A Brief History of Encyclopedias


Book Description

Including topics such as Wikipedia's importance as a global phenomenon, this is a timely consideration of the roles of the guardians and editors of information throughout history Encyclopedias have traditionally claimed to provide absolute knowledge, yet with information now among the world's most valuable commodities, this Brief History is a sensible deliberation on how accurate that claim can ever be. While the omissions and distortions of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia may seem easy enough to spot, those of—for example—the Britannica, the Universalis, or the Brockhaus may not be so widely known. Since the Middle Ages, rapid advancements in science have made all encyclopedias effectively obsolete virtually immediately as they are published, which begs the question: Is the encyclopedic project fundamentally flawed? Also discussing the impact online encyclopedias have had on the conundrum, this is a fascinating account of an unjustly neglected area of cultural history.







The European Encyclopedia


Book Description

Organized thematically, this book tells the story of the European encyclopedia from 1650 to the present.




The World Book Encyclopedia


Book Description

An encyclopedia designed especially to meet the needs of elementary, junior high, and senior high school students.







Social History of Knowledge


Book Description

In this book Peter Burke adopts a socio-cultural approach toexamine the changes in the organization of knowledge in Europe fromthe invention of printing to the publication of the FrenchEncyclopédie. The book opens with an assessment of different sociologies ofknowledge from Mannheim to Foucault and beyond, and goes on todiscuss intellectuals as a social group and the social institutions(especially universities and academies) which encouraged ordiscouraged intellectual innovation. Then, in a series of separatechapters, Burke explores the geography, anthropology, politics andeconomics of knowledge, focusing on the role of cities, academies,states and markets in the process of gathering, classifying,spreading and sometimes concealing information. The final chaptersdeal with knowledge from the point of view of the individualreader, listener, viewer or consumer, including the problem of thereliability of knowledge discussed so vigorously in the seventeenthcentury. One of the most original features of this book is its discussionof knowledges in the plural. It centres on printed knowledge,especially academic knowledge, but it treats the history of theknowledge 'explosion' which followed the invention of printing andthe discovery of the world beyond Europe as a process of exchangeor negotiation between different knowledges, such as male andfemale, theoretical and practical, high-status and low-status, andEuropean and non-European. Although written primarily as a contribution to social orsocio-cultural history, this book will also be of interest tohistorians of science, sociologists, anthropologists, geographersand others in another age of information explosion.







DK Children's Encyclopedia


Book Description

The ultimate book of knowledge for kids aged 7 to 9, this thorough children's encyclopedia contains all the homework answers your kids will need, explained clearly and checked by experts. An engaging, traditional-style general reference book for kids covering all the key subjects including Arts, People, History, Earth, Nature, Science, Technology, Space, and the Human Body in alphabetical order. This encyclopedia for children is a must-have resource for every student's shelf, with age-appropriate, jargon-free text accompanied by stunning, detailed images covering over 240 topics all in one place, from science and nature to history and the arts. Essential for any child who wants to discover as much as possible about the world around them. Packed with information, each single-page entry in this fabulous kid's encyclopedia features a key topic explained in a concise manner accompanied by gorgeous visuals, fun facts about the world and extensive cross-references revealing the links between subject areas. Kids can learn about Ancient Rome, chemistry, evolution, microscopic life, robots, Vikings, and so much more. Written, edited, and designed by a team of experts, vetted by educational consultants, and properly levelled to the reading age, this is the ultimate knowledge book for kids. Explore, Wonder And Learn! The ultimate illustrated children's encyclopedia is packed with thousands of incredible and essential facts on favourite subjects! Beautiful illustrations, colourful maps, and magnificent photographs bring every single page to life. Inspiring and informative, the DK Children's Encyclopedia is a book of wonder that will absorb and engage children of all ages. This kid's educational book covers topics like: - Storytelling, changing the world, music and war - Films, technology, inventions, food and clothes - Explorers, planets and pets - And so much more!




Encyclopaedias


Book Description




Pre-modern Encyclopaedic Texts


Book Description

This proceedings volume contains contributions from many areas of literature, history and philosophy and comprises five extended essays on the problems and opportunities facing researchers into encyclopaedic texts, and 21 research papers on specific topics.