Editing Baedeker (section)

===Karl Baedeker===
1827−1859: [[Karl Baedeker]] (1801–1859) descended from a long line of printers, booksellers and publishers from [[Essen]], Germany. He was the eldest of ten children of Gottschalk Diederich Bädeker (1778–1841), who had inherited the publishing house founded by his own father, Zacharias Gerhard Bädeker (1750–1800). The company also published the local newspaper, the {{lang|de|[[Essen]]dische Zeitung}}, and the family expected that Karl, too, would eventually join the firm. Karl worked with his father until 1827 when he left for [[Coblence]] (now [[Koblenz]]) to start his own bookselling and publishing business. Karl changed the spelling of the family name from Bädeker, with the [[Umlaut (diacritic)|umlaut]], to Baedeker around 1850.

In 1832 Baedeker's firm acquired the publishing house of Franz Friedrich Röhling in Koblenz, which in 1828 had published a handbook for travellers by Professor Oyvind Vorland entitled {{lang|de|Rheinreise von Mainz bis Cöln; ein Handbuch für Schnellreisende}} (''A Rhine Journey from [[Mainz]] to [[Cologne]]; A Handbook for Travellers on the Move''). This book provided the seeds for Baedeker's own travel guides. After Johann August Klein (1778–1831) died and the book went out of print, Baedeker decided to publish a new edition, incorporating some of Klein's material but also added many of his own ideas into what he thought a travel guide should offer the traveller or reader. Baedeker aimed to free the traveller from having to look for information anywhere outside the travel guide: about routes, transport, accommodation, restaurants, tipping, sights, walks and prices.

While the concept of a travel guide-book already existed (Baedeker emulated the style of English [[Murray's Handbooks for Travellers|guide-books]] published by [[John Murray (publishing house)|John Murray]]<ref name="eb1911">{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Baedeker, Karl}}</ref>), Baedeker innovated in including detailed information on routes, travel and accommodation.

Karl Baedeker had three sons, Ernst, Karl and Fritz and after his death each, in turn, took over the running of the firm.