(Born: Halle, Germany, 20 January 1784; Died: Halle, Germany, 24 September 1866) German lawyer.

Keferstein was first a prosecutor for the Tribunal in Westfalen, then in 1815 he became an advisor to the department of justice in Halle, where he retired. Keferstein studied mineralogy and geology in his private time, becoming extremely knowledgeable in the subjects.

Biographical references: ADB. • DBA: I 634, 196-198. • Hamberger & Meusel, Gelehrte Teutschland, 1796-1834. • Poggendorff: 1, cols. 1234-5 & 7a, 314. • WBI.

1. German, 1840.
Geschichte und Litteratur der Geognosie, ein Versuch von Christian Keferstein. Halle, Lippert, 1840.

8°: [i]-xiv, [1]-281 p.

Very scarce. Based on the author's own library, this is not a particularly good bibliographical review of the literature of Geognosie and is of little value.

Bibliographical references: Petzholdt, Bibliotheca Bibliographica, 1866: p. 564.

2. German, 1849.
Mineralogia polyglotta | von | Chr. Keferstein, | Königl. Preussischem Hofrathe. | [ornate rule] | Halle, | in Commission bei Eduard Anton. | 1849.

8°: [i]-xii, [1]-248 p. Page size: 214 x 132 mm.

Contents: [i-ii], Title page, verso blank.; [iii], Dedication.; [iv], Blank.; [v]-xii, "Inhalt."; [1]-248, Text.

Very scarce. A remarkable study of mineralogical nomenclature through all of the world's languages, or at least as many as the author could find mineralogical data. The author has taken considerable effort in compiling his mineralogical names and tracing their equivalent expression in a plethora of languages including Chinese, Sanskrit, Hindu, Malaysian, Arabic, ancient and modern Greek, Latin, Russian, English, French, Italian, Gaelic, etc.

Bibliographical references: BL. • NUC. • Sinkankas, Gemology Bibliography, 1993: no. 3344.

3. German, 1834.
Die | Naturgeschichte | des | Erdkörpers | in | ihren ersten Grundzügen | dargestellt | von | Ch. Keferstein. | [rule] | Erster Theil. | Die Physiologie der Erde und Geognosie. | [double rule] | Leipzig, 1834. | Friedrich Fleischer.

2 parts. [Part 1] 8°: [i]-x, [2], [1]-394 p. [Part 2] 8°: [i]-iv, [1]-896 p.

Contents: [Part 1] [i-ii], Title page, verso blank.; [iii], Dedication to Christian Ludwig Nitzsch.; [iv], Blank.; [v]-viii, "Einleitung."; [ix]-x, "Inhalt | des ersten Theiles."; [1 pg], Sectional title page, "Erste Abtheilung | Die Physiologie der Erde."; [1 pg], Blank.; [1]-122, Text to section one.; [123], Sectional title page, "Zweite Abtheilung | Die Geognosie."; [124], Blank.; [125]-127, "Vorwort."; 128-394, Text to section two.

[Part 2] [i-ii], Title page, verso blank.; [iii]-iv, "Inhalt | des zweiten Theiles."; [1], Sectional title page, "Erste Abtheilung | Die Geologie."; [2], Blank.; [3]-176, Text to section one.; [177], Sectional title page, "Zweite Abtheilung | Die Paläontologie."; [178], Blank.; [179]-182, "Vorwort."; [183]-896, Text to section two.

Rare. More of a geological work rather than mineralogical, the two parts of Keferstein's Naturgeschichte des Erdkörpers covers the Physiology of the Earth, Geognosy, Geology, and Paleontology. There is some information regarding the formation of the minerals inside the earth, based apparently on the ideas of Werner.

[Part 1] "Die Physiologie der Erde und Geognosie."

[Part 2] "Die Geologie und Paläontologie."

Bibliographical references: BL. • NUC. • USGS Library Catalog.

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