List of historical encyclopedias
Encyclopedia
This is a list of encyclopedia
s, arranged by time period. For other arrangements, see list of encyclopedias.
Encyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge....
s, arranged by time period. For other arrangements, see list of encyclopedias.
American encyclopedias
- Dobson's EncyclopædiaDobson's EncyclopædiaDobson's Encyclopædia was the first encyclopedia published in the newly independent United States of America, by Thomas Dobson from 1789–1798...
(1789–1798; largely a reprint of the Britannica's 3rd edition)
British encyclopedias
- Lexicon TechnicumLexicon technicumLexicon Technicum: Or, An Universal English Dictionary of Arts and Sciences: Explaining not only the Terms of Art, but the Arts Themselves was in many respects the first alphabetical encyclopedia written in English...
(1704) - Chambers's Cyclopaedia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (1728)
- An Universal History of Arts and Sciences (1745)
- Encyclopædia BritannicaEncyclopædia BritannicaThe Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
(1768, editions 2 and 3 by 1800) - Encyclopædia PerthensisEncyclopædia PerthensisThe Encyclopaedia Perthensis or "Universal Dictionary of KNOWLEDGE collected from every source and intended to supersede the use of all other English books of reference" was published in Perth, Scotland by C. Mitchel and Co. It has twenty-three 8vo volumes with plates and maps...
(1796–1806, ed 2 by 1816)
Chinese encyclopedias
- Gujin Túshu JíchéngGujin Túshu JíchéngThe Gujin Tushu Jicheng , is a vast encyclopaedic work written in China during the reigns of Qing emperors Kangxi and Yongzheng, completed in 1725. The work was headed initially by scholar Chen Menglei , and later by Jiang Tingxi. It contained 800,000 pages and over 100 million Chinese characters...
(1725–26) Qing dynastyQing DynastyThe Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China.... - Siku QuanshuSiku QuanshuThe Siku Quanshu, variously translated as the Imperial Collection of Four, Emperor's Four Treasuries, Complete Library in Four Branches of Literature, or Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, is the largest collection of books in Chinese history and probably the most ambitious editorial...
(1782) Qing dynastyQing DynastyThe Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
French encyclopedias
- EncyclopédieEncyclopédieEncyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers was a general encyclopedia published in France between 1751 and 1772, with later supplements, revised editions, and translations. It was edited by Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert...
(1751–1772) - Encyclopédie MéthodiqueEncyclopédie MéthodiqueThe Encyclopédie méthodique par ordre des matières is a roughly 210 to 216 volumes encyclopedia that was published between 1782 and 1832 by the French publisher Charles Joseph Panckoucke, his son-in-law Henri Agasse, and the latter´s wife, Thérèse-Charlotte Agasse...
(PanckouckeCharles-Joseph PanckouckeCharles-Joseph Panckoucke was a French writer and publisher. He was responsible for numerous influential publications of the era, including the literary journal Mercure de France and the Encyclopédie Méthodique, a successor to the Encyclopédie of Denis Diderot.Panckoucke was born in the city of...
) 1782–1832
German encyclopedias
- Grosses vollständiges Universal-LexiconGrosses vollständiges Universal-LexiconThe Grosses vollständiges Universal-Lexicon aller Wissenschafften und Künste is a 68-volume German encyclopedia published by Johann Heinrich Zedler between 1731 and 1754...
(1751–1754) - Conversations-Lexikon mit vorzüglicher Rücksicht auf die gegenwärtigen ZeitenConversations-Lexikon mit vorzüglicher Rücksicht auf die gegenwärtigen ZeitenThe Conversations-Lexikon mit vorzüglicher Rücksicht auf die gegenwärtigen Zeiten , Leipzig, 1796 to 1808, 8vo, 6 vols., 2,762 pages, was an encyclopedia edited by Dr Renatus Gotthelf Löbel, who intended to supersede Johann Hübner, and included geography, history, and in part biography, besides...
(1796–1808; see Brockhaus)
Polish encyclopedias
- Nowe AtenyNowe AtenyNowe Ateny is the abbreviated title of the first Polish-language encyclopedia, authored by the 18th century Polish priest Benedykt Joachim Chmielowski...
