Specialized dictionaries and encyclopedias, 1650-1800: a tribute to Frank Kafker

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, specialized dictionaries and encyclopedias proliferated, covering various disciplines and languages. Despite their significance, they have received limited scholarly attention. This volume examines specialized dictionaries as commercial products, collections of content, and cultural artifacts, using Frank Kafkers methods to study their characteristics. It includes case studies on dictionaries from different fields and languages, concluding with an essay on Kafkers influence on historiography.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 488 pages
Publication date: 12 March 2024
Publisher: Liverpool University Press

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, a remarkable surge occurred in the production of specialized dictionaries and encyclopedias, witnessing a staggering expansion from a mere trickle to a flood. Simultaneously, the range of disciplines these dictionaries and encyclopedias encompassed expanded from a mere handful to dozens, representing a diverse array of knowledge domains. In comparison, specialized dictionaries far outnumbered general encyclopedias, with the former being more prevalent. Despite their immense significance as sources of knowledge and as defining forces in various disciplines, specialized dictionaries have received relatively limited scholarly attention. This volume seeks to rectify this oversight by employing Frank Kafkers pioneering methods for studying general encyclopedias, as showcased in his seminal work, Notable Encyclopedias of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries (1981). By examining specialized dictionaries as commercial products, curated collections of content, and cultural artifacts, this volume complements a comprehensive analytical introduction that provides a broad overview of the characteristics of specialized dictionaries in general. The case studies included in this volume, authored by individual scholars but standardized in approach, delve into dictionaries covering a wide range of disciplines, spanning from the Bible to mining, and presented in five European languages. The volume concludes with an essay that explores Frank Kafkers profound influence on historiography.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781837641468