He studied at the
University of Breslau, where he attended also the
Jewish Theological Seminary. He embraced
journalism, and was successively attached to the editorial staffs of Auf der Höhe, the Breslauer Nachrichten, the Breslauer Zeitung, the Deutsche Union, and Westermann's Deutsche Monatshefte. In 1870 he became coeditor with
Samuel Enoch of the Jüdische Presse. In 1883 Karpeles settled in
Berlin, where in 1890 he became editor of the Allgemeine Zeitung des Judenthums.
Karpeles stimulated into active life the Jewish literary societies in Germany, but made himself most widely known through his writings on
Heinrich Heine. In addition to several editions of Heine's works (1885, 1887, 1888, 1902) he published the following monographs:
"Heinrich Heine und das Judenthum" (Breslau, 1868)