The E-Sylum:  Volume 4, Number 15, April 8, 2001, Article 13

DR. LEWIS FEUCHTWANGER 

   Dave Bowers has a second question for us: "I am gathering 
   a data base on Dr. Lewis Feuchtwanger, and have been for 
   a long time. I have all of the things in regular numismatic 
   publications over the years but would dearly love to buy or 
   borrow any ephemera -- such as broadsides or advertisements 
   for his patent medicines, products made from his "composition," 
   personal correspondence, etc. 

   He also wrote a delightful book, TREATISE ON GEMS, 
   published in 1838, then in at least two later editions (with 
   expansions including color plates), all of which I have -- but 
   thought mention of them might be of interest here." 

   [Editor's note:  Dave's note led me to pull some Feuchtwanger 
   items from my own library; I have two.  First, is an 1838 
   First Edition of "A Treatise on Gems".  The second item is 
   another book of Feuchtwanger's, "Fermented Liquors: A 
   Treatise on Brewing, Distilling, Rectifying, and Manufacturing 
   of Sugars, Wines, Spirits, and All Known Liquors, Including 
   Cider and Vinegar.  Also, Hundreds of Valuable Directions 
   in Medicine, Metallurgy, Pyrotechny, and The Arts in General" 
   (Published by the author, New York, 1858). 

   Feuchtwanger must have been a colorful character.  The 
   mention of Pyrotechny caught my eye.  Part III, Chapter VII 
   is titled "On Colored Fires of Pyrotechnics - The best 
   prescriptions for producing fine colored fireworks, from the 
   author's own experience." 

   Incidentally, one numismatic reference popped up unexpectedly 
   which searching the web for Feuchtwanger information. 
   It concerns Clarence S. Bement, whose collection was sold by 
   Henry Chapman in two sales (1916, 1918).   The following 
   text is taken from the web site of New York Mineralogist 
   Lawrence H. Conklin, reprinting an article on Charles W. 
   Herrmann, Mineralogist and Mineral Dealer, which originally 
   appeared in The Mineralogical Record, Volume 25, 
   May - June, 1994) 
   http://www.lhconklin.com/bio/publications/herrmann.htm 

   "In 1891 Herrmann sent to Clarence S. Bement a copy of a 
   book written by Lewis Feuchtwanger (1807-1876) which the 
   author had presented to him. Since he mentions in the 
   accompanying letter that "many minerals are painted [colored]" 
   the book in question must have been A Popular Treatise On 
   Gems, of the third or fourth edition.  He told Bement that 
   "Dr. Feuchtwanger came every Sunday afternoon to me even 
   when ice was on the street,  talking minerals." 

    Herrmann further informed Bement that after Feuchtwanger 
   died, when both of his daughters were in Paris, his mineral 
   collection was stolen. It would seem that Feuchtwanger had a 
   lot of bad luck with his collection. Canfield, in his Final 
   Disposition (see vol. 21, no. 1,p. 41-46, 39) states that 
   Feuchtwanger's . . . 

       . . . daughters presented his collection to the Society of 
       Ethical Culture of New York City, about 1900. It was 
       a general collection. Many years ago, while this collection 
       was exhibited in the Old Arsenal in Central Park, some 
       of the specimens were stolen. 

   Perhaps they were both referring to the same event. The 
   Arsenal was the first (and temporary) home of the American 
   Museum of Natural History and was occupied by the museum 
   from 1870 to 1879 while the great complex of buildings on 
   Central Park West was under construction. It is still standing 
   today." 

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization 
promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor 
at this address: whomren@coinlibrary.com

To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum