "Geognostisk Samling", verso blank.; [3]-44, Petrologic tables.; [47-48], summary, addenda.; 45-[46], "Större stycken", verso blank.

Rare. Catalogue over a petrologic collection for Sweden and Norway with references to the articles wherein the rock-types are originally described. \JKjellman

Bibliographical references: NUC. • SWIM.

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