#Encyclopedia dictionaries how to

As different approaches are better suited to different uses or users, all three approaches have been in wide use since the end of the 18th century.

#Encyclopedia dictionaries how to

The question of how to structure the entries, and how much information to include, are among the core issues in organizing reference books.

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. An encyclopedia also often includes many maps and illustrations, as well as bibliography and statistics.Ĭompared to a dictionary, the encyclopedic dictionary offers a more complete description and a choice of entries selected to convey a range of knowledge. Usually, 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. While often organized alphabetically, some encyclopedias were not. This characteristic is especially true of those encyclopedias with long monographs on particular subjects, such as the first ten editions of the Encyclopædia Britannica. An encyclopedia, on the other hand, seeks to discuss each subject in more depth and convey the accumulated knowledge on that subject.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. A dictionary is primarily focused on words and their definitions, and typically provides limited information, analysis of different forms, and an etymology (in more complete dictionaries) for the word defined.While there are similarities to both dictionaries and encyclopedias, there are important distinctions as well: However, it later developed into a somewhat distinct class of reference books.

(The term dictionary preceded encyclopedia in common usage by about two centuries.) To convey their alphabetic method of organization and to contrast that method with other systems for classifying knowledge, many early encyclopedias were titled or sub-titled 'a dictionary of arts and sciences' or something similar. Historically, the term has been used to refer to any encyclopedic reference book (that is, one comprehensive in scope), which was organized alphabetically, as with the familiar dictionary. They may also be organized around a particular academic, cultural, ethnic, or national perspective.

Encyclopedic dictionaries can be general, containing articles on topics in many different fields or they can specialize in a particular field, such as art, biography, law, medicine, or philosophy. Title page from the 1894 four volume version of Robert Hunter's The Encyclopædic Dictionary.Īn encyclopedic dictionary typically includes many short listings, arranged alphabetically, and discussing a wide range of topics.