2. The first E. proper that demands our attention is the Encyclopedia Britannica, of which the 2d comparatively complete edition, containing biographical and historical articles, appeared in 10 vols., between 1776 and 1783; the 3d edition was completed in 18 vols. in 1797; the 4th edition, in 20 vols., in 1810; the 5th and 6th editions, and sup plements, in 6 vols.•, appeared between 1815-24; the 7th edition in 21 vols., in 1830-42; the 8th edition, in 21 vols., 1852-60; and a 9th edition is now in progress. The method pursued by this work, while thoroughly alphabetical, consists in a combination of the systematic and the particular. In few instances is any science broken up into fractional parts; nearly all the sciences are given in treatises as they severally occur in the order of the alphabet. In some cases, however, where obscurity might result from such a plan, the other method is adopted. A marked feature of this work, is the number of complete treatises and dissertations which it contains by men of European name. From first to last, this E. has been executed and published in Edinburgh, the literary reputa tion of which it has helped in no small degree to increase. The next E. that we must notice is the Encyclopedie Methodique par Ordre des MatiCres, which was begun in 1782, and was not finished till 1832. It extends to 166+ vols. of text, with 51 "parties," contain ing 6,439 plates. Each subject is treated in a separate volume or series of volumes, so that the work is a collection of separate dictionaries, more extensive than any encyclo ptedic work that has yet appeared. A work of higher scientific value, however, and even of a more varied nature, has been in progress for nearly half a century in Ger many, undertaken originally by professors Ersch and Gruber in 1818, and which has since continued to appear, in three several sections of the alphabet, up to the present time. There have already appeared of this great Allgemeine Encyclopadie der Wissenschaf ten and .Kdnste some 150 volumes. In 1802, Dr. Abraham Rees projected an extended and Unproved edition of Ephraim Chambers's Cyclopedia, which was completed in 45 volumes in 1819. The system of cross-references peculiar to E. Chambers is very effect ually carried out in this book; but besides including a great accession of historical and oioirraphical detail, it contained a large number of papers, prepared by competent writers, on subjects with which their life had rendered them familiar. Another work of considerable merit, which began to appear in 1810, was Brewster's Edinburgh Encyclo pedia, edited by the late sir David Brewster, and completed in 18 vols., in 1830. In 1812, a great impetus was given to encyclopmdic publications, by the appearance of the Conversations-Lexicon of F. A. Brockhaus of Leipsic. It has since gone through twelve editions. The eleventh issue, in 15 vols., appeared between 1864 and 1868 (supplement, 1872-73). The twelfth edition began to appear in 1875. It has been translated into nearly all the civilized languages of Europe, no fewer than four English works of the kind being professedly founded on it: these are the Encyelopcedia Americana, in 14 vols. (Philadelphia, 1829-46); the New American Encyclopedia, 16 vols. (New York, 1858-63), of which a new ed. under the title American Cyclopedia appeared between 1873 and 1876; the Popular Encyclopedia, 7 vols. (Glas., new ed. 1874); and Chambers's Encyclopedia, 10 vols. (Edith 1860-68; revised ed., 1874-79). Of these, the last-mentioned is a substan tially new work, following in its construction the admirable plan of the Conversations Lexicon, but making use of its valuable matter only so far as it is found suitable.
The next .encyclopmdic work which appeared after the Conversations-Lexicon, was one projected according to an original philosophic plan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in 1818, and finished in 1815, in 30 volumes. This Encyclopedia Metropolitana was arranged in four divisions: 1st, the pure sciences; 2d, the mixed and applied sciences; 3d, biography and history; and 4th, miscellaneous and lexicographic articles. The contributions to the first two divisions were written by persons of recognized ability, and they have neatly all been published separately in 8vo volumes since the Metropol itana appeared. If the book had any fault, it was that the plan of it was too rigidly philosophical, and therefore not adapted to be consulted dictionary fashion; for although in one sense the alphabetic arrangement, by its jumble of subjects, is most heterogen eous and irrational, it recommends itself to popular acceptance by its extreme simplicity; and in point of fact, no E. has ever been thoroughly popular that has not been executed
on the plan of a single alphabet, in which all subjects, however various, are included. Next appeared the Penny Cyclopedia of the society for the diffusion of useful knowl edge, which was begun in 1833, and completed in 1843, in 28 volumes. This work was perhaps, at the time it appeared, the most useful and convenient, for the purposes of general consultation, of any encyclopmdical treatise that had ever been issued. The English Cyclopcedia is founded on the copyright of the Penny Cyclopedia, but is rear ranged into four great divisions, which are each given in the order of the alphabet, viz., geography, natural history, biography, and arts and sciences. This publication was begun in 1853, and was,compieted in.1861, i5.22 a synoptical index appeared in 1862, and a supplementary for each division has since (1869-73) been issued.
