An encyclopedic dictionary typically includes a large number of short listings discussing a wide of topics. Encyclopedic dictionaries can be general, containing articles on topics in many different fields; or they can specialize in a particular field (such as art, law, medicine, or philosophy). They may also be organized around a particular academic, cultural, ethnic, or national perspective.

While there are similarities, of course, to both dictionaries and encyclopedias, there are important distinctions as well: ... Jump to: navigation, search Brockhaus Konversations-Lexikon, 1902 1913 advertisement for Encyclopædia Britannica. ...

• A dictionary is primarily focused on words and their definition, and typically provides limited information, analysis or background for the word defined. Hence, while it may offer a definition, it may leave the reader still lacking in understanding the meaning or import of a term, and how the term relates to a broader field of knowledge.
• An encyclopedia, on the other hand, seeks to discuss each subject in more depth and convey the accumulated knowledge on that subject. While often organized alphabetically, more of the discussion may be organized around a field (such as law) or a topic (such as the Scottish enlightenment), and less on the alphabetic terminology related to that discussion. An encyclopedia also often includes many illustrations, bibliography, and statistics.

Compared to a dictionary, the encyclopedic dictionary offers a more complete description and a choice of entries selected to convey a range of knowledge. Compared to an encyclopedia, the encyclopedic dictionary offers ease of use, through summarized entries and in some cases more entries of separate terms; and often reduced size, and the reduced publishing and purchase cost that implies. ... Jump to: navigation, search Brockhaus Konversations-Lexikon, 1902 1913 advertisement for Encyclopædia Britannica. ... Aphorism Critical legal studies Jurisprudence Law (principle) Legal research Letter versus Spirit List of legal abbreviations Legal code Natural justice Natural law Philosophy of law Religious law External links Wikibooks Wikiversity has more about this subject: School of Law Look up law on Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Scottish Enlightenment was a period of intellectual ferment in Scotland, running from approximately 1740 to 1800. ...

Of course, the question of how to structure the entries, and how much information to include, are among the core issues in organizing these reference books. As different approaches are better suited to different uses or users, all three approaches have been in wide use since the 18th century. (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

The title of the volume may not be a good indication of which type of reference it is, as concerns for clarity or commerce may have affected the publisher's selection of a title.

History

The encyclopedic dictionary evolved from the dictionary. John Harris' subtitled his landmark Lexicon technicum a "universal English dictionary of Arts and Sciences," and it is best know for being that - the first English-language, alphabetically-ordered collection of knowledge. Disambiguation: for the music journalist please see John Harris (critic), and for the Cornish writer, John Harris (poet) John Harris (c. ... Lexicon technicum, or an universal English Dictionary of Arts and Sciences The first alphabetical encyclopaedia written in English, it was the work of a London clergyman, John Harris. ...

The 18th century encyclopedists, in turn, dramatically expanded the depth and, in some cases, substantially revised the organization of the encyclopedic dictionary to create the early major encyclopedias: the French Encyclopédie and later the British Encyclopædia Britannica. However, such comprehensive works were costly and difficult to produce, and to keep current; and the detailed entries were not ideal for some reference uses. The first version of the German Conversations-Lexikon (1796-1808) was just 2,762 pages in six volumes, and this format served as the principal model for many 19th century encyclopedias and encyclopedic dictionaries. (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... 1913 advertisement for Encyclopædia Britannica. ... Fig. ... 1913 advertisement for the 11th edition, with the slogan When in doubt - look it up in the Encyclopædia Britannica The Encyclopædia Britannica (properly spelt with æ, the ae-ligature) is the oldest English-language general encyclopedia. ... Brockhaus is a German encyclopedia published by Brockhaus. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search Brockhaus Konversations-Lexikon, 1902 1913 advertisement for Encyclopædia Britannica. ...

Also see

Notable historic encyclopedic dictionaries and early encyclopedias:

• Lexicon technicum by John Harris
• Cyclopaedia, or Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences by Ephraim Chambers
• Grand dictionnaire universel du XIXe siècle by Pierre Larousse