ERSCH, JOHANN SAMUEL, was born June 23, 1766, at Glogau, in the Prussian province of Silesia. He commenced his studies in the gymnasium of his native town, and in the spring of 1785 removed to the university of Halle. Here he became acquainted with Professor Fabri, with whom in 1786 he went to Jena, where they became associated with Schutz and Hufeland in the publication of several political, geographical, and bibliographical works. In 1794 he removed to (lettingen, and in 1800 returned to Jena, where he was appointed librarian to the university. In 1803 he became professor of geography and statistics in the university of Halle, and in 1608 was appointed principal librarian. Besides being employed at all these places on various periodical publications, sometimes as editor and sometimes as contributor, he acquired a knowledge of the French, Italian, English, Swedish, and Danish languages, and became well acquainted with the literature and literary history of the respective nations. Thus the employments of his life as well as his favourite studies had peculiarly qualified him for undertaking, in coojuuction with Gruber, the great German ' Universal Encyclopaedia of Sciences and Arts,' which was commenced in 1818, and formed the chief occupation of the remainder of his life. He died at Halle, January 16, 1828.
Erech's associate in this vast undertaking, JOHANN GOTTFRIED GRUBER, was born November 29, 1774, at Naumburg, iu the Prussian province of Saxony. Alter studying in the gymnasium of his native town, ho proceeded in 1792 to the university of Leipzig. In 1803 he became a private tutor iu Jena. He afterwards removed to Weimar, where he became acquainted with Wielaud, who held him in such esteem that he supplied him with materials for writing his biography.
In 1811 he obtained a professorship in the University of Wittenberg. ,Returuing to Leipzig he became a contributor to the Conversations Lexikon,' and published his Life of Wieland, Wieland's Leben,' 4 vols. 8vo, Leipzig, 1815-16. lie also superiutended the publication of Wieland's Collected Works, ' Wieland's Sammilichen 1Verken,' Leipzig, 1818-28, and added to it, in an improved form, his own Lifo of the poet, which forms vols. 50, 51, 52, 53. Iu 1815 Gruber was appointed professor of philosophy in the university of Halle, and in 1818 became associated with kirsch in the editorship of the great work so well known to German scholars as Ersch and Gruber's 'Eocyclopadie der Wiesenschaften uod litinste; 4to, Leipzig, 1818. This work is divided into three sections, of which not one is yet complete. The first aectiou is to include from letter A to G ; the second section is to extend from H to N; the third from 0 to Z. The 59th part of the first section, published in 1854, ends with George HI. of England. Tim second section was commenced in 1827, and the 30th part, published in 1853, includes the end of letter J. The third section was cornmeuced in 1830, and the 25th part, published in 1850, ends with Phyxios.' Gruber, after Ersch's death, became sole editor of the first section. The editor; of the second section are G. Hamel and W. Muller; of the third section are M. H. E. Meier and L. F. Ktimtz.