Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Johann Gottfried Gruber

GRUBER, Johann Gottfried (1774-1851), a learned German author, was born at Naumburg on the Saale, 29th November 1774. He received his education at the town school of Naumburg and the university of Leipsic, after which he resided successively at Gottingen, Leipsic, Jena, and Weimar, occupying himself partly in teaching and partly in various literary enterprises, and enjoying in Weimar the friendship of Herder, Wieland, and Goethe. In 1811 he was appointed professor at the university of Wittenberg, and after the division of Saxony he was sent by the senate to Berlin in connexion with the negotiations for the union of the university of Wittenberg to that of Halle. After the union was effected he became in 1815 professor of philosophy at Halle. On the death of Hufeland he was associated with Ersch in the editorship of the great work Allgemeine Encyklopadie der Wissenschaften und Kiinste ; and after the death of Ersch he continued the first section from vol. xviii. to vol. liv. He also succeeded Ersch in the editorship of the Allgemeine Liter aturzeitunj. He died 7th August 1851.

Gruber was the author of a large number of works, the principal of which are Charaktcristik Herders, in conjunction with Danz, Leipsic, 1805; Gcschichte dcs Mcnschliclicn Geschlcchts, 2 vols., Leipsic, 1806; Wortcrlucli der Altclassischtn Mythologie, 3 vols., Weimar, 1810-15; Widands Lcbcn, 2 parts, Weimar, 1815-16; and Klopstocks Lebcn, Weimar, 1832. A completed biography of Wieland was prefixed to Gruber s edition of Widand s Sammtliclie Werke, Leipsic, 1818-28.