The early Britannica (1768-1803) : the growth of an outstanding encyclopedia

Author(s)

• Kafker, Frank A.
• Loveland, Jeff

Bibliographic Information

The early Britannica (1768-1803) : the growth of an outstanding encyclopedia

edited by Frank A. Kafker and Jeff Loveland

（SVEC, 2009:10）

Voltaire Foundation, 2009

Note

Bibliography: p. 309-333

Includes index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

The Encyclopaedia britannica is a familiar cultural icon, but what do we know about the early editions that helped shape it into the longest continuously published encyclopedia still in existence? This first examination of the three eighteenth-century editions traces the Britannica's extraordinary development into a best seller and an exceptional book of knowledge, especially in biography and in the natural sciences. The combined expertise of the contributors to this volume allows an extensive exploration of each edition, covering its publication history and evolving editorial practices, its commentary on subjects that came in and out of fashion and its contemporary reception. The contributors also examine the cultural and intellectual milieu in which the Britannica flourished, discussing its role in the Scottish Enlightenment and comparing its pressrun, contents, reputation, and influence with those of the much more reform-minded Encyclopedie.

Table of Contents

Introduction, Frank A. Kafker and Jeff Loveland William Smellie's edition (1768-1771): a modest start, Frank A. Kafker and Jeff Loveland James Tytler's edition (1777-1784): a vast expansion and improvement, Kathleen Hardesty Doig, Frank A. Kafker, Jeff Loveland and Dennis A. Trinkle Colin Macfarquhar, George Gleig and possibly James Tytler's edition (1788-1797): the attainment of recognition and eminence, Kathleen Hardesty Doig, Frank A. Kafker, William E. Morris et al George Gleig's Supplement to the third edition (1801-1803): learned and combative, Kathleen Hardesty Doig, Frank A. Kafker and Jeff Loveland Epilogue: the tortoise and the hare: the longevity of the Encyclopaedia Britannica and the Encyclopedie compared, Frank A. Kafker Bibliography Index

by "Nielsen BookData"

Details

• NCID: BA91772429
• ISBN:
  • 9780729409810
• Country Code: uk
• Title Language Code: eng
• Text Language Code: eng
• Place of Publication: Oxford
• Pages/Volumes: xiii, 349 p.
• Size: 24 cm
• Classification:
  • LCC : AE1
• Subject Headings:
  • LCSH : Encyclopaedia Britannica
  • LCSH : Encyclopedias and dictionaries -- History and criticism
• Parent Bibliography ID:
  • BA46635977