The Children's Encyclopædia
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''The Children's Encyclopædia'' was an
encyclopaedia An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles or entries that are arranged alphabetically by artic ...
originated by
Arthur Mee Arthur Henry Mee (21 July 187527 May 1943) was an English writer, journalist and educator. He is best known for ''The Harmsworth Self-Educator'', ''The Children's Encyclopædia'', ''The Children's Newspaper'', and ''The King's England''. Ea ...
, and published by the Educational Book Company, a subsidiary of Northcliffe's
Amalgamated Press The Amalgamated Press (AP) was a British newspaper and magazine publishing company founded by journalist and entrepreneur Alfred Harmsworth (1865–1922) in 1901, gathering his many publishing ventures together under one banner. At one point the ...
, London. It was published from 1908 to 1964. Walter M. Jackson's company
Grolier Grolier is one of the largest American publishers of general encyclopedias, including '' The Book of Knowledge'' (1910), '' The New Book of Knowledge'' (1966), ''The New Book of Popular Science'' (1972), '' Encyclopedia Americana'' (1945), '' Ac ...
acquired the rights to publish it in the U.S. under the name ''The Book of Knowledge'' (1910).


Contents

The encyclopaedia was originally published in fortnightly parts between March 1908 and February 1910. Some readers could have bound their collections, but the first eight-volume sets were published in 1910. Each section contained a variety of articles, developing topics as it progressed. The work could be used as a conventional reference library, as the last volume had an alphabetical index, or each section could be read from start to finish. It was originally organised into sections but there were changes in subsequent editions. Some titles covered scientific subjects such as
geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...
,
biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...
and
astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...
but such scientific terms were generally avoided. * Familiar Things, by "many writers" * Wonder, by the Wise Man * Nature, by Ernest Bryant and Edward Step * The Child's Own Life, by Dr. Caleb Saleeby * The Earth, by Dr. Caleb Saleeby * All Countries, by Frances Epps * Great Lives, by "many writers" * Golden Deeds, by "many writers" * Bible Stories, by Harold Begbie * Famous Books, by John Hammerton * Stories, by Edward Wright * Poetry, by John Hammerton * "School Lessons", by several writers, including Lois Mee, Arthur's sister * Things To Make and Things To Do, by "many writers" Mee wrote an introduction called a "Greeting" and a "farewell". He took a strong interest in the "Book of Wonder", in which the Wise Man answered questions posed by children. The illustrations were mostly anonymous but some illustrators included Susan Beatrice Pearse,
C. E. Brock Charles Edmund Brock (5 February 1870 – 28 February 1938) was a widely published English painter, line artist and book illustrator, who signed most of his work C. E. Brock. He was the eldest of The Brocks of Cambridge, four artist brothers, ...
, Thomas Maybank, George F. Morrell, Dudley Heath, Charles Folkard, H. R. Millar, Alexander Francis Lydon, Arthur A. Dixon and
Arthur Rackham Arthur Rackham (19 September 1867 – 6 September 1939) was an English book illustrator. He is recognised as one of the leading figures during the Golden Age of British book illustration. His work is noted for its robust pen and ink drawings, ...
. The books used photographs by Frank Hinkins, engravings, maps and graphics. The encyclopaedia broke ground in the approach to education, aiming to make learning interesting and enjoyable. Its articles were clearly written and intended to develop character and sense of duty. The articles expressed pride for
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
and its empire.
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
was held to be the only true religion. Europeans were clearly the most advanced and there were hints of the
eugenic Eugenics is a set of largely discredited beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter the frequency of various human phenotypes by inhibiting the ferti ...
ideas of Caleb Saleeby. This was presented in a moderate and liberal way in many areas: other "races", although inferior according to the text, were to be treated with respect, and
imperialism Imperialism is the maintaining and extending of Power (international relations), power over foreign nations, particularly through expansionism, employing both hard power (military and economic power) and soft power (diplomatic power and cultura ...
was justified only if it improved the lot of its subjects. At a time when the relation between science and religion was controversial, the encyclopaedia supported
evolution Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...
and it did not see any contradiction between religious teachings and Darwin's views.