(1745) - Zbiór potrzebniejszych wiadomości (1781)
American encyclopedias
- Encyclopaedia AmericanaEncyclopedia AmericanaEncyclopedia Americana is one of the largest general encyclopedias in the English language. Following the acquisition of Grolier in 2000, the encyclopedia has been produced by Scholastic....
(1829–1833) 13 volumes, editor Francis LieberFrancis LieberFrancis Lieber , known as Franz Lieber in Germany, was a German-American jurist, gymnast and political philosopher. He edited an Encyclopaedia Americana...
. - New American Cyclopaedia (1857–1863) 16 volumes, editors George Ripley and Charles A. DanaCharles Anderson DanaCharles Anderson Dana was an American journalist, author, and government official, best known for his association with Ulysses S. Grant during the American Civil War and his aggressive political advocacy after the war....
. - American Cyclopaedia (1873–1876), the retitled New American Cyclopaedia.
- Johnson's New Universal Cyclopaedia (1876–1878) 4 volumes. editors Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard and Arnold Henry GuyotArnold Henry GuyotArnold Henry Guyot was a Swiss-American geologist and geographer.-Biography:...
. - Cyclopedia of Universal HistoryCyclopedia of Universal HistoryThe Cyclopedia of Universal History was an encyclopedia of world history authored by John Clark Ridpath. It was produced, initially in 3 volumes, from 1880 to 1884 and was copiously illustrated in black and white. This was later expanded to 16 volumes...
(180-84), World History - Ridpath's Universal HistoryCyclopedia of Universal HistoryThe Cyclopedia of Universal History was an encyclopedia of world history authored by John Clark Ridpath. It was produced, initially in 3 volumes, from 1880 to 1884 and was copiously illustrated in black and white. This was later expanded to 16 volumes...
(1895), World History - Johnson's Universal Cyclopaedia (1893–1897), the retitled Johnson's New Universal Cyclopaedia, edited by Charles Kendall Adams.
- Alden's Library of Universal Knowledge (1879), a reprint of Chambers's EncyclopaediaChambers's EncyclopaediaChambers's Encyclopaedia was founded in 1860 by W. & R. Chambers. It has no relationship with the Chambers' Cyclopaedia, or Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences of Ephraim Chambers in the 18th century, except that the latter shared the same name as the publisher of this.-History:The first...
with American additions. - International CyclopaediaNew International EncyclopediaThe New International Encyclopedia was an American encyclopedia first published in 1902 by Dodd, Mead and Company. It descended from the International Cyclopaedia and was updated in 1906, 1914 and 1926.-History:...
(1884), initially it was largely a reprint of Alden's Library of Universal Knowledge, but later editions were improved by editors Harry Thurston PeckHarry Thurston PeckHarry Thurston Peck was an American classical scholar, author, editor, and critic.-Biography:Peck was born in Stamford, Conn. He was educated in private schools and at Columbia College, graduating in 1881, where his literary gifts attracted wide attention...
, Selim PeabodySelim PeabodySelim Hobart Peabody was an American educator, born at Rockingham, Vermont He graduated at the University of Vermont in 1852, during the following years held professorships of mathematics, physics, and engineering at several colleges, and from 1880 to 1891 was president of the University of Illinois...
, Frank Moore ColbyFrank Moore ColbyFrank Moore Colby was an American educator and writer, born in Washington, D. C.. He graduated from Columbia University in 1888, was acting professor of history at Amherst College in 1890-91, lecturer on history at Columbia and instructor in history and economics at Barnard College from 1891 to...
, and Daniel Coit GilmanDaniel Coit GilmanDaniel Coit Gilman was an American educator and academician, who was instrumental in founding the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale College, and who subsequently served as one of the earliest presidents of the University of California, the first president of Johns Hopkins University, and as...
. - People's Cyclopedia of Universal Knowledge (1881) 4 volumes, editor W. H. De Puy. Contains much from Chambers's EncyclopaediaChambers's EncyclopaediaChambers's Encyclopaedia was founded in 1860 by W. & R. Chambers. It has no relationship with the Chambers' Cyclopaedia, or Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences of Ephraim Chambers in the 18th century, except that the latter shared the same name as the publisher of this.-History:The first...
. The 1898 title was The New People's Cyclopedia of Universal Knowledge.
