Johann Samuel Ersch

In 1785 he entered the University of Halle with the view of studying theology; but soon became more interested in history, bibliography and geography.

[1] In 1788 he published the Verzeichnis aller anonymischen Schriften, as a supplement to the 4th edition of Johann Georg Meusel's Gelehrtes Deutschland.

The researches required for this work suggested to him the preparation of a Repertorium über die allgemeinen deutschen Journale und andere periodische Sammlungen für Erdbeschreibung, Geschichte, und die damit verwandten Wissenschaften (Lemgo, 1790–92).

The fame which this publication acquired for him led to his being engaged by Christian Gottfried Schütz and Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland to prepare an Allgemeines Repertorium der Literatur, published in eight volumes (Jena and Weimar, 1793–1809), which condensed the literary productions of fifteen years (1785–1800),[2] and included an account not merely of the books published during that period, but also of articles in periodicals and magazines, and even of the criticisms to which each book had been subjected.

[3] While engaged in this great work Ersch also planned La France littéraire, which was published at Hamburg in five volumes, from 1797 to 1806.