The ''Edinburgh Encyclopædia'' is an encyclopaedia in 18 volumes, printed and published by

William Blackwood William Blackwood (20 November 177616 September 1834) was a Scottish publisher who founded the firm of William Blackwood and Sons. Life Blackwood was born in Edinburgh on 20 November 1776. At the age of 14 he was apprenticed to a firm of book ...

and edited by

David Brewster Sir David Brewster KH PRSE FRS FSA Scot FSSA MICE (11 December 178110 February 1868) was a British scientist, inventor, author, and academic administrator. In science he is principally remembered for his experimental work in physical optics ...

between 1808 and 1830. In competition with the Edinburgh-published ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...

'', the ''Edinburgh Encyclopædia'' is generally considered to be strongest on scientific topics, where many of the articles were written by the editor. The ''Edinburgh Encyclopædia'' was originally planned to encompassed 12 volumes, but by the time the final volume was published, in 1830, it counted 18 volumes. Some subjects, such as the

polarization of light Polarization ( also polarisation) is a property applying to transverse waves that specifies the geometrical orientation of the oscillations. In a transverse wave, the direction of the oscillation is perpendicular to the direction of motion of t ...

and

electromagnetism In physics, electromagnetism is an interaction that occurs between particles with electric charge. It is the second-strongest of the four fundamental interactions, after the strong force, and it is the dominant force in the interactions of a ...

, had not even been heard of when the project began, and yet the Encyclopedia had articles on them. The electromagnetism article was even contributed by

Hans Christian Ørsted Hans Christian Ørsted ( , ; often rendered Oersted in English; 14 August 17779 March 1851) was a Danish physicist and chemist who discovered that electric currents create magnetic fields, which was the first connection found between electricity ...

, the founder of modern electromagnetic studies. It also included information on contemporary events such as

Christopher Hansteen Christopher Hansteen (26 September 1784 – 11 April 1873) was a Norwegian geophysicist, astronomer and physicist, best known for his mapping of Earth's magnetic field. Early life and career Hansteen was born in Christiania as the son of J ...

's 1829 expedition to Siberia. In 1815

William Elford Leach William Elford Leach Royal Society, FRS (2 February 1791 – 25 August 1836) was an English zoologist and marine biologist. Life and work Elford Leach was born at Hoe Gate, Plymouth, the son of an attorney. At the age of twelve he began a me ...

published the first bibliography of entomology in Brewster's ''Edinburgh Encyclopædia'' (see

Timeline of entomology – 1800–1850 19th century 1800 – an arbitrary date but it was around this time that systematists began to specialise. There remained entomological polyhistors – those who continued to work on the insect fauna as a whole. From the beginning of the cent ...

). Joseph Parker of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and Whiting & Watson of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

printed

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

editions, both in 1832.

Contributors

A list of major contributors, with indications of their articles, was published in 1830. Other contributors – "Gentlemen Eminent in Science and Literature" – included Adam Anderson,

Charles Babbage Charles Babbage (; 26 December 1791 – 18 October 1871) was an English polymath. A mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer, Babbage originated the concept of a digital programmable computer. Babbage is considered ...

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian and philosopher. A leading writer of the Victorian era, he exerted a profound influence on 19th-century art, literature and philosophy. Born in Ecclefechan, Dum ...

Robert Gordon Robert Gordon may refer to: Entertainment * Robert Gordon (actor) (1895–1971), silent-film actor * Robert Gordon (director) (1913–1990), American director * Robert Gordon (singer) (1947–2022), American rockabilly singer * Robert Gordon (scr ...

Robert Edmond Grant Robert Edmond Grant Doctor of Medicine, MD Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, FRCPEd Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS FRSE Zoological Society of London, FZS Geological Society of London, FGS (11 November 1793 – 23 August 1874) was a Br ...

, John Leslie,

Henry Liston Henry Liston (30 June 1771 – 24 February 1836) was a Scottish minister and inventor. Life Born on 30 June 1771, he was the oldest son of Robert Liston, minister of Aberdour, Fife. He studied for the ministry and in 1793 became minister to the ...