British encyclopedias
- Rees's CyclopaediaRees's CyclopaediaRees's Cyclopædia, or The New Cyclopaedia, or, Universal Dictionary of the Arts and Sciences was an important 19th Century encyclopaedia which was regarded by some as subversive when it first appeared. It was edited by Revd...
(1802–1819) - Encyclopædia BritannicaEncyclopædia BritannicaThe Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
(eds 4–9 by 1889) - Edinburgh Encyclopaedia (1808)
- British EncyclopaediaBritish EncyclopaediaThe British Encyclopaedia, or Dictionary of Arts and Sciences was published in 1809 in six octavo volumes and around 150 plates.It was nominally edited by William Nicholson, but the bulk of the work was overseen by Jeremiah Joyce. It was published by a syndicate of twenty four booksellers whose...
(1809) - Encyclopaedia Londinensis (1810)
- PantologiaPantologiaPantologia was an English encyclopedia, published in 12 volumes, 8vo in 1813, with 370 plates . Its full title page was A New Cyclopedia, comprehending a complete series of Essays, Treatises and Systems, alphabetically arranged, with a general dictionary of Arts, Sciences and Words: the whole...
(1813) - Encyclopaedia MetropolitanaEncyclopaedia MetropolitanaThe Encyclopædia Metropolitana was an encyclopedic work published in London, from 1817 to 1845, by part publication. In all it came to quarto, 30 vols., having been issued in 59 parts .-Origins:...
(1822–1845) - Penny CyclopaediaPenny CyclopaediaThe Penny Cyclopædia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge was a multi-volume encyclopedia edited by George Long and published by Charles Knight alongside the Penny Magazine. The volumes were published from 1833 to 1843.-External links:...
(1833–1846) - English Encyclopaedia (1854–1862, supp. 1869–1873)
- Chambers's EncyclopaediaChambers's EncyclopaediaChambers's Encyclopaedia was founded in 1860 by W. & R. Chambers. It has no relationship with the Chambers' Cyclopaedia, or Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences of Ephraim Chambers in the 18th century, except that the latter shared the same name as the publisher of this.-History:The first...
(1860; no relation to Chambers's Cyclopaedia of the 18th century) - Pears CyclopaediaPears CyclopaediaPears Cyclopaedia is a one volume encyclopaedia published in the United Kingdom. Pears Soap launched Pears Shilling Cyclopaedia in December 1897....
(1897), originally named Pears' Shilling Cyclopaedia - The People's Select Cyclopedia (1897) by Charles Nisbett
Dutch encyclopedias
- Winkler Prins Geïllustreerde EncyclopaedieWinkler Prins encyclopediaThe Winkler Prins is a Dutch encyclopedia, founded by the Dutch poet and clergyman Anthony Winkler Prins , which ran through 9 editions; the first, issued in 16 volumes from 1870 to 1882, and the last , numbering 26 volumes, from 1990 to 1993...
(1870–1882; 2nd ed. 1884-1888)
French encyclopedias
- Dictionnaires généraux, universels, encyclopédiques, et autres… A bibliography of French encyclopedias up to Larousse.
- Encyclopédie MéthodiqueEncyclopédie MéthodiqueThe Encyclopédie méthodique par ordre des matières is a roughly 210 to 216 volumes encyclopedia that was published between 1782 and 1832 by the French publisher Charles Joseph Panckoucke, his son-in-law Henri Agasse, and the latter´s wife, Thérèse-Charlotte Agasse...
(PanckouckeCharles-Joseph PanckouckeCharles-Joseph Panckoucke was a French writer and publisher. He was responsible for numerous influential publications of the era, including the literary journal Mercure de France and the Encyclopédie Méthodique, a successor to the Encyclopédie of Denis Diderot.Panckoucke was born in the city of...
) 1782–1832 - Encyclopédie nouvelleEncyclopédie nouvelleThe Encyclopédie nouvelle, ou dictionnaire philosophique, scientifique, littéraire et industriel, offrant le tableau des connaissances humaines au XIXe siècle was a French encyclopedia founded by Pierre Leroux and Jean Reynaud and published in installments from 1834 through 1841...
(Pierre LerouxPierre LerouxPierre Henri Leroux , French philosopher and political economist, was born at Bercy, now a part of Paris, the son of an artisan.- Life :...
and Jean ReynaudJean ReynaudJean Reynaud was a French socialist philosopher.He was a member of the Saint-Simonian community. He was a co-founder of the Encyclopédie nouvelle.-External links:* -Bibliography:...
