Background
Holst was born in Drammen, a son of bookseller Adolph Theodor Holst and Amalie Fredrikke Bergh. He was a grandson of merchant and politician, member of the Storting, Elling Mathias Holst.
mathematician university professor
Holst was born in Drammen, a son of bookseller Adolph Theodor Holst and Amalie Fredrikke Bergh. He was a grandson of merchant and politician, member of the Storting, Elling Mathias Holst.
Holst enrolled as a student at the University in Christiania, among his teachers was Sophus Lie, and he graduated as candidate.real.
In 1874. Back in Christiania he was appointed teacher at Aars og Voss. His thesis Et par syntetiske Methoder, især til Brug ved Studiet af metriske Egenskaber was finished in 1882. Holst lectured in mathematics at the University of Oslo from 1894.
Among his other mathematical works are his contribution from 1878, Om Poncelets betydning for geometrien, and several course books
He wrote biographies of several mathematicians, including Cato Maximilian Guldberg, Carl Anton Bjerknes, Sophus Lie and Niels Henrik Abel. The first of these books has been called Norway"s first national picture book (although a picture abc had been published previously, in 1876).
Holst started collecting traditional poems for children, several of which were first published in Norwegian writing in these books These poems, such as "Ride, ride ranke", "Bake kake søte", "Kjerringa medical staven", "Hoppe! sa gåsa" and "Du og jeg og vi to", have had a constant popularity over many years, and Norsk Billedbog for Børn has been reissued several times.
Also contemporary poetry was included in the books, such as some poems by Henrik Wergeland, "Kom bukken til gutten" by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, and "Blaamand" by Aasmund Olavsson Vinje.
Among his other children"s books are Julegodter for Børn from 1892, and American Broadcasting Company for Skole og Hjem from 1893 (together with Anna Rogstad). He published the picture book Fra Sæteren in 1899, with illustrations by Lisbeth Bergh.