John Gibson Lockhart John Gibson Lockhart (12 June 1794 – 25 November 1854) was a Scottish writer and editor. He is best known as the author of the seminal, and much-admired, seven-volume biography of his father-in-law Sir Walter Scott: ''Memoirs of the Life of Sir ...

and

Thomas Telford Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE, (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotla ...

. * Thomas Allan * Adam Anderson *

Alexander Annesley Alexander Annesley (died December 1813, aged 60), was an English legal and political writer of the late eighteenth century. Biography Annesley was a London solicitor and member of the Inner Temple. After many years' practice, by which he acquired ...

''("

Notation In linguistics and semiotics, a notation is a system of graphics or symbols, characters and abbreviated expressions, used (for example) in artistic and scientific disciplines to represent technical facts and quantities by convention. Therefore, ...

", "

Porisms A porism is a mathematical proposition or corollary. It has been used to refer to a direct consequence of a proof, analogous to how a corollary refers to a direct consequence of a theorem. In modern usage, it is a relationship that holds for an i ...

")'' *

Robert Bald Robert Bald FRSE FSA MWS (1776–1861) was a Scottish surveyor, civil and mining engineer, and antiquarian. Robert Bald was one of the earliest and most eminent mining engineers and land surveyors in Scotland, and by the late nineteenth century ...

Alexander Balfour Alexander Balfour (2 September 1824 – 16 April 1886) was a Scottish merchant and founder of the Liverpool shipping company Balfour Williamson. Biography Balfour was born in Leven, Fife, the son of Henry Balfour, a foundry owner. He was e ...

* John Barclay * Peter Barlow * James Bell *

Jacob Berzelius Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Jac ...

* J. B. Biot *

Philip Bliss Philip Paul Bliss (9 July 1838 – 29 December 1876) was an American composer, conductor, writer of hymns and a bass-baritone Gospel singer. He wrote many well-known hymns, including "Hold the Fort" (1870), "Almost Persuaded" (1871); "Hallelujah, ...

* James Bonar *

John Bostock John Joseph Bostock (born 15 January 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Notts County. Bostock made his professional debut for Crystal Palace at the age of 15. In 2008, he signed for Tottenham Hotsp ...

* G. Brewster * James Brewster *

Patrick Brewster Patrick Brewster (20 December 1788 – 26 March 1859) was a Scottish minister largely based in Paisley. Life Brewster was born on 20 December 1788, the youngest of the four sons of Mr. James Brewster, and younger brother of Sir David Brewster. ...

* David Brown * Robert Brown * William Brown * H. R. Brown * David Buchanan *

Robertson Buchanan Robertson Buchanan (1770–1816) was a Scottish civil engineer from Glasgow. Life He was the son of the Glasgow merchant George Buchanan, and his first wife Jane Gorvie. In the early 1790s he was working at Rothesay, Argyll and Bute, Rothesay fo ...

* Rev. W. Burns *

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

Thomas Campbell Thomas Campbell may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Thomas Campbell (poet) (1777–1844), Scottish poet * Thomas Campbell (sculptor) (1790–1858), Scottish sculptor * Thomas Campbell (visual artist) (born 1969), California-based visual artist ...

*Archibald Campbell *

Thomas Chalmers Thomas Chalmers (17 March 178031 May 1847), was a Scottish minister, professor of theology, political economist, and a leader of both the Church of Scotland and of the Free Church of Scotland. He has been called "Scotland's greatest nine ...

* James Cleland * John Clennel * John Colquhoun * John Davies *

John Graham Dalyell Sir John Graham Dalyell (August 1775 – 7 June 1851) was a Scottish advocate, antiquary and naturalist Life The second son of Sir Robert Dalyell, fourth baronet, who died in 1791, by Elizabeth, only daughter of Nicol Graham of Gartmore, Perthshi ...

