ECK'ERMANN, JOHANN PETER, well known to the literary world through his inter course with Goethe, was b. in 1792, at Winsen on the Luhe, in Hanover, studied, 1821 23, at Gottingen, and afterwards went to Weimar, where he took part in the redaction of the last volume of Goethe's Sdmmtliche Werke. At the same time, he commenced to contribute articles to the Morgenblatt, on art and antiquity. In 1827, the university of Jena conferred on him the degree of PR.D. Two years later, he was appointed to superintend the studies of the heir to the grand duchy of Weimar, in the German and English languages and literature. In 1830, he traveled with Goethe's son in Italy, and on the death of the patriarch of German literature, lie edited his posthumous writings. During the years 1839-40, he edited a new edition of Goethe's Sdnuntliche Werke, in 40• vols. But E. is most widely and favorably known by his Gopreiche mit Goethe (Conver sations with Goethe). The greater part of these Gespri:tehe appeared at Leipsic in 1836,
the remainder at Magdeburg in 1848. It cannot be said with truth that E. has done for Goethe what Boswell did for Johnson, because Goethe did not require this. Johnson's writings give us but a faint idea of the man; hence Boswell's Life looks like a revela tion; whereas there was the most perfect harmony in Goethe between the man and the author. Still, E.'s book is of immense value, just because it shows us this harmony, giving us, as it does, a picture of Goethe in his manifold social and literary relations, and exhibiting to us the simple, natural, and noble principles on which lie studied and wrote. The have been translated into all European languages, even into Turkish. The best English translation is that by John Oxenford (Lond. 1850). E. died at Weimar, 3d Dec., 1854.