Distribution

It was widely sold. It was used by schools and for teacher training. It gives insight into the social values of the society that created it. As the initial run ended, it was reissued as the monthly ''New Children's Encyclopædia''. The title changed, becoming ''Children's Encyclopædia Magazine'', ''Children's Magazine'' and, finally, '' My Magazine'' in 1914. From September 1910, the magazine included a supplement of news entitled ''The Little Paper'', the forerunner of Arthur Mee's '' Children's Newspaper'', launched in 1919.


Editions

''The Children's Encyclopædia'' sold 800,000 copies in 12 editions before being extensively revised in the early 1920s. The new 59-part, 7,412-page, 10-volume series debuted in October 1922 as ''The Children's Encyclopedia'', the digraph having been dropped, and went through 14 editions by 1946 under the imprint of The Educational Book Co. Translations appeared in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
,
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
,
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
and
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. New editions of the encyclopaedia continued after Mee's death in 1943; the final, much revised, edition, still entitled ''Arthur Mee's Children's Encyclopedia'', appeared in 1964. While the encyclopaedia itself did not carry any copyright or publishing dates, clues are present in the title used and the colour and design on the cover as to the approximate age of a complete collection. The initial release of ''The Children's Encyclopædia'' featured the spelling "Encyclopædia" and was initially an 8 volume collection, bound in brown. All other revisions used the spelling "Encyclopedia" and were a 10 volume collection. 1920 versions have blue binding. By the 1940s the binding is brown in colour, and displays a flaming torch on each book's spine. By the 1950s, the binding is red. There is also at least one green bound version that dates from the 1920s. One edition with a red binding and art deco patterning on the spine dates to the mid 1930s. In the mid-1960s the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
reported only the 1925 edition in 10 volumes and another edition in 1953, though a 1960 printing under the Waverley Book Company imprint was recorded as being the 28th edition. It was apparently also published under the names ''Harmsworth's Children's Encyclopedia'' and ''Mee's Children's Encyclopedia''. The set was bought out by the Grolier Society in 1963, when it was announced that the encyclopaedia would be phased out by 1970.Walsh p.25


Kashmir riots

In May 1973
riots A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...
occurred in Jammu and Kashmir,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, in an area where the
Jamaat-e-Islami Jamaat-e-Islami is an Islamist fundamentalist movement founded in 1941 in British India by the Islamist author and theorist Syed Abul Ala Maududi, who was inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood. It is considered one of the most influential Isla ...
was gaining influence, sparked by the discovery that an illustration contained in ''The Book of Knowledge'', which had been stored in a local library for decades, portrayed the
Archangel Gabriel In the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), Gabriel ( ) is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind, as the messenger of God. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran. Many Chris ...
dictating portions of the
Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
to
Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
. Muslims offended by a visual depiction of Muhammad caused riots which left four dead and over a hundred wounded. The sale of the encyclopedia was then banned, although it was already out of print by that time.


Notes


References

* John Hammerton (1946) ''Child of Wonder: An Intimate Biography of Arthur Mee''. * Maisie Robson (2003) ''Arthur Mee's Dream of England''. * Michael Tracy (2008) ''The World of the Edwardian Child, as seen in Arthur Mee's Children's Encyclopædia, 1908–1910'
THE WORLD OF THE EDWARDIAN CHILD
Includes more information and a new assessment of Mee and his work, also that of other contributors to the ''Encyclopædia''. * ''The Book of Knowledge'' edited by Harold Felix Baker Wheeler * ''The Book of Knowledge'' edited by Sir John Hammerton * ''The New Book of Knowledge'' edited by Gordon Stowell


External links


Online Complete Digital Copy of Volume 1

Complete First edition
at Hathitrust
Complete Russian translation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Children's Encyclopedia, The 1908 children's books British children's books British encyclopedias Children's encyclopedias English-language encyclopedias Cultural depictions of Muhammad 20th-century encyclopedias