Daniel Gotthilf Moldenhawer

Daniel Gotthilf Moldenhawer (11 December 1753 – 21 November 1823), was a German-Danish philologist, theologian, librarian, bibliophile, palaeographer, diplomat, and Bible translator.

[1] He was educated at the royal Collegium Fridericianum under Johann Gottfried Herder in Königsberg, the Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums in Hamburg, and the University of Göttingen (with Christian Gottlob Heyne, Johann David Michaelis, and Christian Wilhelm Franz Walch).

On the recommendation of Johann Andreas Cramer he received a three-year scholarship from the Danish king's court.

[4] At auction for the printed books he bought over 50,000 volumes for 10,000 thalers from the former private collection of Otto Thott (1703–1785).

[7] During his 35 years as the chief librarian the Royal Library flourished and the number of volumes increased through purchases and valuable donations.

Moldenhawer himself donated many valuable manuscripts, letters and printed books, many of which he had acquired illegitimately during his travels in Germany, France, England, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands, and many of which came from the libraries of old monasteries.