1898 Brockhaus Map of the Moon

Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus (May 4, 1772 - August 20, 1823) was a German publisher and editor. He was born in Dortmund and from 1788 - 1793 apprenticed at a mercantile concern in Düsseldorf. He subsequently studied language and literature at the University of Leipzig, then went on to establish a Dortmund-based concern importing and selling English goods. He developed his business in Amsterdam for a time before economic pressures forced him to close. He turned to publishing, founding 'F. A. Brockhaus', in 1805. The firm was initially based in Amsterdam, but in 1811 relocated to Altenburg, Germany, then, in 1818, to Leipzig. There he established a large printing house dedicated to encyclopedias, scientific publications, and literature. Friedrich Arnold died in Leipzig in 1823, but the business was taken over by his sons, Friedrich Brockhaus (1800 - 1865), who retired in 1850, and Heinrich Brockhaus (1804 - 1874), under whom it was considerably extended. Their most significant publication was the Brockhaus Enzyklopädie, also known as Der Grosse Brockhaus. In 1953, after World War II (1939 - 1945), its Leipzig operations were nationalized by East Germany. Its West German successor established itself in Wiesbaden. Following German reunification, corporate headquarters were moved to Munich. The firm continues to publish as F. A. Brockhaus AG. More by this mapmaker...