Chips from a German workshop

6 December 1823 – 28 October 1900

Friedrich Max Müller was a German-born philologist and orientalist, who lived and studied in Britain for most of his life. He entered Leipzig University, Germany, in 1841 to study philology, leaving behind his early interest in music and poetry. Müller received his Ph.D. in Sep 1843. He also displayed an aptitude for classical languages, learning Greek, Latin, Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit. He was one of the founders of the western academic disciplines of Indian studies and religious studies. Müller wrote both scholarly and popular works on the subject of Indology. The *Sacred Books of the East*, a 50-volume set of English translations, was prepared under his direction. He also promoted the i…