All the Knowledge in the World: The Extraordinary History of the Encyclopedia

Replicating the A-to-Z structure of its subject, this quirky and entertaining history of encyclopedias spotlights volumes that are “the most significant or interesting or indicative of a turning point in how we view the world.” According to journalist Garfield (The End of Innocence), these include the 1768 first edition of the Britannica (the “gold standard” in English) and its modern-day descendant, Wikipedia, which “plundered huge amounts” of the Britannica’s 11th edition when it launched in 2001. Along the way, Garfield covers ancient Roman scholar Pliny the Elder’s Naturalis Historia, a 37-volume series that enthusiastically (“Pliny seemed to be in love with the entire world”) encompassed wine growing, geography, mineralogy, and more; the “Dime Bank Close,” a door-to-door sales technique highlighting the affordability of a World Book set in the 1970s and ’80s (“Three dimes a day to put all the knowledge in the Western World at your child’s fingertips”); and the yearslong, collaborative efforts by classics scholars to translate the Suda, a 10th-century Byzantine Greek historical encyclopedia. Garfield also makes room for lighter affairs, recounting episodes of Friends and Monty Python that featured encyclopedia salesmen. Fast-paced and fact-filled, this entertaining compendium is a worthy tribute to the pursuit of knowledge. Illus. (Feb.)