Reference Books Through History5 lesson(s)
Reference, Translation, & Dictionaries · Intermediate
The History of Encyclopedias and Reference Books
By admin · Follow the story of reference books from ancient compilations and Diderot to Britannica, almanacs, and digital reference works.
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About this course
Reference books did not always exist, and their history is the history of how humanity has tried to capture all of its knowledge. This course traces that journey from Pliny's ancient Natural History and the compilers of the Middle Ages through Diderot's Encyclopedie and the Encyclopaedia Britannica to almanacs, gazetteers, and today's digital reference works. Real photos of historic books and real videos from publishers and historians bring each era to life.