Schuh’s Annotated Bio-Bibliography


Return to main Biobliography page

QUENSTEDT, Friedrich August von.

(1809 – 1889)

(Born: Eisleben, Germany, 9 July 1809; Died: Tübingen, Germany, 21 December 1889) German paleontologist, mineralogist & crystallographer.

In 1830, Quenstedt was appointed assistant mineralogist at the Museum at the University of Berlin. There he undertook the organization of Baron Ernst Friedrich Schlotheim's [1765-1832] recently acquired collection of fossils and minerals. In 1837, he became extraordinary professor of mineralogy and in 1842 ordinary professor of mineralogy and geology at the University of Tübingen, Germany. He remained there until his death.

Biographical references: ADB: 53, 179-80. American Journal of Science: 3rd Series, 40 (1890), 326. Aus d. Heimat. Stuttgart: 50 (1937), 189-96, portrait. Barr, Index to Biographical Fragments, 1973: 212. Cleevely, World Palæontological Collections, 1983: 239. DBA: I 990, 113; II 1034, 322-340. DSB: 11, 235-6 [by J.G. Burke]. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th edition. Engelhardt, Universität Tübingen Mineralogie, 1977: 19-36. Geological Magazine: 27 (1890), no. 5, 237-8. Jahres Ver. vaterl. Naturk. Würtemberg: 47 (1891), xxxix-xliv. Lambrecht & Quenstedt, Catalogus, 1938: 349. Leopoldina: 26 (1890), 120-1. Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie, Geologie und Paläontologie: 1 (1890), 1-7. Poggendorff: 2, col. 549-50 & 3, 1079. Quarterly Journal of Geological Society of London: 46 (1890), 51-2. Sarjeant, Geologists, 1980: 3, 1935-6, Suppl. 1 (1986), 2, 713 & Suppl. 2 (1995), 2, 1005. Science: 30 (1909), 237. Sitzungsber. math.-phys. Cl. Ak. Wiss. München: 20 (1890), 430-4. WBI. Zeitschrift der Deutschen geologischen Gesellschaft: 57 (1905), 295-6.

1. German, 1840.
Methode | der | Krystallographie. | [tapered rule] | Ein Lehrbuch | für | Anfänger und Geübte | von | Fr. Aug. Quenstedt, | Professor extr. zu Tübingen. | [tapered rule] | Tübingen, | bei C.F. Osiander. | [rule] | 1840.

8°: [i]-xvi, [1]-412 p., 7 plates (crystallographic projections and drawings).

Contents: [i-ii], Title page, verso blank.; [iii], Dedication to Professor Weiss.; [iv], Blank.; [v]-xiv, "Vorrede."; [xv]-xvi, "Inhaltsanzeige."; [1], Sectional title page, "A. | Zonenlehre."; [2], Blank.; [3]-114, Text.; [115], Sectional title page, "B. | Systematik."; [116], Blank.; [117]-412, Text.; [At end], 7 plates

Rare. A crystallographic textbook that describes the Quenstedt's new method to be used in the science. It is a fanciful method that represents a crystal by projecting on one face of the crystal all the other faces. This curious invention never gained favor and is now a curiosity of crystallographical science. The first part describes the theory of zones and derivation of the projections. The second applies the theory to numerous examples.

Bibliographical references: BL. BMC: 4, 1633. NUC: 477, 100-2. Whewell, History of the Inductive Sciences, 1858: p. 627.

2. German, 1848.
Beiträge zur rechnenden Krystallographie. Verzeichniß der Doktoren, welche die philosophische Fakultät in Tübingen unter dem Decanate von Friedrich August Quenstedt ... 1847/48 ernannt hat. Tübingen, Fues, 1848.

4°: 32 p., one lithographic plate (17 figs.).

Very scarce. Crystallography. Quenstedt's dissertation?.

Bibliographical references: BL. NUC: 477, 100-2.

3. German, 1855 [First edition].
Handbuch | der | Mineralogie | von | Fr. Aug. Quenstedt, | Professor zu Tübingen. | [rule] | Mit vielen Holzschnitten. | [rule] | Tübingen, 1855. | Verlag der H. Laupp'schen Buchhandlung. | - Laupp & Siebeck. -

8°: [i]-viii, [1]-728 p., illus. Page size: 225 x 147 mm.

Contents: [i-ii], Half title page, "Handbuch | Der | Mineralogie," verso blank.; [iii-iv], Title page, verso "Druck von H. Laupp Jr in Tübingen."; [v]-viii, "Vorrede."-signed Quenstedt, November 1854.; [1]-703, Text.; [704]-711, "Krystallographische Uebericht."; [712]-716, "Litteratur."; [717]-728, "Register."

