Alexander Friedrich Wilhelm Duncker (February 18, 1813 – August 23, 1879) was a German publisher and bookseller.

Life and family

He was descended from a successful Berlin family of booksellers, born in Berlin, the son of

Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Duncker Carl Duncker (25 March 1781 – 15 July 1869) was a German publisher. He played an important part in the early creation and growth of the publishing firm which became , more recently the publishers of the ''Neue Deutsche Biographie'', a biograph ...

(1781–1869) and Fanny Duncker (née Wolff). His brothers included historian and politician Maximilian Duncker (1811–1886), and publisher and pundit

Franz Duncker Franz Duncker (4 June 1822 – 18 June 1888) was a German publisher, left-liberal politicianHans-Ulrich Wehler, Deutsche Gesellschaftsgeschichte: Von der "Deutschen Doppelrevolution" bis zum Beginn des Ersten Weltkrieges, 1849–1914. (= Deutsche ...

(1822–1888), founder of a trade union with labor economist Max Hirsch (1832–1905). Another brother, Hermann Carl Rudolf Duncker (1817–1892) was a member of the Prussian National Assembly and a mayor of Berlin. Duncker's father had founded the publishing firm in 1809, running it alone after business partner Peter Humblot died in 1828. Alexander Duncker started his education in 1829. After apprenticeships with Friedrich Christoph Perthes and Johann Besser in Hamburg, Duncker founded his own firm, "Verlag Alexander Duncker." His firm specialized in

Belles lettres is a category of writing, originally meaning beautiful or fine writing. In the modern narrow sense, it is a label for literary works that do not fall into the major categories such as fiction, poetry, or drama. The phrase is sometimes used pejora ...

(German: Belletristik) and visual arts. Among the authors he published were

Thekla von Gumpert Thekla Charlotte von Gumpert (married Thekla von Schober; 28 June 1810 in Kalisch- 1 April 1897 in Dresden) was a German children's and youth writer. Life Origin Thekla von Gumpert was born in Kalisch as the third of five children of Henriet ...

, Ida Hahn-Hahn, Paul Heyse,

Karl von Holtei Karl Eduard von Holtei (24 January 1798 – 12 February 1880) was a German poet and actor. Life and career Karl Eduard von Holtei was born at Breslau, the son of an officer of Hussars. Having served in the Prussian army as a volunteer in 1815, ...

, August Kopisch,

Fanny Lewald Fanny Lewald (21 March 1811 – 5 August 1889) was a German novelist and essayist and a women's rights activist. Life and career Fanny Lewald was born at Königsberg in East Prussia in 1811 to a bourgeois, Jewish family. She was taken out of sch ...

, Elise Polko, Christian Friedrich Scherenberg, Hermann von Pückler-Muskau, and Friedrich von Uechtriz. He was instrumental in promoting new authors, and some of them Emanuel Geibel, Wilhelm Jensen, Marie Petersen, Gustav zu Putlitz, and Theodor Storm found their first recognition through Duncker's efforts. Duncker had far-reaching political connections and regularly corresponded with King

Friedrich Wilhelm IV Frederick William IV (german: Friedrich Wilhelm IV.; 15 October 17952 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, reigned as King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 to his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to ...

. Later, he maintained contact with

Emperor William I William I or Wilhelm I (german: Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; 22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) was King of Prussia from 2 January 1861 and German Emperor from 18 January 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the f ...

. From 1841 he held the title "Royal Court Bookseller." As a reserve officer attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel, he participated in the wars against

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establishe ...

(1864), Austria (1866), and France (1870-71).

Works

A high point in his output was a graphic collection of Prussian castles under the title, ''The rural residences, palaces and residences of the Prussian nobility, together with the royal family, vacation home, and garden residences in vivid, artistically executed, colorful illustrations with accompanying text'' appearing from 1857-1883. The series of 320 signatures in 16 volumes included 960 color lithographs measuring 20x15 cm. The collection is especially valuable for its pictorial record of numerous stately buildings from the old eastern German lands, many of which were destroyed during and after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

when these regions were transferred to

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

and the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. File:Rittergut Sglietz Sammlung Duncker.jpg, Manor of Glietz Brandebourg in 1865 File:Schloss Tamsel.jpg, Tamsel File:Rittergut Fredersdorf Sammlung Duncker.jpg, Fredersdorf Manor File:Schloss Ahrensburg Sammlung Duncker.jpg, Ahrensburg in

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...

File:Burg Loersfeld.jpg, Lörsfeld Hall File:Gut Rosbitek Sammlung Duncker.jpg, Rozbitek File:Schloss Stolzenfels Sammlung Duncker.jpg, Stolzenfels Castle File:Tillowitz - Schloss.jpg, Tillowitz (Silesia) Another large project was an edition of the political correspondence of

Frederick the Great Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the S ...

, which by Duncker's death had appeared in 24 volumes – eventually totaling 46 volumes by 1939 when it was interrupted by the second world war. The project resumed with the issue of volume 47 in 2003. Duncker also wrote works including: * 1851 The Patriots: National drama in three acts. * 1867 Through Night to the Light. A time story * 1877 Off the road. Poems of a vagabond * 1886 Angiola Folimarino (novella) * 1891 Her Picture (novella) * 1897 The Swallows. A children's tale.

Bibliography

Dora Duncker Dora Livia Felicia Maria Duncker (28 March 1855 – 9 October 1916) was a German author of novels, short stories, essays, poems and stage works. She was also active as a theatre critic. Life Duncker was born in Berlin, a child of the publisher ...

: ''Das Haus Duncker. Ein Buchhändlerroman aus dem Biedermeier''. Berlin 1918 (mainly about Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Duncker) * Peter-Michael Hahn und Hellmut Lorenz (Ed.): ''Herrenhäuser in Brandenburg und der Niederlausitz. Kommentierte Neuausgabe des Ansichtenwerks von Alexander Duncker (1857–1883)''. Nicolai, Berlin 2000, , Volume 1 Introduction, Volume 2 Catalog * * Soetemann, Christel: ''Alexander Dunckers 'Ländliche Wohnsitze, Schlösser und Residenzen der Preußischen Monarchie'. Tausend Veduten zwischen Tilsit und Trier''. from: Lüneburger Beiträge zur Vedutenforschung. Edited Eckhard Jäger. Lüneburg: Verlag Nordostdeutsches Kulturwerk, 1983. pp. 173–210 * Loeck, Gottfried: ''Alexander Dunckers Werk über die ländlichen Wohnsitze der ritterschaftlichen Grundbesitzer Preußens - eine wertvolle Quelle zur pommerschen Geschichte''. from: Baltische Studien - Pommersche Jahrbücher für Landesgeschichte. Edited by Gesellschaft für pommersche Geschichte, Altertumskunde und Kunst e.V ., Vol. 82, pp. 99–119. {{DEFAULTSORT:Duncker, Alexander Friedrich Wilhelm 1813 births 1879 deaths German publishers (people) German booksellers Businesspeople from Berlin Prussian Army personnel