List of encyclopedias by date  

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This is a list of encyclopedias, arranged by time period. For other arrangements, see list of encyclopedias.

Encyclopedias before 1700

• Pliny's Natural History AD 77. Highly influential in the Middle Ages.
• Cassiodorus' Institutiones, AD 560. First Christian encyclopedia.
• Yiwen Leiju (622) Tang dynasty, Chinese
• St. Isidore of Seville's Etymologiae, AD 636. Christian encyclopedia, most influential encyclopedia of the early Middle Ages.
• Fa yüan chu lin, AD 668, a Buddhist encyclopedia of 100 volumes, compiled by Tao-shih
• Adab al-katib (The book of knowledge) by Ibn Qutayba (828–889). Earliest Arabic work that could be called an Encyclopedia.
• Bibliotheke by Patriarch Photius (9th century). Earliest Byzantine work that could be called an Encyclopedia.
• Hrabanus Maurus, 842. De rerum naturis (On the nature of things). Derived from Isidore's text.
• Suda (10th century)
• Four Great Books of Song (Song Sida Shu)(10th to 11th century) Song dynasty, Chinese
• Liber Floridus, compiled in 1120 by Lambert of St. Omer
• Bartholomeus Anglicus, De proprietatibus rerum, 1240. The most widely read and quoted encyclopedia in the late-medieval period.
• Vincent of Beauvais, Speculum Majus, 1260. The most ambitious encyclopedia in the late-medieval period over 3 million words.
• Yongle Encyclopedia (1403–1408). Ming Dynasty Chinese encyclopedia.
• Paul Skalic, philosopher born in Zagreb, first to use the term encyclopedia in the current sense. Encyclopediae seu orbis disciplinarum tam sacrarum quam profanarum epistemon, 1559 (Basel, Switzerland), 1571 (Köln, Germany).
• Theodor Zwinger (1533–1588), Theatrum Vitae Humanae, 1588.
• Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica) (1596) Ming dynasty, Chinese
• Sancai Tuhui (1609)
• Laurence Beyerlinck, Magnum Theatrum Vitae Humanae, 1631.
• Sir Thomas Browne: Pseudodoxia Epidemica 1646-1672
• Louis Moréri Le grand Dictionaire historique (The Great Historical Dictionary), 1671.
• Pierre Bayle: Dictionnaire Historique et Critique (Historical and Critical Dictionary), 1695.
• Vincenzo Coronelli publisher of Biblioteca Universale Sacro-Profana early 18th century, the first encyclopedia to be alphabetical.
• John Henry Alsted
• John Jacob Hoffman

Encyclopedias published 1700–1800

American encyclopedias

• Dobson's Encyclopædia (1789–1798; largely a reprint of the Britannica's 3rd edition)

British encyclopedias

• Lexicon Technicum (1704)
• Chambers's Cyclopaedia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (1728)
• An Universal History of Arts and Sciences (1745)
• Encyclopædia Britannica (1768, editions 2 and 3 by 1800)
• Encyclopædia Perthensis (1796–1806, ed 2 by 1816)

Chinese encyclopedias

• Gujin Túshu Jíchéng (1725–26) Qing dynasty
• Siku Quanshu (1782) Qing dynasty

French encyclopedias

• Encyclopédie (1751–1772)
• Encyclopédie Méthodique (Panckoucke) 1782–1832

German encyclopedias

• Grosses vollständiges Universal-Lexicon (1751–1754)
• Conversations-Lexikon mit vorzüglicher Rücksicht auf die gegenwärtigen Zeiten (1796–1808; see Brockhaus)

Japanese encyclopedias

• Wakan Sansai Zue (1712)

Polish encyclopedias

• Nowe Ateny (1745)
• Zbiór potrzebniejszych wiadomości (1781)

Encyclopedias published 1800–1900

American encyclopedias

• Encyclopaedia Americana (1829–1833) 13 volumes, editor Francis Lieber.
• New American Cyclopaedia (1857–1863) 16 volumes, editors George Ripley and Charles A. Dana.
• 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 Guyot.
• 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 Encyclopaedia with American additions.
• International Cyclopaedia (1884), initially it was largely a reprint of Alden's Library of Universal Knowledge, but later editions were improved by editors Harry Thurston Peck, Selim Peabody, Frank Moore Colby, and Daniel Coit Gilman.
• People's Cyclopedia of Universal Knowledge (1881) 4 volumes, editor W. H. De Puy. Contains much from Chambers's Encyclopaedia. The 1898 title was The New People's Cyclopedia of Universal Knowledge.

