Ludwig Bechstein

Ludwig Bechstein (1801–1860) was a German writer, librarian, archivist, and pharmacist. After completing an apprenticeship in pharmacy and working in Thuringia, he studied history, philosophy, and literature in Leipzig and Munich with the support of a ducal scholarship. From 1831 he worked in Meiningen as a librarian and later as an archivist; he was appointed Hofrat in 1840. Bechstein is best known for his edited and adapted collections of German fairy tales and legends, including Deutsches Märchenbuch (1845) and Deutsches Sagenbuch (1853). He also wrote poetry, novellas, and historical novels.