From the Dictionnaire Universel to the Cyclopaedia: a new element in the genealogy of the cross-references in the Encyclopedie
Loveland, Jeff
From the Dictionnaire Universel to the Cyclopaedia: a new element in the genealogy of the cross-references in the Encyclopedie - 2021.
88
Where do the cross-references in the Encyclopédie come from? The usual answer, and undoubtedly the correct one, is that they come from Chambers’ Cyclopedia. But if we ask about the origins of Chambers’ cross-references, the answer is less clear. It is common to evoke the existence of devices resembling cross-references in certain previous encyclopedias, Chambers’ determination to bring together bits of knowledge dispersed by alphabetical order, or the tradition of collecting “commonplaces”. Here, without denying the importance of these influences, I would argue that, in addition, Chambers had in front of him a concrete model of a network of a cross-references for linking concepts, namely that of the Dictionnaire universel de commerce.
From the Dictionnaire Universel to the Cyclopaedia: a new element in the genealogy of the cross-references in the Encyclopedie - 2021.
88
Where do the cross-references in the Encyclopédie come from? The usual answer, and undoubtedly the correct one, is that they come from Chambers’ Cyclopedia. But if we ask about the origins of Chambers’ cross-references, the answer is less clear. It is common to evoke the existence of devices resembling cross-references in certain previous encyclopedias, Chambers’ determination to bring together bits of knowledge dispersed by alphabetical order, or the tradition of collecting “commonplaces”. Here, without denying the importance of these influences, I would argue that, in addition, Chambers had in front of him a concrete model of a network of a cross-references for linking concepts, namely that of the Dictionnaire universel de commerce.
Réseaux sociaux