British encyclopedias

• Rees's Cyclopaedia (1802–1819)
• Encyclopædia Britannica (eds 4–9 by 1889)
• Edinburgh Encyclopaedia (1808)
• British Encyclopaedia (1809)
• Encyclopaedia Londinensis (1810)
• Pantologia (1813)
• Encyclopaedia Metropolitana (1822–1845)
• Penny Cyclopaedia (1833–1846)
• English Encyclopaedia (1854–1862, supp. 1869–1873)
• Chambers's Encyclopaedia (1860; no relation to Chambers's Cyclopaedia of the 18th century)
• Pears Cyclopaedia (1897), originally named Pears' Shilling Cyclopaedia
• The People's Select Cyclopedia (1897) by Charles Nisbett

Dutch encyclopedias

• Winkler Prins Geïllustreerde Encyclopaedie (1870–1882; 2nd ed. 1884-1888)

French encyclopedias

• Dictionnaires généraux, universels, encyclopédiques, et autres… A bibliography of French encyclopedias up to Larousse.

• Encyclopédie Méthodique (Panckoucke) 1782–1832
• Encyclopédie nouvelle (Pierre Leroux and Jean Reynaud) 1839–1840
• Grand dictionnaire universel du XIXe siècle by Pierre Larousse (17 volumes 1866–1877) —really an encyclopedia despite its name
• La Grande Encyclopédie, general secretaries of the editorial board: Camille Dreyfus and André Berthelot (31 volumes 1886–1902)

German encyclopedias

• Oekonomische Encyklopädie (General System of State, City, Home and Agriculture) Editor Johann Georg Krünitz (242 Volumes 1773–1858)
• Brockhaus (eds. 1–14 by 1900)
• Pierers Universal-Lexikon (1824–1836; 7th ed. 1888–1893)
• Meyers Konversations-Lexikon (1839–1855; 5th ed. 1893–1897)
• Herders Konversations-Lexikon (1854–1857; 2nd ed. 1875–1879)

Hungarian encyclopedias

• A Pallas Nagy Lexikona (1893–1897)

Romanian encyclopedias

• Enciclopedia română (Editor: Constantin Diaconovich, 3 volumes, 1896–1904)

Swedish encyclopedias

• Nordisk familjebok (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 Antiquities (1842)
• Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870)
• Cyclopaedia of Political Science - 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 Zealand (1897–1908 mainly vanity press)

Encyclopedias published 1900–present

American encyclopedias

• Encyclopædia Britannica (eds. 10–15 by 2000), 15th edition appeared in 1974
• Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite, available on DVD
• Universal Cyclopaedia (1900) 12 volumes, descended from Johnson's Universal Cyclopaedia. Editor Charles Kendall Adams, and from 1902 Rossiter Johnson, with title Universal Cyclopaedia and Atlas.
• New International Encyclopedia (1902) descended from International Cyclopaedia (1884), editors Harry Thurston Peck, Frank Moore Colby, and Daniel Coit Gilman.
• Crown Encyclopedia and Gazetteer (1903) 5 volumes, editor Charles Leonard-Stuart. Reissued as the Continental Encyclopedia (1905) in 8 volumes including 2 new dictionary volumes.
• New Century Reference Library (1907) 8 volumes. A reissue of the Continental Encyclopedia (1905). Reissued in 5 volumes (dropping the dictionary volumes) as Everybody's Cyclopedia (1911) and as People's Cyclopedia (1914), both sets with joint editor George Hagar.
• The Book of Knowledge (1912–1965), derived from British The Children's Encyclopedia
• Funk & Wagnalls (1912–1997?) 25 volumes, 1949–1953: 36 volumes, later 25,27,29 volumes
• World Book (1917) 8 volumes, grew to 10,13,19,20, then 22 volumes (1972)
• Compton's Pictured Encyclopedia (1922) 8 volumes, grew to 15 volumes
• Compton's Encyclopedia (1968) 24 volumes, later 26, retitled Compton's Pictured Encyclopedia
• Collier's New Encyclopedia (1902–1929), 10 volumes
• Collier's National Encyclopedia (1932–1950), 11 volumes, grew to 20 volumes
• Collier's Encyclopedia (1951–1998), 20 volumes, later 24 volumes
• Britannica Junior (1934–1984) 12 volumes, then 15 in 1947
• The New Book of Knowledge (1966) 21 volumes, replaced The Book of Knowledge
• Merit Students Encyclopedia (1967–1991) 20 volumes
• Academic American Encyclopedia (1980) 21 volumes
• Children's Britannica (1988) 20 volumes, British encyclopedia introduced to U.S. to replace Britannica Junior
• Encarta (1993) (incorporating content from Funk & Wagnalls and Collier's Encyclopedia)

