The ''Encyclopædia Edinensis'' was a six-volume general
encyclopedia
An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...
published in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
in 1827, and intended for a popular audience. It was edited by
James Millar, who died just before it was complete.
Editorial staff
*James Millar, principal editor
*
Jeremiah Kirby and
Richard Poole, main editors and contributors.
[James Millar, ''Encyclopedia Edinensis; or, Dictionary of arts, sciences, and literature'' vol. 1 (1827), p. vi]
archive.org
Poole wrote articles on "
Mental Diseases
A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...
".
*
John Sommers
Jack William Sommers (February 9, 1917 – September 1975) was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins. He played college football at UCLA and was drafted in the eleventh round of ...
, minister at Falkirk, was proprietor and also editor for the last three volumes.
Work began on the ''Encyclopædia'' in 1816. Millar edited the fourth and parted of the fifth editions of the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' and had contributed extensively to both. His goal with the Edinensis was to create a more popular work. However, his use of a large Quarto (binding), quarto format, reminiscent of the ''Britannica'' hampered the project as duodecimal, miniature formats were then in vogue.
Phrenology
The editorial line was quite sympathetic to phrenology. According to the ''Phrenological Journal'', Sommers approved the inclusion of the uncritical article "Phrenology". Poole in 1819 wrote for the encyclopedia an article on education, an early treatment from the point of phrenology.
Other contributors
*John Adamson of Newton
*Alexander Anderson (Encyclopædia Edinensis contributor), Alexander Anderson, Polar Expeditions etc.
*George Buchanan (engineer born 1790), George Buchanan, Astronomy and Dialling
*James Couper (astronomer), James Couper
*John Dick (minister), John Dick M.D., Midwifery
*Alexander Duncan (Encyclopædia Edinensis contributor), Alexander Duncan, Miracle etc.
*James Flint (Encyclopædia Edinensis contributor), James Flint
*William Galbraith (mathematician), William Galbraith, Navigation
*Patrick Gibson (artist), Patrick Gibson, design
*Rev. David Liston, Calcutta, Mechanics
*Henry Liston, Music
*Robert Macmillan
*Lockhart Muirhead
*Rev. Thomas Nelson (Encyclopædia Edinensis contributor), Thomas Nelson, Religion
*Alexander Peterkin
*Rev. Dr. Russel of Leith, Magnetism and Meteorology
*John Sommers (minister), John Sommers
*Walter Tod, Theology etc.
*John Wallace (Encyclopædia Edinensis contributor), John Wallace
*Robert Wallace (mathematician), Robert Wallace.
References
External links
*
Encyclopedia Edinensis; or, Dictionary of arts, sciences, and literature' Vol. 1
*
Encyclopedia Edinensis; or, Dictionary of arts, sciences, and literature' Vol. 2
*
Encyclopedia Edinensis; or, Dictionary of arts, sciences, and literature' Vol. 4
*
Encyclopedia Edinensis; or, Dictionary of arts, sciences, and literature' Vol. 5
1827 non-fiction books
Scottish encyclopedias
19th-century encyclopedias
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