(Born: Elberfeld, Rheinland, Germany, 27 November 1860; Died: Bad Wörishofen, Bavaria, Germany, 17 December 1930) German mineralogist & petrologist.

Wülfing studied chemistry at Genève and at Heidelberg under Bunsen, from which he graduated in 1884. He turned his attention to mineralogy and geology, studying at Greifswald and Vienna in 1887-8. He then became an assistant to H. Rosenbusch at Heidelberg. He then became successively professor at the University of Tübingen (1891-9), the Agricultural Academy at Hohenheim in Württemberg (1899-1904), the Technical High School at Danzig (1904-7), the University of Kiel (1907-8) and the University of Heidelberg (1908-1926). His research was concentrated on the optical properties of minerals and meteorites.

Biographical references: Centralblatt für Mineralogie: Series A, 1931, 128-35. • DBA: II 1431, 265-271. • Mineralogical Magazine: 23 (1933), no. 141, p. 362, portrait. • Poggendorff: 4, 1672-3. • Sarjeant, Geologists, 1980: 3, 2469. • WBI.

1. German, 1895 [First edition].
Tabellarische Uebersicht der einfachen Formen der 32 krystallographischen Symmetriegruppen zusammengestellt und gezeichnet. Stuttgart, E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagshandlung (E. Koch), 1895.

4°: 11 p., one folded leaf, illus. Illustrations on 7 large folded leaves, inserted.

Rare. A short tabular overview of the important forms of the 32 crystallographic symmetry groups, collected and organized by Wülfing, who at the time was a privatdozent of mineralogy and petrology at the University of Tübingen. In some instances, he utilized optical techniques to determine the observed crystal forms.

Bibliographical references: BL. • Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie, Geologie und Paläontologie: 1896/2, p. 259 [Review by M. Bauer]. • NUC. • USGS Library Catalog.

2. German, 1914 [2nd edition].
Die | 32 kristallographischen Symmetrieklassen | und ihre einfachen Formen | von | Dr. E.A. Wülfing | o. Professor der Mineralogie und Petrographie | an der Universität Heidelberg | [rule] | Zweite, gänzlich umgestaltete und erweiterte Auflage | der | Tabellarischen Übersicht der einfachen Formen | der 32 kristallographischen Symmetriegruppen | Mit 8 Tafeln und 260 Textfiguren | [rule] | Berlin | Verlag von Gebrüder Borntraeger | W35 Schöneberger Ufer 12a | 1914.

8°: 48 p., 260 text illus., 8 plates.

Very scarce. This follow up edition, is an expanded study of the 32 crystallographic symmetry classes, together with a discussion of the various forms that have been observed. A separate appendix organizes the classes in eight tables.

Bibliographical references: BL. • Die Naturwissenschaften: 2 (1914), no. 2, 919-20. • NUC.

3. German, 1897.
Die Meteoriten in sammlungen und ihre Literatur nebst versuch den tauschwert der Meteoriten zu bestimmen von Dr. E.A. Wülfing ... Tübingen, Verlag der H. Laupp'schen Buchhandlung, 1897.

8°: xiv, [2], 460, [1] p., tables.

Very scarce. In 1893, Wülfing decided to bring Otto Buchner's Die Meteoriten in Sammlungen (Leipzig, 1863) tabulation of meteorite collections up to date. For this purpose, he sent out inquiries to 350 public and private collectors, requesting information on their specimens, especially their holdings and weights. Soon Wülfing received replies, but he delayed publication of the information in the hope that waiting would bring more complete data. He also conceived the idea of establishing a system of valuation for specimens. As a first step he separated the meteorites into groups paralleling Brezina's classification, and began to calculate the total weight of each group. In 1897 Wülfing brought out his Die Meteoriten in sammlungen und ihre Literatur that identified 536 falls. He lists all known meteorites in alphabetical order, and provides the names of the collections that held specimens. He also presented a practical formula for determining an exchange value for specimens, that is fully described by Burke (1986).

Bibliographical references: BL. • Burke, Cosmic Debris, 1986: p. 210-1. • NUC. • USGS Library Catalog.

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