The 12-volume ''Universal Cyclopaedia'' was edited by Charles Kendall Adams, and was published by D. Appleton & Company in 1900. The name was changed to ''Universal Cyclopaedia and Atlas'' in 1902, with Rossiter Johnson as the editor.

History

This was the culmination of a series of encyclopedic projects that began in 1875-78 with the publication of ''Johnsons New Universal Cyclopedia'' in four volumes by A. J. Johnson and Sons. A revised version was printed in 8 volumes in 1884, though "no revisions of note had been implemented. The original Editors in Chief were

Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard (May 5, 1809 – April 27, 1889) was an American academic and educator who served as the 10th President of Columbia University. Born in Sheffield, Massachusetts, he graduated from Yale University in 1828 and serv ...

and Arnold Henry Guyot From 1893–1897, it was republished as ''Johnson's Universal Encyclopedia''. The encyclopedia was sold to D. Appleton & Company midway through the project, so vols. 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7 – the first to be published – retain the Johnson imprint, while vols. 1, 5 and 8 were published under the Appleton imprint. The editor of this edition was Charles Kendall Adams, president of

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

. In 1900 the encyclopedia was revised again by Adams and expanded to 12 volumes. As Johnson was no longer involved, this edition was published as ''Universal Cyclopaedia'', which is described as one of the best encyclopedias of the time. Further editions were published in 1901, 1903 and 1905. Upon Adams' death in 1902, editorial duties were taken over by Rossiter Johnson. In the "Publisher's Announcement" in Volume I of the original edition, A. J. Johnson stated that

Horace Greeley Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and publisher who was the founder and newspaper editor, editor of the ''New-York Tribune''. Long active in politics, he served briefly as a congres ...

suggested the plan for the work and urged its publication, and was a primary advisor. Greeley is listed as an associate editor. One of Greeley's requirements was that the cyclopaedia "be pre-eminently a book of facts, and to a very limited extent, if at all, a volume of discussions or of critical opinions." There was some protest against the depiction of Catholic doctrine and practices in the ''Universal Cyclopaedia and Atlas''.

History

References

Further reading