Encyclopædia Britannica

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Versions of
Encyclopædia Britannica

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The Encyclopædia Britannica (Latin for "British Encyclopaedia"), formerly published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It was written by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 contributors. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, which spans 32 volumes and 32,640 pages, was the last printed edition.

5572Encyclopædia Britannica

Versions of Encyclopædia Britannica include:

First Edition (1768–1771) (transcription volumes: 1, 2, 3)
Second Edition (1777–1784)
Third Edition (1788–1797)
- Pirated and emended in the United States as Encyclopædia (1790–1797)
Fourth Edition (1800–1810)
Fifth Edition (1815–1817)
Sixth Edition (1823)
Supplement to the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Editions (1824)
Seventh Edition (1830–1842)
Eighth Edition (1853–1860)
Ninth Edition (1875–1889)
- Pirated and emended in the United States as The New Werner Twentieth Century Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica with New American Supplement (1907)
Tenth Edition (1903) (transcription project) (transcription project) (transcription project)
Eleventh Edition (1910–1911)
Twelfth Edition (1922)
Thirteenth Edition (1926)

Copyrights

The first 13 editions of the Encyclopædia Britannica are all in the public domain.

The original 14th edition (1929–1933) was a completely new edition in 24 volumes. No record of copyright renewal has been found.

In 1933 a revision process was begun on the 14th edition, resulting in publication in various states of revision until 1973. No record could be found of copyright renewal of any revisions issued before 1946. For anything published in 1946 only a few parts had their copyright renewed. After 1946 all versions should be treated as protected.

The 15th edition began in 1974, and is fully protected by copyrights. It is expected to become a public domain work by 2044.^verify

Notes on various editions

3rd – First edition with external contributors acknowledged; also the point at which the encyclopedia reached its full size (18 volumes, compared with 3 volumes for the 1st and 10 volumes for the 2nd).
4th – Much of the 3rd edition's text was retained, but some significant additions were made.
5th – Essentially a reprint of the 4th, with minimal changes.
6th – Essentially a reprint of the 5th (with minor updates to population numbers and such), but using a new typeface that no longer has the long s.
7th – Near-complete rewrite.
8th – Another near-complete rewrite.
9th – Heavy rewrite. This and the 11th edition are considered to be a high point of scholarship.
10th – Supplement to the 9th.
12th – Supplement to the 11th. This edition includes extensive articles on the battles of World War I. When the 13th edition was published the length of these articles was significantly reduced.
13th – Supplement to the 11th, intended to replace the 12th.
14th – The 14th was produced over a period of 45 years. The editorial changes over the years were so vast that the content of an early 14th and a late 14th hardly resemble each other. Many articles included in the first version were omitted in later ones.

Copyrights

Notes on various editions

See also