(Born: Hamburg, Germany, 29 December 1796; Died: Berlin, Germany, 24 January 1877) German physicist & chemist.

In 1834, Poggendorff received his Ph.D. from the University of Berlin and in 1844 he was awarded a medical degree from the University of Königsberg. He was appointed in 1834 extraordinary professor of physics and chemistry at the University of Berlin, where his research concentrated on problems in electricity and magnetism. He is remembered today in the field of mechanics as the inventor of the Poggendorff Scale. He founded in 1824 and edited the important Annalen der Physik und Chemie.

Biographical references: ADB. • Annalen der Physik und Chemie (Poggendorff's): 160 (1877). • Biographie Universelle. • DBA: I 968, 214-227; II 1017, 169-176. • DSB: 11, 49-51 [by F. Klemm]. • Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th edition. • Poggendorff: 2, cols. 480-2, 3, 1052-3. • Salié, H., "Ein Standardwerk zur Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften. Hundert Jahre `Poggendorff'", Forschungen und Fortschritte, 37, (1963), 202-5. • Salié, H., "Poggendorff and Poggendorff. Translated by R.E. Oesper", Isis, 57, (1966), 389-92. • Schaedler, Biographisch Handwörterbuch, 1891: 95-6. • WBI.

Biographisch-Literarisches Handwörterbuch

1. German, 1863.
Biographisch-Literarisches | Handwörterbuch | Zur Geschichte | Der Exakten Wissenschaften | Enthaltend | Nachweisungen | Über | Lebensverhältnisse | Und Leistungen | Von | Mathematikern, Astronomen, Physikern, Chemikern, Mineralogen, Geologen, USW. | Aller Völker Und Zeiten. | Gesammelt | Von | J.C. Poggendorff | Mitglied Der Akademie Der Wissenschaften Zu Berlin. | Erster Band. [-Zweiter Band.] | A-L. [-M-Z.] | [tapered rule] | Leipzig, 1863. | Verlag Von Johann Ambrosius Barth.

[Title page, volume 3]

J.C. Poggendorff's | Biographisch-Literarisches | Handwörterbuch | Zur Geschichte | Der Exacten Wissenschaften | Enthaltend | Nachweisungen | Über | Lebensverhältnisse Und Leistungen | Von | Mathematikern, Astronomen, | Physikern, Chemikern, Mineralogen, Geologen, Geographen U.S.W. | Aller Völker Und Zeiten | [short rule] | Dritter Band | (1858 bis 1883) | Herausgegeben von Dr. B.W. Feddersen und Prof. Dr. A.J. von Oettingen | I. [-II.] Abtheilung | (A-L) [-(M-Z)] | [ornament] | Leipzig | Verlag Von Johann Ambrosius Barth | 1898.

[Title page, volume 4]

J.C. Poggendorff's | Biographisch-Literarisches | Handwörterbuch | ... | Vierter Band | (Die Jahre 1883 Bis Zur Gegenwart Umfassend) | Herausgegeben Von | Prof. Dr. A.J. von Oettingen | I. [-II.] Abtheilung | (A-L) [-(M-Z)] | ... | 1904.

7 vols. [Vol 1: 1863] 8°: [i]-viii p., cols. 1-1584. [Vol 2: 1863] 8°: [2] p., cols. 1-1468, [2] p. [Vol 3, pt. 1: 1898] 8°: [i]-viii, [2], [1]-846 p. [Vol 3, pt. 2: 1898] 8°: [2], [847]-1496 p. [Vol 4, pt. 1: 1904] 8°: [i]-xii, [1]-930 p. [Vol 4, pt. 2: 1904] 8°: [2], [931]-1718 p. [Vol 5: 1925] 8°: [i]-iv, [1]-1,423, [1] p. [Vol 6, pt. 1: 1936] 8°: [i]-lxxii, [1]-696 p. [Vol 6, pt. 2: 1937] 8°: [4], [697]-1,438 p. [Vol 6, pt. 3: 1938] 8°: [iii]-xl, [1,439]-2,256 p. [Vol 6, pt. 4: 1939] 8°: [i]-vii, [1], [2,257]-2,975, [1] p. Page size: 248 x 158 mm.

Contents: [Vol 1] [i-ii], Title page, verso "Das Recht der Uebersetzung vorbehalten."; [iii]-viii, "Vor- und Schlusswort des Verfassers."; Cols. [1]-1534, Text.; Cols. [1525]-1584, "Ergänzungen und Berichtigungen | zu | den in dem ersten Bande (A-L) enthaltenen Artikeln. | (Neue Artikel bleiben dem Nachträge vorbehalten.)"

