Isaac Kaufmann Funk
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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 Wittenburg College and Wittenburg Theological Seminary, both in Springfield, Ohio. Upon his graduation in 1860, he was ordained as a Lutheran minister, and served pastorates in New York, Indiana, and his home state of Ohio.
In 1876 he founded the publishing firm of I.K. Funk & Company, with the help of a Wittenburg 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.