(Born: Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, 15 January 1770; Died: Copenhagen, Denmark, 15 March 1847) Danish aristrocat & mineralogist.

Vargas-Bedemar was born to wealth and privilege. At an early age he became interested in geology and mineralogy and formed a large collection of specimens. To enrich his collection and his understanding he made collecting trips through out Scandinavia, including Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the Faeroe Islands, Iceland, and Lappland. He also traveled extensively through Europe, visiting all the major cities. The myth of Atlantis was also of great interest to his studies. In 1806 he was elected to the Danish Academy of Sciences.

Biographical references: Althof, Hans-Joachim., Carl Friedrich August Grosse (1768-1847), alias Graf Edouard Romeo von Vargas-Bedemar. Ein Erfolgsschriftsteller des 18. Jahrhunderts. Bamberg, Difo-Druck, 1975. 255 p., illus. • Dansk Biografisk Haandleksikon. • Dansk Biografisk Lexikon: 18, p. 260-263. • DBA: I 1301, 311-312. • Nyerup & Kraft, Almindeligt Litteraturlexicon, 1818-20. • Poggendorff: 2, cols. 1174-5. • Rasmussen, Geologiska Litteratur Færøerne, 1947. • SBA: Scandinavian Biographical Archive: A-345, 235-242. • WBI.

1. Italian, 1805.
Introduzione allo Studio della Mineralogia. [Naples, 1805].

8°: vi, 45, [1] p.

Very rare. An short Introduction to the Study of Mineralogy. It is perhaps an Italian translation of the paper: "Schreiben des berühmten Mineralogen Edward Grafen von Vargas an den Baron von Schubarth über den neuesten Ausbruch des Vesuvs," Annalen der Physik, 19 (1805), p. 177 ff.

Bibliographical references: BL [no copy listed]. • BMC: 5, 2194.

2. German, 1819-20.
Reise nach dem hohen Norden durch Schweden, Norwegen und Lappland in den Jahren 1810, 1811, 1812 und 1814. Frankfurt am Main, Hermann, 1819-20.

2 vols. [Vol 1: 1819] 8°: xxii, 570 p. [Vol 2: 1820] 8°: xii, 374 p., one folding map.

Very scarce. Topographical study describing the author's extensive trips through the Scandinavian countries. He also had a great interest in mineralogy, so the text contains frequent references to subjects of mineralogical interest.

Facsimile reprint, 1996: Ewa Falch, ed., Die Reise nach dem Hohen Norden durch Schweden, Norwegen und Lappland in den Jahren 1810, 1811, 1812 und 1814 von Carl Friedrich August Grosse, alias Edouard Romeo, Graf von Vargas Bedemar, im Kontext der europäischen Reiseliteratur. Oslo, 1996.

Bibliographical references: BL [10280.c.29.]. • Garboe, Geologiens Historie i Danmark, 1959-61.

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