Hans Kasten papers on Johann Georg Heinrich Tinius
Overview
Papers relating to the German pastor Johann Georg Heinrich Tinius, who was convicted of murder.
Dates
- Creation: 1780-1953
Language of Materials
Collection materials are in German and Latin.
Conditions Governing Access
There are no restrictions on physical access to this material.
Extent
2.5 linear feet (6 boxes)Consists of biographical and bibliographical material collected by Kasten for his study of the life and works of Tinius, consisting mainly of typescript and photostat copies of letters by Tinius, memoirs, and biographies, along with Kasten's notes, clippings, offprints, and bibliographies. Extant in the collection are 5 original autograph letters by Tinius, 1805-1841, and 1 volume of official manuscript records relating to his case, 1813.
Biographical / Historical
Johann Georg Heinrich Tinius (1764-1846) was a pastor in Poserna, Prussia. He was also an ardent bibliophile, whose desire to increase his collection of some 60,000 works on theology and linguistics far exceeded his income, and in 1813 he was indicted on charges of murdering two wealthy citizens of Leipzig, ostensibly for their money. He was imprisoned in 1814 pending conviction, but, due to wartime and political upheavals in Saxony and Prussia, was not sentenced until 1823. He thereafter served another 12 years and was released from prison at the age of 71, much to popular alarm. Throughout his life he strenuously maintained his innocence. His case, an example of "bibliomania", has been of lasting interest to psychologists and other scholars, both in Germany and abroad.
The 20th-century German scholar and bibliographer Hans Kasten scoured local archives and spent considerable time and expense in reproducing what records on Tinius he could find. It is thought that many if not all of these archives were destroyed or lost during the Second World War; hence, Kasten's collection may be the most comprehensive documentation on the Tinius case in existence. Kasten published a bibliography of works about Tinius in 1943.
Arrangement
Arranged into the following series:
- I. Bound volumes
- II. Unbound material
Arranged chronologically within series; when no date is available, arranged alphabetically by title at the end of series. Dates and places refer to those in or on the documents cited, not dates and places of reproduction.
Physical Location
b
Immediate Source of Acquisition
No accession number. Purchased with the Morse fund, 1961.
Processing Information
Processed by: Michael W. Austin
- Title
- Kasten, Hans, collector. Hans Kasten papers on Johann Georg Heinrich Tinius, 1780-1953: Guide.
- Author
- Houghton Library, Harvard College Library
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hou02170
Repository Details
Part of the Houghton Library Repository
Houghton Library is Harvard College's principal repository for rare books and manuscripts, archives, and more. Houghton Library's collections represent the scope of human experience from ancient Egypt to twenty-first century Cambridge. With strengths primarily in North American and European history, literature, and culture, collections range in media from printed books and handwritten manuscripts to maps, drawings and paintings, prints, posters, photographs, film and audio recordings, and digital media, as well as costumes, theater props, and a wide range of other objects. Houghton Library has historically focused on collecting the written record of European and Eurocentric North American culture, yet it holds a large and diverse number of primary sources valuable for research on the languages, culture and history of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
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