Arabic encyclopedias

• Global Arabic Encyclopedia (1992–...) [1]

Bangladeshi encyclopedias

• Banglapedia(2003-)

British encyclopedias

• The Nuttall Encyclopædia (1900)
• Harmsworth's Encyclopaedia (1905; known in the USA as Nelson's Encyclopaedia)
• Chambers's Encyclopaedia (1908; no relation to Chambers's Cyclopaedia of the 18th century)
• The Children's Encyclopedia (1908–1964)
• Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (Published 1911. Now out of copyright and available online).
• Children's Britannica (1960) 20 volumes, entered U.S. market in 1988, replacing Britannica Junior
• Everyman's Encyclopaedia (1913–1978) 12 volumes
• New Caxton Encyclopedia (1966–1979) 18 volumes, grew to 20 volumes. Originally named Purnell's New English Encyclopedia

Chinese encyclopedias

Dutch encyclopedias

• Winkler Prins Geïllustreerde Encyclopaedie (3rd ed. 1905-1912; 9th ed. 1990-1993)
• Oosthoek's Geïllustreerde Encyclopaedie (1916–1923; 7th ed. 1976-1981)
• Grote Nederlandse Larousse Encyclopedie (1971–1979)
• Grote Spectrum Encyclopedie (1974–1980)
• Dutch columnist Battus wrote a parody encyclopaedia with fake articles called De encyclopedie (1978).

French encyclopedias

• Encyclopædia Universalis (1968–....)
• Claude Augé Nouveau Petit Larousse Illustré
• Encyclopædia Britannica translated into French

Greek encyclopedias

• Papyrus - Larousse – Britannica (1975–2004)
• Helios (1950)

German encyclopedias

• Brockhaus (eds. 15–21 by 2006)
• Meyers Konversations-Lexikon (6th ed. 1902–1908; 9th (final) ed. 1971–1979)
• Herders Konversations-Lexikon (3rd ed. 1902–1907; 5th ed. 1952–1956)
• Lexikon des Mittelalters (1980ff.)

Indian Encyclopedia

• Encyclopedia Indica: A Grand Tribute to Culture, Art, Architecture, Religion and Development. (Anmol Publications Pvt Ltd)

Iranian encyclopedias

• Encyclopædia Iranica (1979)
• Treasure Box of Knowledge (1993)

Italian encyclopedias

• Enciclopedia italiana di scienze, lettere ed arti (1929–1960)
• Dizionario enciclopedico italiano (1955-)

Romanian encyclopedias

• Enciclopedia Minerva, 1930
• Dicţionarul Enciclopedic Ilustrat Cartea Românească, 1930
• Enciclopedia României (Editor: Dimitrie Gusti, 4 volumes, 1938–1943)
• Enciclopedia Cugetarea (by Lucian Predescu, 1940)

Russian encyclopedias

• Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary (1890–1906)
• Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Scottish encyclopedias

• Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland (1994–2000)

Spanish encyclopedias

• Enciclopedia universal ilustrada europeo-americana (1908–2003)

Swedish encyclopedias

• Nordisk familjebok (editions 2-4 of 20+ volumes each, 1904–1957)
• Svensk uppslagsbok (2 editions, 31 and 32 volumes, 1929–1955)
• Kunskapens bok (6 editions, 8 or 9 volumes each, 1937–1959)
• Focus (5 volumes, 1958–1960, introducing a new era of smaller modular encyclopedias, several later editions)
• Bonniers lexikon (2 editions, first edition 15 volumes 1961-1967)
• Bra Böckers Lexikon (4 editions of 25 volumes each, 1973–1995)
• Bonniers familjelexikon (20 volumes, 1983–1986)
• Nationalencyklopedin (20 volumes, 1989–1996)
• Lexikon 2000 (25 volumes, 1995)

Religious encyclopedias

• Coptic Encyclopedia (1993)
• Jewish Encyclopedia (1901–1906)
• Encyclopaedia Judaica
• Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)
• Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge (1914; public domain since 2004)
• Encyclopedia of Mormonism (1992)
• Orthodox Encyclopedia (Serbe)
• Encyclopaedia of Islam
• Hastings, James: Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics (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)

References

• Collison, Robert, Encyclopaedias: Their History Throughout the Ages, 2nd ed. (New York, London: Hafner, 1966)