) 1839–1840 - Grand dictionnaire universel du XIXe siècle by Pierre LaroussePierre LaroussePierre Athanase Larousse was a French grammarian, lexicographer and encyclopaedist. He published many of the outstanding educational and reference works of 19th-century France, including the 15 volume Grand Dictionnaire universel du XIXe siècle.-Early life:Pierre Larousse was born in Toucy, where...
(17 volumes 1866–1877) —really an encyclopedia despite its name - La Grande EncyclopédieLa Grande EncyclopédieLa Grande Encyclopédie, inventaire raisonné des sciences, des lettres, et des arts is a 31-volume encyclopedia published in France from 1886 to 1902 by H...
, general secretaries of the editorial board: Camille Dreyfus and André BerthelotAndré BerthelotAndré Berthelot was the son of the chemist and politician Marcellin Berthelot and a député of the Seine.He was secretary-general of the Grande Encyclopédie starting with the fourth volume....
(31 volumes 1886–1902)
German encyclopedias
- Oekonomische EncyklopädieOekonomische EncyklopädieThe Oekonomische Encyklopädie was a German encyclopedia started by Johann Georg Krünitz. It appeared in 242 volumes between 1773 and 1858. Each volume has about 600-800 pages, giving a total of about 170,000 pages....
(General System of State, City, Home and Agriculture) Editor Johann Georg KrünitzJohann Georg KrünitzJohann Georg Krünitz was a German encyclopedist who started the 242-volume Oekonomische Encyklopädie and during his lifetime managed to complete its first 72 volumes.-Life:...
(242 Volumes 1773–1858) - Brockhaus (eds. 1–14 by 1900)
- Pierers Universal-Lexikon (1824–1836; 7th ed. 1888–1893)
- Meyers Konversations-LexikonMeyers Konversations-LexikonMeyers Konversations-Lexikon or Meyers Lexikon was a major German encyclopedia that existed in various editions, and several titles, from 1839 until 1984, when it merged with the Brockhaus encyclopedia....
(1839–1855; 5th ed. 1893–1897) - Herders Konversations-Lexikon (1854–1857; 2nd ed. 1875–1879)
Hungarian encyclopedias
- A Pallas Nagy LexikonaA Pallas Nagy LexikonaA Pallas nagy lexikona was the first complete Hungarian encyclopedia which was not a translation. It was published by the Pallas Literary and Press Corporation between 1893 and 1897. The encyclopedia comprised 16 volumes, 150 000 articles, and it was the work of 300 authors.-External links:*...
(1893–1897)
Romanian encyclopedias
- Enciclopedia română (Editor: Constantin Diaconovich, 3 volumes, 1896–1904)
Russian encyclopedias
- Plyushar's Encyclopedic Lexicon (17 volumes, 1834-1841)
- Military Encyclopedic Lexicon (15 volumes, 1837-1852)
- Encyclopedia of Military and Marine Sciences (8 volumes, 1883-1897)
- Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic DictionaryBrockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic DictionaryThe Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary is, in its scope and style, the Russian counterpart to the Encyclopædia Britannica. It contains 121,240 articles, 7,800 images, and 235 maps...
(86 volumes, 1890-1906) - Granat Encyclopedic Dictionary (9 volumes, 1891-1903)
Swedish encyclopedias
- Conversations-lexicon (4 volumes, 1821-1826), a translation of Brockhaus 2nd edition
- Svenskt konversationslexikon (4 volumes, 1845-1851) by Per Gustaf Berg
- Nordisk familjebokNordisk familjebokNordisk familjebok is a Swedish encyclopedia, published between 1876 and 1957.- History :The first edition was published in 20 volumes between 1876 and 1899. The first edition is known as the "Iðunn edition" because of the picture of Iðunn on the cover...
(20 volumes, 1876–1899; 2nd ed. 1904–1926)
Specialist encyclopedias
- Engineer's and Mechanic's Encyclopaedia (1836/1837; 2nd ed. 1849; often cited as Hebert's Encyclopaedia)
- Cyclopaedia of Useful Arts and Manufactures (1852; often cited as Tomlinson's Cyclopaedia)
- A Dictionary of Greek and Roman AntiquitiesA Dictionary of Greek and Roman AntiquitiesA Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities is an English-language encyclopedia first published in 1842 and then in many revised editions through 1890...