* J. Denholm * David Dickson * Thomas Lauder Dick *Lieutenant-General

Alexander Dirom Lieutenant General (United Kingdom), Lieutenant General Alexander Dirom of Luce Bay, Luce and Mount Annan Royal Society of London, FRS FRSE (21May 17576October 1830) was a British military commander who saw overseas service in Barbados, Jamaica a ...

* Henry Dewar * Archdeacon Drummond *

Henry Duncan Henry Duncan may refer to: * Henry Duncan (minister) (1774–1846), Scottish minister, geologist and social reformer; founder of the savings bank movement * Henry Duncan (naval officer, born 1735) (1735–1814), Naval captain and Deputy Comptroller ...

John Duncan John Duncan may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John Duncan (painter) (1866–1945), Scottish painter * John Duncan (artist) (born 1953), American artist and musician * Big John Duncan (born 1958), Scottish punk musician * John Duncan (harpist) ...

* Rev. Thomas Duncan * Thomas Duncan * George Dunbar *

James Erskine James Erskine may refer to: *James Erskine, 6th Earl of Buchan (died 1640) *James Erskine, 7th Earl of Buchan (died 1664), Earl of Buchan *Sir James Erskine, 2nd Baronet (c. 1670–1693), of the Erskine baronets *James Erskine (Aberdeen MP) (born 1 ...

* William Edgeworth *

James Esdaile James Esdaile, M.D., E.I.C.S., Bengal (1808–1859), an Edinburgh trained Scottish surgeon, who served for twenty years with the East India Company, is a notable figure in the history of “animal magnetism" and, in particular, in the History o ...

* John Farey, senior * John Farey, junior *

Andrew Ferguson Andrew Ferguson (born June 28, 1956) is an American journalist and author. Career Ferguson is currently a staff writer at ''The Atlantic''. Previously, he was senior editor of ''The Weekly Standard'' (defunct since December 2018), and a columni ...

* Denis Ferral * John Fleming * James D. Forbes * Andrew Fyffe * William Galbraith *

Thomas Galloway Thomas Galloway FRS (26 February 17961 November 1851) was a 19th-century Scottish mathematician. Life He was born in Symington, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. In 1812 he entered the University of Edinburgh, where he distinguished himself in mat ...

Alexander Galloway Lieutenant-General Sir Alexander Galloway, (3 November 1895 – 28 January 1977) was a senior British Army officer. During the Second World War, he was particularly highly regarded as a staff officer and, as such, had an influential role in the ...

; ''(wrote the " Perspective" article, and was an acquaintance of

)'' * James Geddes * Patrick Gibson * Charles Giesecke * John Gordon *

James Grahame Rev James Grahame (22 April 1765 – 14 September 1811) was a Scottish poet. His best-known poem, ''The Sabbath'', combines devotional feeling with vivid description of Scottish scenery. Early life He was born at Whitehill House in Glasgow, t ...

* Robert Grant *

James Grierson James Grierson may refer to: * James Grierson (British Army officer) Lieutenant-General Sir James Moncrieff Grierson, ADC (Gen.) (27 January 1859 – 17 August 1914) was a British soldier. Life He was born in 1859 the son of George Moncrie ...

*John Gunn * George Harvey *

William Jory Henwood William Jory Henwood Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (16 January 18055 August 1875), Cornish people, Cornish mining geologist, was born at Perranarworthal, Perran Wharf, Cornwall. In 1822 he commenced work as a clerk in an office of the Perran F ...

* J. F. W. Herschel ''(" Isoperimetrical Problems", "

Mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

")'' * Samuel Hibbert * John Hodgson * James Innes *

David Irving David John Cawdell Irving (born 24 March 1938) is an English author and Holocaust denier who has written on the military and political history of World War II, with a focus on Nazi Germany. His works include ''The Destruction of Dresden'' (19 ...

* Alexander Irvine * Josiah Kirby *

Robert Kirkwood Robert Henry Kirkwood (1756November 4, 1791) was a United States officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War and the Northwest Indian War. He died in 1791 during the battle of St. Clair's Defeat. Early life Kirkwood was born in 1756 ...

