The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Bechstein, Ludwig

BECHSTEIN, Ludwig, lood'vĭH, German poet and novelist: b. 1801; d. 1860. He is chiefly remembered for ‘The Legend Treasure and the Legendary Cycles of Thuringia’ (1835-38); ‘German Fairy-Tale Book’ (1845, 41st ed., 1893); and others. Among his epical poems are ‘The Children of Haymon’ (1830); ‘The Dance of Death’ (1831); ‘New Natural History of Pet Birds’ (1846), a humorous didactic poem; and ‘Thuringia's Royal House’ (1865). Of his numerous novels, chiefly historical, the best known is ‘Journeys of a Musician’ (1836-37).