(1842) - Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and MythologyDictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and MythologyThe Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology is an encyclopedia/biographical dictionary.- Characteristic :...
(1870) - Cyclopaedia of Political ScienceCyclopaedia of Political ScienceThe Cyclopaedia of Political Science, Political Economy, and the Political History of the United States by the Best American and European Writers was an encyclopedia edited by John J. Lalor, first published in New York in 1881 by Maynard, Merrill and Co.....
- Cyclopaedia of Political Science, Political Economy, and the Political History of the United States by the Best American and European Writers (1881–1899) John J. Lalor. On Econlib. - The Cyclopedia of New ZealandThe Cyclopedia of New ZealandThe Cyclopedia of New Zealand: industrial, descriptive, historical, biographical facts, figures, illustrations was an encyclopaedia published in New Zealand between 1897 and 1908 by the Cyclopedia Company Ltd of Christchurch. Six volumes were published on the people, places and organisations of...
(1897–1908 mainly vanity pressVanity pressA vanity press or vanity publisher is a term describing a publishing house that publishes books at the author's expense. Publisher Johnathon Clifford claims to have coined the term in 1959. However, the term appears in mainstream U.S...
)
Turkish encyclopedias
- [Kamus-ül-Ulûm ve’l-Maarif] Editor Ali Suavi,1870
- [Lûgaat-i Tarihiye ve Coğrafiye] Editor Ahmet Rıfat Efendi,1881 (7 volumes)
- [Sicil-i Osmani] Editor Mehmet Süreyya Bey, 1890
- [Kamus-ül-Alam] Editor » : Şemsettin Sami, 1899 (6 volumes)
Religious encyclopedias
- Coptic Encyclopedia (1993)
- Jewish EncyclopediaJewish EncyclopediaThe Jewish Encyclopedia is an encyclopedia originally published in New York between 1901 and 1906 by Funk and Wagnalls. It contained over 15,000 articles in 12 volumes on the history and then-current state of Judaism and the Jews as of 1901...
(1901–1906) - Encyclopaedia JudaicaEncyclopaedia JudaicaThe Encyclopaedia Judaica is a 26-volume English-language encyclopedia of the Jewish people and their faith, Judaism. It covers diverse areas of the Jewish world and civilization, including Jewish history of all eras, culture, holidays, language, scripture, and religious teachings...
- Catholic EncyclopediaCatholic EncyclopediaThe Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...
(1913) - Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious KnowledgeSchaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious KnowledgeThe Schaff–Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge is a religious encyclopedia. It is based on an earlier German encyclopedia, the Realencyklopädie für protestantische Theologie und Kirche. Like the Realencyklopädie, it focuses on Christianity from a primarily Protestant point of...
(1914; public domainPublic domainWorks are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
since 2004) - St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India (1973,82,2010)
- Encyclopedia of MormonismEncyclopedia of MormonismThe Encyclopedia of Mormonism is a semi-official encyclopedia for topics relevant to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
(1992) - Orthodox Encyclopedia (Serbe)
- Encyclopaedia of IslamEncyclopaedia of IslamThe Encyclopaedia of Islam is an encyclopaedia of the academic discipline of Islamic studies. It embraces articles on distinguished Muslims of every age and land, on tribes and dynasties, on the crafts and sciences, on political and religious institutions, on the geography, ethnography, flora and...
- Hastings, JamesJames HastingsJames Hastings was a Scottish Presbyterian minister and biblical scholar.He was born in Huntly, Aberdeenshire.He studied the classics at the University of Aberdeen, attended the Free Church Divinity College in Aberdeen, and was ordained a Free Church minister in 1884.He was founder and editor of...
: Encyclopedia of Religion and EthicsEncyclopedia of Religion and EthicsThe Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics is a 12-volume work edited by James Hastings, written between 1908 and 1927 and composed of entries by many contributors. It covers not only religious matters but thousands of ancillary topics as well, including folklore, myth, ritual, anthropology,...
(1908–1926) - Unitarian-Universalist Encyclopedia ( http:unitarian-universalist.wetpaint.com )
See also
- List of encyclopedias
- List of encyclopedias by branch of knowledge
- List of encyclopedias by language (English)