Franz Gräffer (6 January 1785 – 8 October 1852) was an librarian, bookseller and writer from the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

. He was a founder of the ''Österreichische National-Encyklopädie'', regarded as the first comprehensive reference work about Austria.

Life

Gräffer was born in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

in 1785; his father August Gräffer opened in 1790 a bookshop specializing in military books, and he wrote about military history. Franz in his early career joined his father's business. He later became librarian successively for

Louis Bonaparte Louis Bonaparte (born Luigi Buonaparte; 2 September 1778 – 25 July 1846) was a younger brother of Napoleon, Napoleon I, Emperor of the French. He was a monarch in his own right from 1806 to 1810, ruling over the Kingdom of Holland (a French c ...

, for and for . Afterwards he opened an antiquarian bookshop and was a publisher, making unsuccessful plans to produce magazines. He also began the trade for

autograph An autograph is a person's own handwriting or signature. The word ''autograph'' comes from Ancient Greek (, ''autós'', "self" and , ''gráphō'', "write"), and can mean more specifically: Gove, Philip B. (ed.), 1981. ''Webster's Third New Intern ...

s in Vienna."Gräffer, Franz (1785-1852), Schriftsteller und Verleger"
''Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon''. Retrieved 14 January 2023.Gugitz, Gustav

''

Neue Deutsche Biographie (''NDB''; Literal translation, literally ''New German Biography'') is a Biography, biographical reference work. It is the successor to the ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, Universal German Biography). The 27 volumes published thus far co ...

'', 1964. He was a freelance writer, from 1812 writing numerous works about the cultural history and customs of Vienna, some published anonymously or pseudonymously. With Johann Jakob Czikann (1789–1855) he founded the '' Österreichische National-Encyklopädie'' (6 volumes, 1835–37), regarded as the first comprehensive reference work about Austria. In later years he became mentally ill; he died impoverished in a mental hospital in 1852. His biographer in ''

Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich ''Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich'' (English, ''Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire'') (abbreviated ''Wurzbach'' from the author's surname) is a 60-volume work, edited and published by Constantin von Wurzbach, cont ...

'' wrote: "Gräffer was, in his innermost character, after all no businessman, but a scholar by calling, burdened with all the weaknesses and advantages of those often eccentric people."

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Graffer, Franz 1785 births 1852 deaths Writers from Vienna Librarians from the Austrian Empire Scholars from the Austrian Empire Historians of Austria Bookselling