As publisher, he completed, in 1858, the edition of the Oekonomische Encyklopädie (in 242 volumes), which had been started by Johann Georg Krünitz in 1773.

[2] Litfaß supported wounded veterans of the wars of 1864, 1866 and 1870–71 and their relatives by sponsoring concerts, fireworks, boat tours and donating the proceeds to charities.

Litfaß died during a spa treatment in Wiesbaden and was buried in an honorary grave in the Dorotheenstadt cemetery in Berlin.

Allegedly, he was disgusted by the unsystematic and ubiquitous posting of pamphlets, notices and other materials on walls, doors, fences and trees.

In December that year he was granted permission to erect such Annoncier-Säulen columns, and on 1 July 1855 the first 100 Litfaß-Säulen were presented in Berlin.