Heinrich August Pierer, c.1850 Heinrich August Pierer (26 February 1794 in

Altenburg Altenburg () is a city in Thuringia, Germany, located south of Leipzig, west of Dresden and east of Erfurt. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district and part of a polycentric old-industrial textile and metal production region betw ...

– 12 May 1850, Altenburg) was a German

lexicographer Lexicography is the study of lexicons, and is divided into two separate academic disciplines. It is the art of compiling dictionaries. * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries. * Theoreti ...

and publisher known particularly for his ''Universal-Lexikon der Vergangenheit und Gegenwart'', a multi-volume

encyclopedic dictionary An encyclopedic dictionary typically includes many short listings, arranged alphabetically, and discussing a wide range of topics. Encyclopedic dictionaries can be general, containing articles on topics in many different fields; or they can sp ...

first published in 1835–6. It went through a number of editions, both during his lifetime and later. He was the son of publisher Johann Friedrich Pierer (de) (1767–1832). He studied medicine at the

University of Jena The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. The un ...

, afterwards being involved in the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. He fought in the

Battle of Leipzig The Battle of Leipzig (french: Bataille de Leipsick; german: Völkerschlacht bei Leipzig, ); sv, Slaget vid Leipzig), also known as the Battle of the Nations (french: Bataille des Nations; russian: Битва народов, translit=Bitva ...

, being wounded at the storming of

Wachau The Wachau () is an Austrian valley with a picturesque landscape formed by the Danube river. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations of Lower Austria, located midway between the towns of Melk and Krems that also attracts "connoiss ...

, and later participated in the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

. Following the end of hostilities he worked as a schoolteacher in Posen, and in 1820 became a partner in his father's printing business, Pierer'sche Hofbuchdruckerei.

External links

''Pierer's Universal-Lexikon der Vergangenheit und Gegenwart''
online version of the nineteen-volume fourth edition published posthumously in the years 1857–1865. Als
at HathiTrust

Wikisource
at

Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, german: Universal German Biography) is one of the most important and comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language. It was published by the Historical Commission of the Bavarian Aca ...

1794 births 1850 deaths German lexicographers German publishers (people) People from Altenburg German male non-fiction writers German encyclopedists 19th-century lexicographers {{germany-linguist-stub