* Thomas Jackson *

Robert Jameson Robert Jameson Robert Jameson FRS FRSE (11 July 1774 – 19 April 1854) was a Scottish naturalist and mineralogist. As Regius Professor of Natural History at the University of Edinburgh for fifty years, developing his predecessor John ...

John Jamieson John Jamieson (3 March 1759 – 12 July 1838) was a Scottish minister of religion, lexicographer, philologist and antiquary. His most important work is the ''Dictionary of the Scottish Language''. Life He was born in Glasgow in March 1759 the ...

* George Kellie * Robert Kerr * William Laidlaw *

Dionysius Lardner Professor Dionysius Lardner FRS FRSE (3 April 179329 April 1859) was an Irish scientific writer who popularised science and technology, and edited the 133-volume '' Cabinet Cyclopædia''. Early life in Dublin He was born in Dublin on 3 Apri ...

* William Leach *

John Lee John Lee may refer to: Academia * John Lee (astronomer) (1783–1866), president of the Royal Astronomical Society * John Lee (university principal) (1779–1859), University of Edinburgh principal * John Lee (pathologist) (born 1961), English ...

* John Leslie *

John Lizars Prof John Lizars FRSE (15 May 1792–21 May 1860) was a Scottish surgeon, anatomist and medical author. He was Professor of surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and senior surgeon at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. He perfo ...

* J. G. Lockhart * John Loudon * Joseph Lowe * Robert Lundie * Robert Lyall * A. Macarthur * Charles Mackenzie * George Mackenzie * James Macdonald * Archduke Maximilian * Mr. Maclaurin * J. R. MacCulloch *

John MacCulloch John MacCulloch FRS (6 October 1773 – 21 August 1835) was a Scottish geologist. He was the first geologist to be employed by the government in Britain and is best known for his pioneering texts on geology and for producing the first geologica ...

* William Memes * J. Morell * Walter Morison *

Lockhart Muirhead Lockhart Muirhead (1765–1829) was a Scottish librarian, museum-keeper and academic. He was Regius Professor of Zoology at Glasgow University, from 1807. Life Muirhead travelled in Europe shortly before the French Revolution, and subsequently wro ...

*William Muller * John Murray * Hugh Murray * Thomas Murray * Andrew Mylne * John Narien * James Nicol * Patrick Neill * Peter Nicholson *

Alexander Nimmo Alexander Nimmo FRSE MRIA MICE HFGS (1783 – January 20, 1832) was a Scottish civil engineer and geologist active in early 19th-century Ireland. Life and career Nimmo was born in Cupar, Fife in 1783, the son of a watchmaker, and grew up i ...

* George Peacock * William Pearson * Alexander Peterkin *

John Pond John Pond FRS (1767 – 7 September 1836) was a renowned English astronomer who became the sixth Astronomer Royal, serving from 1811 to 1835. Biography Pond was born in London and, although the year of his birth is known, the records indica ...

* Richard Poole ''(wrote on "

Language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

", "

Mind The mind is the set of faculties responsible for all mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves. These faculties include thought, imagination, memory, will, and sensation. They are responsible for various m ...

", "

Philology Philology () is the study of language in oral and writing, written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defin ...

" and "

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

")'' * William Percivall * John Ramsay *

William Ramsay Sir William Ramsay (; 2 October 1852 – 23 July 1916) was a Scottish chemist who discovered the noble gases and received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1904 "in recognition of his services in the discovery of the inert gaseous elements ...

Thomas Reid Thomas Reid (; 7 May ( O.S. 26 April) 1710 – 7 October 1796) was a religiously trained Scottish philosopher. He was the founder of the Scottish School of Common Sense and played an integral role in the Scottish Enlightenment. In 1783 he wa ...

* William Ritchie * Abraham Robertson * John Robison *

William Scoresby William Scoresby (5 October 178921 March 1857) was an English whaler, Arctic explorer, scientist and clergyman. Early years Scoresby was born in the village of Cropton near Pickering south-west of Whitby in Yorkshire. His father, William ...

