Adolphus Asher
Adolphus Asher | |
|---|---|
| Born | Abraham Isaac Ascher Template:Birth date Cammin, Pomerania (present-day Kamień Pomorski, Poland) |
| Died | September 2, 1853 (aged 53) |
| Occupation(s) | Bookseller, publisher, bibliographer, Hebraist |
| Known for | Enhancing British Museum's Russian and Eastern European literature holdings; authoritative bibliographies; Hebrew literature scholarship |
Adolphus Asher (1800–1853), also known as Adolf Asher, was a German bookseller, publisher, bibliographer, Hebraist, and admirer of English culture. He played a pivotal role in enhancing the British Museum’s holdings of Russian and Eastern European literature and compiled bibliographies that remain authoritative references.
Life and career
Born Abraham Isaac Ascher on 23 August 1800 in Cammin, Pomerania (present-day Kamień Pomorski, Poland), Asher demonstrated exceptional proficiency in foreign languages while attending Berlin's Gymnasium zum Grauen Kloster. These linguistic skills supported his international commerce and bibliographical endeavors. From 1820 to 1825, he acquired commercial experience in England before relocating to St. Petersburg (1825–1830), where he accumulated wealth through diamond trading. In 1824, he married Anna Friedeberg; their son Georg Michael was born three years later.
In 1830, Asher established a bookstore in Berlin at Mohrenstrasse 53, later expanding with branches in London’s Covent Garden (1835) and St. Petersburg. His stores offered new releases, secondhand volumes, and rare antiquarian works. Initially operating under the name A. Asher's Library, the business was rebranded as A. Asher & Co. in 1839 and subsequently ventured into publishing.
Asher cultivated a strong partnership with Anthony Panizzi at the British Museum Library, becoming a leading supplier of continental and rare books. Starting around 1840, he notably enhanced its previously limited Russian and Eastern European collections. His clientele also included distinguished academics such as Alexander von Humboldt and Charles Darwin, along with contributing to the Bodleian Library’s Hebrew book collection.
Beginning in 1839, Asher produced scholarly annotated bibliographies that continue to serve researchers and booksellers alike. Renowned for his expertise in Hebrew literature, he published a critical edition of 12th-century Jewish traveler Benjamin of Tudela’s accounts in 1840. By 1848, he had joined the Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft and held a board position within Berlin’s Jewish Community.
In 1848, Asher relocated his Berlin shop to Unter den Linden 20, adjacent to the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences—a significant client of his enterprise. Between 1849 and 1850, he conducted successful auctions of prominent private libraries, including that of German poet Ludwig Tieck.
Asher’s knowledge was frequently cited over decades during British governmental discussions concerning copyright laws, book trade regulations, and international commerce.
He divested from A. Asher & Co. in 1852. While traveling on business in Venice on 2 September 1853, he passed away from gastric-nervous fever. His wife Anna died in 1866. Their son Georg Michael pursued scholarly work on Roman law across Europe until his death in 1905; he authored a bibliographical study on Dutch colonial publications that reflected his father’s academic influence.
A. Asher & Co. after 1853
After the founder’s passing, management of A. Asher & Co. was assumed by former associates Daniel Collin and literary scholar Albert Cohn (1827–1905), with Cohn maintaining leadership for half a century. The company continued supplying both antiquarian and contemporary works to the British Museum until disruptions caused by twentieth-century conflicts. In 1874, ownership transitioned to Adolf Behrend and Leonhard Simion. By 1906, the publishing arm separated from the retail bookstore; the publishing entity operated under Behrend & Co., while the bookstore retained the A. Asher & Co. name.
Following Cohn’s death in 1907 and trade slowdowns due to World War I, A. Asher & Co. revived after 1919 by resuming modern book import-export activities from new premises at Behrenstraße 17 in Berlin. Subsequent proprietors included Hermann Lazarus and Otto Liebstaedter. Under Nazi policies in 1933, the firm was Aryanized; Liebstaedter escaped to Amsterdam with part of the inventory and reestablished A. Asher & Co. B.V., which remains active in the Netherlands as of 2025.
Works Authored by Adolphus Asher
- Asher's Picture of Berlin and Its Environs: A Detailed Account of Every Noteworthy Site in the Prussian Capital, Including Charlottenburg and Potsdam; Also Featuring a Catalogue of Renowned German Classic Authors and Their Principal Works, Berlin: 1837.
- Bibliographical Essay on the Collection of Voyages and Travels Edited and Issued by Levinus Hulsius and His Successors in Nuremberg and Frankfurt from 1598 to 1660, Berlin: 1839.
- Itinerary of Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela, Berlin and London: 1840–1841 – Hebrew text with English translation, annotations, and essays prepared by A. Asher – Volume I; Volume II.
- Bibliographical Essay on the Scriptores Rerum Germanicarum, Berlin: 1843.
Series of Books
- Asher's Collection of English Authors – encompassing British and American writers
- Heath's Picturesque Annual (jointly published)
- The Necropolis of Ancon in Peru: Studies on Inca Civilization and Industries
- Neudrucke von Schriften und Karten über Meteorologie und Erdmagnetismus
- Tombleson's Rhein-Ansichten
- Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Schwedischen Südpolar-Expedition 1901–1903
Catalogues
- Catalogue de la bibliothèque célèbre de M. Ludwig Tieck, Berlin: A. Asher (distributed via London agent David Nutt), 1849.
- Catalogue d'une collection précieuse de livres rares et curieux concernant la Pologne, la Russie et autres pays slaves, Berlin: A. Asher & Co., 1858.
Periodical Publications
- Zeitschrift des Vereins für Volkskunde
Additional Resources
- Jacob Jacobson, Die Judenbürgerbücher der Stadt Berlin, 1809–1851, Walter de Gruyter & Co., 2018. pp. 241–242.