ISBN-13: 9780415149563 / Angielski / Twarda / 1996 / 2459 str.
Originally sponsored by the editor William Smellie, the engraver Andrew Bell, and Colin Macfarquahar the printer, this work was inspired by the success of Diderot's Encyclopedie. The first English-language compendium to be called an encyclopaedia. Unlike rival publications it was published in quarto rather than the usual octavo or folio format. More importantly the encyclopaedia was compiled on a completely new plan, alphabetically arranged, combining easy reference to individual items, terms and minor topics. Given the speed of publication and the small jack-of-all-trades team involved, the first edition could not hope to rival the Encyclopedie in terms of scholarship.