Isaac Kaufmann Funk

Isaac Kaufmann Funk

Isaac Kaufmann Funk (1839-1912) was an American editor, lexicographer, publisher, and spelling reformer. He was born on September 10 1839 in the town of Clifton, Ohio. He attended Wittenberg College (Now Wittenberg University) and Wittenberg Theological Seminary, both in Springfield, Ohio. Upon his graduation in 1860, he was ordained as a Lutheran pastor, and served pastorates in New York, Indiana, and his home state of Ohio. He made an extensive tour through Europe, northern Africa, and Asia Minor in 1872.

In 1876 he founded the publishing firm of I.K. Funk & Company, with the help of a Wittenberg classmate, Adam Willis Wagnalls. In 1890 the name was changed to Funk & Wagnalls Company, to more accurately reflect Wagnalls' partnership. In that same year, Funk published "The Literary Digest", a departure from the religious works earlier in his career.

Perhaps Funk's most important achievement was his "The Standard Dictionary of the English Language", published in 1893. He worked with a team of more than 740 people. His aim was to provide essential information thoroughly and simply at the same time. In order to achieve this he placed current meanings first, archaic meanings second, and etymologies last.

From 1901-06, Funk and Wagnalls compiled the "Jewish Encyclopædia". Dr. Funk was a Prohibitionist and founded the "Voice" (1880), an organ of that party. His final resting place is in New York's Green-Wood Cemetery interred Lot 26127 Section 166.

He interested himself in psychical research and published:
* "The Next Step in Evolution". (1902)
* "The Widow's Mite and Other Psychic Phenomena", (1904)
* "The Psychic Riddle", (1907)


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Kaufmann — is a surname with many variants such as Kauffmann, Kaufman, and Kauffman. In German, the name means merchant . It may refer to: Kaufmann * Angelika Kaufmann (1741 1807), Swiss painter * Christine Kaufmann (born 1945), Austrian actor * Edgar J.… …   Wikipedia

  • Funk & Wagnalls — is a publisher based in New York City known for its reference works, including an encyclopedia, content from which became a part of Microsoft s Encarta digital encyclopedia.HistoryIsaac Kaufmann Funk founded the business in 1876 as I.K. Funk… …   Wikipedia

  • Isaac Israeli — ben Salomon  Ne doit pas être confondu avec Isaac Israeli ben Joseph …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Isaac Israeli ben Salomon —  Ne doit pas être confondu avec Isaac Israeli ben Joseph …   Wikipédia en Français

  • List of German Americans — This is a list of notable German Americans.German Americans (Deutschamerikaner) are citizens of the United States of ethnic German ancestry and form the largest ancestry group in the United States, accounting for 17% of US population. [cite web… …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Encyclopædia Britannica — The Encyclopædia Britannica has been published continuously since 1768, appearing in 15 official editions. Several editions have been amended with multi volume supplements (3rd–6th) or undergone drastic re organizations (15th). In recent years,… …   Wikipedia

  • The Literary Digest — Titelblatt des The Literary Digest vom 19. Februar 1921. The Literary Digest war eine vielgelesene wöchentliche Zeitschrift verlegt von Funk Wagnalls. Seit 1890 wurde die Zeitschrift von Isaac Kaufmann Funk publiziert als Weiterführung zweier… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Wittenberg University — For the university in Germany, see University of Halle Wittenberg. Wittenberg University Motto Having Light, We Pass It On To Others Established 1845 Type …   Wikipedia

  • Clifton, Ohio — For the neighborhood in Cincinnati see Clifton, Cincinnati, Ohio. Clifton, Ohio   Village   Location of Clifton, Ohio …   Wikipedia

  • Adam Willis Wagnalls — (1843 1924) was an American publisher. He was the co founder and co eponym of the Funk Wagnalls Company in 1877.He was born in Lithopolis, Ohio, but moved away at age 5. He married Hester Anna Willis, also a native of Lithopolis. They had one… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”