* Alexander Scott *

John Corse Scott John Corse Scott FRS (born Corse; 12 July 1756 – 12 September 1840) was a Scottish surgeon in the Indian Medical Service, a naturalist, and landowner in Lanarkshire. Life John Corse of Bughtrig was born in 1756, the son of Richard Corse and Ma ...

* Robert Eden Scott * James Simpson * Rev. W. Singer * J. C. Simonde de Sismondi *

James Skene James Skene of Rubislaw (1775–1864) was a Scottish lawyer and amateur artist, best known as a friend of Sir Walter Scott. Life The second son of George Skene (1736–1776) of Rubislaw, Aberdeen and his wife Jane (Jean) Moir of Stoneywood, h ...

* Thomas Somerville *

Robert Stevenson Robert Stevenson may refer to: * Robert Stevenson (actor and politician) (1915–1975), American actor and politician * Robert Stevenson (civil engineer) (1772–1850), Scottish lighthouse engineer * Robert Stevenson (director) (1905–1986), Engl ...

William Stevenson William Stevenson may refer to: Government and politics * Sir William Stevenson (colonial administrator) (1805–1863), Governor of Mauritius * William E. Stevenson (1820–1883), American politician, Governor of West Virginia * William Ernest St ...

, ''(the father of

Elizabeth Gaskell Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (''née'' Stevenson; 29 September 1810 – 12 November 1865), often referred to as Mrs Gaskell, was an English novelist, biographer and short story writer. Her novels offer a detailed portrait of the lives of many st ...

; article "

Chivalry Chivalry, or the chivalric code, is an informal and varying code of conduct developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It was associated with the medieval Christianity, Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours we ...

" out of a total of around 50)'' *

Andrew Mitchell Thomson Andrew Mitchell Thomson (1779–1831) was a minister of the Church of Scotland, known as an evangelical activist and political reformer. Life The second son of the Rev. John Thomson, D.D., by his first wife, Helen Forrest, he was born in the ma ...

, ''(part-owner)'' * John Thomson * Thomas Traill * Rev. J. M. Turner * Edmund Turrel *

William Tytler William Tytler WS FRSE (1711–1792) was a Scottish lawyer, known as a historical writer. He wrote ''An Inquiry into the Evidence against Mary Queen of Scots'', against the views of William Robertson. He discovered the manuscript the ''"Kingis Q ...

* Rev. W. Wade *

Josiah Walker Josiah Walker (1761–1831) was a Scottish author, from 1815 Professor of Humanity at Glasgow University. He is known as a biographer of Robert Burns. Life Walker was the son of Thomas Walker, minister at Dundonald, South Ayrshire, Dundonald, and ...

William Wallace Sir William Wallace ( gd, Uilleam Uallas, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army a ...

James Watt James Watt (; 30 January 1736 (19 January 1736 OS) – 25 August 1819) was a Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist who improved on Thomas Newcomen's 1712 Newcomen steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1776, which was fun ...

James Wilson James Wilson may refer to: Politicians and government officials Canada *James Wilson (Upper Canada politician) (1770–1847), English-born farmer and political figure in Upper Canada * James Crocket Wilson (1841–1899), Canadian MP from Quebe ...

* John Yule

References

External links

Complete First British and First and Second American editions
at the

Online Books Page The Online Books Page is an index of e-text books available on the Internet. It is edited by John Mark Ockerbloom and is hosted by the library of the University of Pennsylvania. The Online Books Page lists over 2 million books and has several feat ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edinburgh Encyclopaedia Book series introduced in 1808 Scottish encyclopedias Scottish books History of Edinburgh Culture in Edinburgh Reference works in the public domain Publications established in 1808 1808 establishments in Scotland 1808 non-fiction books William Blackwood books 19th-century encyclopedias 19th-century British literature

Contributors

References

Further reading

External links