Among other publications of this character which have appeared in the course of the present century, may be mentioned Wilkes Encyclopedia Londonensis, in 24 vols. 4to (Lond. 1810-29); the Encyclopadia Perthensis, in 23 vols. (Edinburgh, 1816); and the London Encyclopadia, 22 vols. (Lond. 1829). The French have likewise published an Encyclopedic des Gems du. _Monde, in 22 vols. 8vo (Par. 1833-44); and Encyclopedie Mod erne, which, with its supplement, occupies 42 vole. 8vo (Par. 1846-62); and a Diction naire de in Conversation et de la Lecture, 2d ed. in 16 vols. (Par. 1854-57), to which a sup plement was afterwards added. The last of these is to a large extent based on the Conversations-Lexicon of Brockhaus. The mostnotable of the other German encyclopedies are Meyer's _Armes Conversations-Lexicon, in 15 vols. (1857; 3d ed. 1874); and Pierer's Universal Lexicon, in 34 vols. (Altenburg, 1840-46), a sixth edition of which began to appear in 1875. In addition to these, there are several other continental encyMopmdies, which are based upon the Conversations-Lexicon—such as the Enciclopedia Espaitola (Madrid); the Nnova Enciclopedia Popolare ltaliana (Turin); the Nordisk Conversations Lexicon, 5 vols. (Copenhagen, 1858-63); and the Svenskt Konversations-Lexikon, 4 vols. (Stockholm, 1845-51); besides others in Russia, Hungary, the Netherlands, etc.
3. We have now to direct attention briefly to those that are dictionaries or encyclopaedias for one branch of knowledge. These works have been always very numerous, both in this country and on the continent. Such are the Biographic Univer selle (commenced in 1811; new edition, 1842-65); Chalmers' Biographical Dictionary, in 32 vols. (1812-17); the Dictionnaire des Sciences Medkales, 60 vole. (Par. 1812-22); Nouveau Dictionnaire d'Histoire Naturelle, 36 vols. (Par. 1816-19); F. Cuvier's Diction naire des Sciences ffeaturelles, 60 vols. text, 10 vols. plates (1816-45); Dictionnaire de l'Industrie, etc., 10 vols. (Par. 1834 41); 3PCulloch's Commercial Dictionary (1832; last edition, 1869); M'Culloch's Geographical Dictionary (1st edition, 1841; new edition,1866); the Dictionary of Practical Medicine (Lond. 1866); Chambers' Cyclopedia of English Lit erature (1843; third edition, 1876); Spon's Dictionary of Engineering (1869-74); Johns ton's Gazetteer (1850; new edition, 1877); Morton's Cyclopedia of Agriculture, 2 vols. (1855); the Nouvelle Biographic Generale (1855-66); Lippincott's Gazetteer of the World (Philadelphia, last ed. 1873); Allihone's Dictionary of British and American Authors (Philadelphia, 1859-71); Ure's Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines (1839; 7th ed., supp. vol. 1877); Schmid's Encyclopadia des Erzielrungs and Unterriehtswesen (1859 75). Nor must we overlook the dictionaries of Dr. William Smith, viz., the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, 3 vols. (1843-48; new ed. 1849-51); the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, 2d ed. (1849); the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, 2 vols. (1854-57); the Dictionary of the Bible, 3 vols. (1860-63); and the Dictionary of Christian Antiquities (vol. i. 1875). These dictionaries are the product of the ripest scholarship in Britain, and are perhaps the most splendid specimens in existence of encyclopmdias devoted to special branches of knowledge. See DICTION ARY.