Encyclopaedia

The idea of an Encyclopaedia is over 2000 years old, and has gone through numerous transformations and adaptations over the ages.

Also found written as Encyclopædia in older versions and as Encyclopedia (e.g. in American English). Other versions of the term include the archaic Cyclopedia, Cyclopaedia and Cyclopedien. At times referred to as a Dictionary as well, the term has all along referred to an attempt to summarise/condence and published information on various subjects (or, in some more grandiose incarnations, all knowledge about everything).

As a general definition of the way the term is specifically used in ESAT, it is perhaps fruitful to consider teacher/librarian Ann Sartori's wonderfully succinct introductory outline in the lesson on "Encyclopedia Definition, History & Examples" on the Study.com website (updated on 02/03/2023)[1]:

"Encyclopedias are research tools that collect background information on a variety of topics. In short entries on each topic, the encyclopedia covers enough basic information for the reader to get a sense of the scope and breadth of the topic. The entries in encyclopedias, especially online encyclopedias, often include citations for further research: such as to websites or articles and books on the topic. These can be helpful as a guide for conducting further, more in-depth research."

Sources and further information

For some more advanced discussions of the encyclopaedia idea, and the concept, nature, forms and versions of it, see the sources used by the authors of this article, as well as sources cited by the various authors

Encyclopaedia: the entry in The New Encyclopædia Britannica (15th edition): Macropaedia Volume 6. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1975: pp. 779-799.

Encyclopaedia: the entry in The Encyclopaedia Britannica (online digital version)[2].

Encyclopedia: the entry in Wikipedia[3]

H.G. Wells. 1936. "The Idea of a World Encyclopedia." Nature, 138, no. 3500 (28 November 1936): 917-24.[4]

C. Van Doren. 1962. "The Idea of an Encyclopedia". In: American Behavioral Scientist, Volume 6, Issue 1.[5]

Andrew Lih. 2009. The Wikipedia Revolution. London: Aurum Press.

Katharine Schopflin. 2014. "What do we Think an Encyclopaedia is?" Culture Unbound. Journal of Current Cultural Research 6(3):483-503 (DOI: 10.3384/cu.2000.1525.146483)[6]

Patrick C. Fleming. 2016. "The Idea of an Encyclopedia". In. Pedagogy (Duke University Press) Volume 16, Issue 3, October 2016: pp. 569-575[7]

Ann Sartori. 2023. "Encyclopedia Definition, History & Examples", Study.com website (updated on 02/03/2023)[8]: [9]

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