Very scarce. A comprehensive mineralogical textbook. It begins with a short history of mineralogy, which is followed in the introductory portion by discussions of goniometers, crystallographic notation and methods of projection, descriptions of the crystal systems, Haüy's and Levy's crystallography, optics, polarized light, optical properties, and pseudomorphs. The descriptive porition of the text reviews the reasons for systematic mineralogy and then persents the descriptive mineralogy. A reference list concludes the work.

Bibliographical references: BL. BMC: 4, 1633. Dana's 7th (Bibliography): 79. NUC: 477, 100-2. USGS Library Catalog.

Handbuch der Mineralogie, 1863

4. German, 1863 [2nd edition].
Handbuch | der | Mineralogie | von | Fr. Aug. Quenstedt, | Professor zu Tüblingen. | [rule] | Zweite verbesserte Auflage. | Mit vielen Holzschnitten. | [rule] | Tübingen, 1863. | Verlag der H. Laupp'schen Buchhandlung. | - Laupp & Siebeck. -

8°: viii, 816 p., illus. Very scarce.

Bibliographical references: BL. BMC: 4, 1633. Dana's 7th (Bibliography): 79. NUC: 477, 100-2.

5. German, 1877 [3rd edition].
Handbuch | der | Mineralogie | von | Fr. Aug. Quenstedt, | Professor zu Tübingen. | [rule] | Dritte verbesserte Auflage. | Mit vielen Holzschnitten. | [rule] | Tübingen, 1877. | Verlag der H. Laupp'schen Buchhandlung.

8°: [1]-viii, [2], [1]-997 p., illus.

Contents: [i-ii], Half title page, "Handbuch der Mineralogie," verso printer information.; [iii-iv], Title page, verso blank.; [v]-viii, "Vorrede zur ersten Auflage November 1854."; [1 pg], "Vorrede zur zweiten Auflage. September 1862."; [1 pg], "Vorrede zur dritten Auflage."-dated April 1877.; [1]-972, Text.; [973]-978, "Litteratur."; [979]-997, "Register."

Very scarce. An expanded edition, containing in the first ten pages a good concise history of the science and at the end a long list of literature. Oddly, there appears to be no table of contents, although there is a good index.

Bibliographical references: BL. BMC: 4, 1633. Dana's 7th (Bibliography): 79. NUC: 477, 100-2.

6. Dutch, 1867 [Dutch transl.].
Leerboek der Mineralogie. Naar het Hoogduitsch van F. Quenstedt door P. van Eldik Thieme. Amsterdam, C. Brinkman, 1867.

8°: 139 p., 128 illus.

Very scarce. Dutch translation by P. van Eldik Thieme of Handbuch der Mineralogie (2nd ed., Tübingen, 1863).

Bibliographical references: BL. USGS Library Catalog.

Grundriß, 1873

7. German, 1873.
Grundriß | der | bestimmenden und rechnenden | Krystallographie | nebst | einer historischen Einleitung | von | Fr. Aug. Quenstedt, | Professor zu Tübingen. | Mit in den Text eingedruckten Holzschnitten und 8 Tafeln. | [rule] | Tübingen, 1873. | Verlag der H. Laupp'schen Buchhandlung.

8°: [i]-viii, [1]-443 p., 8 plates (folding; showing projection diagrams), illus. Page size: 222 x 142 mm.

Contents: [i-ii], Title page, verso "Druck von H. Laupp in Tübingen."; [pages iii-vi were missing from copy examined, but it is probably something like iii-iv, Dedication; v-vi, Contents.]; [vii]-viii, "Vorrede."-dated June 1873.; [1]-443, Text.; [1 pg], Blank.; [At end], 8 plates.

Rare. This advanced text on practical and theoretical crystallographical is unusual in that it contains at its beginning a long, detailed historical introduction to the science. This history begins with Theophrastus and works down to Miller providing the derivations of various crystallographic data to the middle of the nineteenth century. Quenstedt then describes the development of the crystallographic systems, followed by discussions of crystallographic zoning and projections. A final section at the end provides a complete overview of twinning. Through out the text, each concept is fully developed through the use of numerous crystal drawings, diagrams, and tables, as well as advanced mathematical derivations.

Contents: Geschichtliche Einleitung (pp. 1-74). Entwickelung der Systeme (pp. 75-128). Deductionslehre (pp. 129-185). Zonenlehre. Projection des Feldspathes auf die Geradendfläche (pp. 186-205). Winkelrechnung (pp. 206-358). Anwendung der Kantenzonenschnitte (pp. 359-409). Zwilling und Hemiedrie (pp. 410-443).

Bibliographical references: BL. BMC: 4, 1633. Dana's 7th (Bibliography): 78. NUC: 477, 100-2.

.