(Born: Wüstegiersdorf, Kreis Waldenburg, Schles, Germany, 17 July 1824; Died: Berlin, Germany, 27 November 1886) German mineralogist.

Received an honorary Ph.D. from the University of Breslau, 1864. Appointed chief mining advisor in Breslau, 1861, Websky became a Privatedocent in mineralogy, 1865. He then advanced to professor extraordinaire of mineralogy at Breslau in 1868 and professor ordinary at the University of Berlin in 1873. Member of the Berlin Academy of Science, 1875.

Biographical references: ADB: 41, 363-4. • DBA: I 1335, 246; 1337, 362; II 1372, 191-195. • Poggendorff: 2, col. 1276, 3, 1423-4 & 4, 1604. • Sarjeant, Geologists, 1980: 3, 2390. • Schaedler, Biographisch Handwörterbuch, 1891: 147. • WBI.

Die Mineral-Species, 1868

1. German, 1868.
Die Mineral - Species | nach den | für das specifische Gewicht derselben angenommen | und | gefundenen Werthen. | [ornate rule] | Ein Hülfsbuch | zur bestimmenden Mineralogie | von | Dr. Martin Websky, | ausserordentlichem Professor an der Universität Breslau, | Königlichem Ober-Bergrath a.D. | [ornate rule] | Ferdinand Hirt, | Königliche Universitäts-Buchhandlung. | Breslau, 1868.

8°: π¹ I-XXII⁴ χ²; 61l.; [2], I-VI, [1]-170, 163-166 p. Pages 163 to 166 repeated. Page size: 260 x 192 mm. uncut

Contents: [2 pgs], Title page, verso "Druck | von Grass, Barth & Comp. (W. Friedrich) in Breslau. | ..."; [I]-VI, "Einleitung."; [1]-162, Text.; 163-170, "Namen Verzeichniss."; 163-166, Advertisements showing other publications from Hirt's.

Scarce. The first mineralogical work to use density values as the principle means of mineral identification. Species are listed under specific gravity intervals from 0.4-0.7 to 12-25, with hardness, localities, formulas and references. As this is the only edition of the work, one can judge that its innovation was overlooked by most mineralogists.

Bibliographical references: NUC: 652, 425 [NW 0138248].

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