Zedler's Universal-Lexicon is considered the most important German-language encyclopedia of the 18th Century.
Jacob August Franckenstein (27 December 1689 – 10 May 1733) was the main editor of the first two volumes of Johann Heinrich Zedler's Grosses vollständiges Universal-Lexicon (Great Complete Universal Lexicon), the most important encyclopedia published in Germany in the 18th century.[1]
Franckenstein was born and died in Leipzig; he was the son of the lawyer and historian Christian Gottfried Franckenstein.
In August 1713 he acquired a master's degree in philosophy in Leipzig, and in 1719 he received a doctorate in law in Erfurt.
From 1721 to 1732 he was professor of natural and international law at the University of Leipzig.
In 1722 he was temporarily a Councilor at Zerbst, the seat of government of the Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, but after two years he returned to teaching at the university.[1]
In 1731, Zedler asked Franckenstein to be the lead editor of the planned Universal Lexicon.[2]
He already had some experience with the book market.
He was a colleague and confidant of Professor Johann Burckhardt Mencke, publisher of the journal "New Learned Works" and other periodicals, a supporter of Zedler's mammoth project.[1]
The first two volumes were prepared under Franckenstein's leadership.
After two years, at a time of financial crisis, he fell out with Zedler and resigned from the job. His successor was Paul Daniel Longolius.[3]
Franckenstein died in Leipzig two months later, on 10 May 1733.[1]
^Schneider, Ulrich Johannes (2004). "Zedlers Universal-Lexicon und die Gelehrtenkultur des 18. Jahrhunderts". Die Universität Leipzig und ihr gelehrtes Umfeld 1680–1780. Basel: von Detlef Döring und Hanspeter Marti. pp. 195–213. ISBN3-7965-2013-8.
^Quedenbaum, Gerd (1977). Der Verleger und Buchhändler Johann Heinrich Zedler 1706–1751: ein Buchunternehmer in den Zwängen seiner Zeit; ein Beitrag zur Geschichte des deutschen Buchhandels im 18. Jahrhundert. Hildesheim. p. 131. ISBN3-487-06241-0.
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