[Vol 2] [2  pgs], Title page, verso "Das Recht der Uebersetzung vorbehalten."; Cols. [1]-1424, Text.; Cols. [1425]-1444, "Ergänzungen und Berichtigungen | zu | den in dem ersten Bande (M-Z) enthaltenen Artikeln. | (Neue Artikel bleiben dem Nachträge vorbehalten.)"; Cols. [1445]-[1446], "Nachträgliche Zusätze."; Cols. [1447]-1468, "Schlüssel zur Quellen-Literatur."; [2 pgs], "Im Verlag von Johann Ambrosius Barth in Leipzig ..." [=publisher's list].

[Vol 3, pt. 1] [i-ii], Title page, verso blank.; [iii]-vi, "Vor- und Schlusswort."-signed Dr. Arthur von Oettingen, 29 December 1897.; [vii]-viii, "Druckfehler und Berichtigungen."; [2 pgs], "I. Abtheilung | (A-L)."; [1]-846, Text.

[Vol 3, pt. 1] [2 pgs], Title page, verso blank.; [847-848], "II. Abtheilung | (M-Z)."; [849]-1490, Text.; [1491]-1496, "Schlüssel zur Quellen-Literatur."

[Vol 4, pt. 1] [i-ii], Title page, verso blank.; [iii]-x, "Vor- und Schlusswort."-signed Prof. Dr. Arthur von Oettingen, 18 September 1904.; [xi]-xii, "Druckfehler und Berichtigungen."; [1]-930, Text.

[Vol 4, pt. 1] Pp. [2 pgs], Title page, verso blank.; [931-932], "II. Abtheilungen | (M-Z)."; [933]-1698, Text.; [1699]-1716, "Nachtrag zu Band I bis IV."; [1717]-1718,"Schlüssel zur Quellen-Literatur in Band IV."

[Vol 5] [i-ii], Title page, verso blank.; [iii]-iv, "Vorwort."-dated 1926.; [1]-1423, Text, A-Z.; [1 pg], Blank.

[Vol 6, pt. 1] [i-ii], Title page, verso blank.; [iii]-lxvi, List of reference.; [lxvii]-lxxii, Abbreviations.; [1]-696, Text, A-E.

[Vol 6, pt. 2] [2 pgs], Title page, verso blank.; [2 pgs], "Vorwort zu Band VI, 2 Teil."; [697]-1438, Text, F-K.

[Vol 6, pt. 3] [iii-iv], Blank, verso series title page.; [v-vi], Title page, verso blank.; [vii]-ix, "Vorwort zu Band VI, 3 Teil."-dated 1938.; [x], Blank.; [xi]-xxxvii, List of references.; [xxxviii], Blank. xxxix-xl, Abbreviations.; [1439]-2256, Text, L-R.

[Vol 6, pt. 4] [i-ii], Half title page, verso series title page.; [iii-iv], Title page, verso blank.; [v]-vii, "Vorwort zu Band VI, 4 Teil."-dated 1939.; [1 pg], Blank.; [2257]-2975, Text, S-Z.; [1 pg], Advertisement.

Very scarce, especially in complete sets. The best bibliography of exact science in existence, not only as containing many works that could only be traced with difficulty in other bibliographies, but for giving biographical particulars of many authors who could not be found elsewhere, and including as a unique feature an almost complete list of the scientific papers of the various authors contributed to learned societies. For these the first two volumes are specially important as they contain papers published in the eighteenth century, which cannot be traced elsewhere.

The work is of such value, that it is being continued in the present day. Volumes cover the years, the first 2 volumes listed ancient scientists to 1858, part 3 covers 1858 to 1883, part 4 covers 1884 to 1903, part 5 covers the years 1904 to 1922, part 6 covers 1923 to 1931, part 7a covers Germans 1932 to 1953, and part 7b covers non-Germans, 1932 to 1962. An eighth volume was completed by 2003 finishing off this remarkable series.

Bibliographical references: Salié, H., "Ein Standardwerk zur Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften. Hundert Jahre `Poggendorff'", Forschungen und Fortschritte, 37, (1963), 202-5. • Salié, H., "Poggendorff and Poggendorff. Translated by R.E. Oesper", Isis, 57, (1966), 389-92.

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