PERTSCH, Ludwig Karl Wilhelm. Coburg 19.4.1832 — Gotha 17.8.1899. German Indologist and Oriental Scholar. Librarian in Gotha. Son of Ludwig Pertsch, a lawyer, lost early his father. After Coburg Gymnasium studied from 1850 at Berlin Oriental languages, especially Sanskrit under Weber. After one term under Roth at Tübingen returned to Berlin, where Whitney was his fellow-student and friend. Ph.D. 1854 Berlin. Now visited Paris, London and Oxford collecting material for an edition of the Taittirīyāraṇyaka. In 1.2.1855 started working in Ducal Library of Gotha, where he remained until his death, from 1879 as Oberbibliothekar, from 1883 Direktor der Friedensteinschen Sammlungen. He was twice married, 1856 with Therese Schröter (d. 1864) and 1866 with Luise Braun, and had three sons.
In Gotha Pertsch found large Oriental collections, which were mainly in Arabic (also in Persian and Turkish) and thus had no more time to pursue Indology. The large numismatic part of Friedensteinsche Sammlungen made him a numismatist, who also arranged Oriental coins in Berlin museums. Correspondent Member of Prussian A.W. and Göttingen Ges. der Wiss.
Publications: Diss. first part of Upalekha, de Kramapâtha libellus, textum sanscriticum recensuit, varietatem lectionis, prolegomena, versionem latinam, notas, indicem adjecit. 8+23+64 p. B. 1854.
– Edited & transl.: Kshitîçavançâvalîcaritaṁ. A Chronicle of the Family of Râja Kṛishṇachandra of Navadvîpa, Bengal. 19+59+76 p. B. 1852.
– “Alphabetisches Verzeichnis der Versanfänge der Ṛiksaṁhitâ”, ISt 3, 1855, 1-116.
– “Nuti’s italienische Bearbeitung des … Qalila wa Dimna”, Or. & Occ. 2, 1864; “Ueber Nachschabî’s Papageienbuch”, ZDMG 21, 1867, 505-551; “1. Gemme mit Pahlawi-Schrift. 2. Medaille des Awrangzêb”, ZDMG 22, 1868, 279-285 “Bericht über eine Sammlung indischer Münzen”, ZDMG 25, 1871, 605-617 (of Bühler); “Die arabische Übersetzung des Amṛtakuṇḍa”, Fs. Roth 1893, 208-212; “Über einen neuen Pāli Hs. in Gotha”, Fs. Weber 1896, 108-115; reviews in DLZ.
– Catalogue of Gotha Oriental manuscripts in 8 vols. Gotha 1859-93 (1. Persische Handschriften.; 2. Türkische Hss.; 3:1-5. Arabische Hss., mit Anhang: andere Sprachen); for Berlin Manuscript Catalogue vol. 4. Persian manuscripts. 1888, and vol. 6. Turkish manuscripts. 1889.
– Combined vol. with: W. Pertsch, Das Dekret des Pixodaros. and M. Schmidt, Neue lykische Studien. 8+144 p. Jena 1869.
– Drei Vorträge. Hrsg. von H. Ehwald. 99 p. Gotha 1910 (“Über das indische Drama“, “Firdosi und das persische Epos”, “Wanderung der Märchen”).
Sources: M. Berbig, A.D.B. 53, 1907, 18f. (mistakes); *H. Nützel, Z. f. Num. 22, 1899, 228f.; *Stache-Rosen 1990, 75; Stache-Weiske 2017, 549; *H. Stein (ed.), W.P. Orientalist und Bibliothekar zum 100. Todestag. Gotha 1999; E. Windisch, BVSGW 51, 1899, 235-237; Windisch 363f.; German Wikipedia with portrait, the same in Rau 36 (from Ehwald 1910).
*H. Roob & E. Rudolph (eds.), W.P. 1832–1899: der wisseschaftliche Briefnachlaß der Gothaer Orientalisten und Bibliothekars. Gotha 1984.
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