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Philosophy - Reference, Enlightenment, 18th Century American History - Social Aspects
Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment by Alan Charles Kors β€” book cover

Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment

by Alan Charles Kors
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Overview

Defining the Enlightenment as the "long eighteenth century," the Encyclopedia focuses on the entire range of philosophic and social changes engendered by the Enlightenment. It extends the conventional geographical boundaries of the Enlightenment, covering not only France, England, Scotland, the Low Countries, Italy, English-speaking North America, the German states, and Hapsburg Austria but also Iberian, Ibero-American, Jewish, Russian, and Eastern European cultures. Nor does the Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment limit itself to major centers like Paris in France and Edinburgh in Scotland, but shares the rich lode of recent scholarship on "secondary" and "provincial" centers such as Berlin and Geneva; Philadelphia and Milan.
The Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment brings a similar spirit of inclusion to the new theoretical and methodological approaches that have flowered in the humanities during the past two decades. Including feminist and various post-modernist reassessments alongside more traditional perspectives, the four volumes offer the broadest possible range of current knowledge.
Accessibility combined with scholarly rigor make the Encyclopedia the first choice for researching any aspect of the Enlightenment.

About the Author, Alan Charles Kors

University of Pennsylvania

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Editorials

Library Journal

Although Enlightenment studies already enjoy two outstanding references-Fitzroy Dearborn's Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment (FDEE) and Facts On File's Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment (FFEE)-this new work offers the most comprehensive and up-to-date coverage available. It is not only larger, with more entries (there are 700 signed articles) and more expansive treatment of select topics, but it takes greater cognizance of the Enlightenment outside of Europe, including, for example, articles on the American Constitution and Toussaint l'Ouverture. In addition, the Oxford set includes numerous contemporary illustrations (photographs, line drawings, and maps) as well as a meticulous index, a wide range of See also references, and bibliographies with each article, which are more extensive and include more materials accessible to English speakers than those in the FDEE. Written in the grand tradition of the Dictionary of the History of Ideas and the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, the Oxford encyclopedia ultimately incorporates features of the other two, offering the more factual and biographical quality of the FFEE while sharing many entries (e.g., Jansenism, coffeehouses, and citizen or citizenship) and even contributors (e.g., Roy Porter and Monique Cottret) with the FDEE. The key difference between the Oxford encyclopedia and the FDEE is that the former focuses more on historiography and intellectual history while the latter takes a more social-historical approach and offers somewhat shorter entries. The Oxford encyclopedia is recommended for all libraries, even those that already own the FDEE and the FFEE; libraries on bare-bones budgets should opt for the Oxford encyclopedia over the other two for its impressive range and currency.-Barbara Walden, Univ. of Wisconsin Lib., Madison Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up-This scholarly and comprehensive work is an excellent choice for students examining the developments in European culture from the 1670s through the early 19th century. The more than 700 signed articles generally range in length from one to five pages and describe and clarify the concepts and key individuals. They discuss the influence that Enlightenment ideas had in such areas as scientific thought; religion; economic theory; and natural, moral, and political philosophy. Each of the well-written entries concludes with a bibliography; many are annotated. The fourth volume includes a 176-page index and a "Topical Outline of Articles." The black- and-white reproductions and photographs scattered through out are of average quality.-Madeleine G. Wright, New Hampton School, NH Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Book Details

Published
February 13, 2003
Publisher
Oxford ; Oxford University Press, 2003.
Pages
1920
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780195104301

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