Encyclopædia Britannica Third Edition
Encyclopedia
The Encyclopædia Britannica Third Edition (1797) is an 18-volume reference work, an edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica
. It was developed during the encyclopaedia's earliest period as a two-man operation founded by Colin Macfarquhar
and Andrew Bell, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Most of the editing was done by Macfarquhar, all copperplates were created by Bell.
The third edition was produced between 1788 and 1797. Colin Macfarquhar, the editor of volumes 1 - 12, up to "Mysteries," died in 1793, age 48, of "mental exhaustion." His heirs were bought out by Bell, who became sole owner of Britannica. Bell hired George Gleig
later Bishop Gleig of Brechin (consecrated 30 October 1808), to carry on the job as editor for the remainder of the third edition. Gleig also edited the 1801 and 1803 supplements. The third edition was published in 300 weekly numbers (1 shilling apiece); these numbers were collected and bound in 30 parts (10 shilling, sixpence each) and finally in 18 volumes with 14,579 pages and 542 plates.
Nearly doubling the scope of the 2nd edition, Macfarquhar's encyclopedic vision was finally realized. Recruited by Gleig, several illustrious authorities contributed to this edition, such as Dr. Thomas Thomson, who introduced the first usage of chemical symbols in the 1801 supplement (see below), and John Robison
, Secretary of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, who wrote several well-regarded articles on natural philosophy
. The third edition established the foundation of the Britannica as an important and definitive reference work for much of the next two centuries. This edition was also enormously profitable, yielding 42,000 pounds sterling profit on the sale of roughly 10,000 copies. The 3rd edition began the tradition (continued to this day) of dedicating the Britannica to the reigning British monarch, then King George III
; calling him "the Father of Your People, and enlightened Patron of Arts, Sciences and Literature", Gleig wished
The 3rd edition
is also famous for its bold article on "Motion", which erroneously rejects Isaac Newton
's theory of gravitation
. Instead, authors James Tytler
and Dr. Gleig wrote that gravity is caused by the classical element of fire
. They seem to have been swayed by William Jones
' Essay on the First Principles of Natural Philosophy (1762), which in turn was based on John Hutchinson's
MA thesis, Moses' Principia, which was written in 1724 but rejected by Oxford University. Nevertheless, Gleig was sanguine about the errors of the 3rd edition, echoing William Smellie
's sentiment in the 1st edition quoted in the main article:
The first American encyclopedia, Dobson's Encyclopædia
, was based almost entirely on the 3rd edition of the Britannica and was published at nearly the same time (1788–1798), together with an analogous supplement (1803), by Scottish printer Thomas Dobson. Dobson, an Edinburgh native and master printer who learned his craft in that city while the first two editions were being produced there, move to America in 1783. The first United States copyright
law was passed on 30 May 1790 — although anticipated by Section 8 of Article I of the United States Constitution
(ratified 4 March 1789) — but did not protect foreign publications such as the Britannica. Piracy of the Britannica in America remained a problem through the 9th edition (1889). Pirated copies were also sold in Dublin by James Moore under the title, Moore's Dublin Edition, Encyclopædia Britannica; this was an exact reproduction. By contrast, Dobson's work had various corrections and amendments for American readers.
In 1797, Fath Ali Shah was given a complete set of the Britannicas 3rd edition, which he read completely; after this feat, he extended his royal title to include "Most Formidable Lord and Master of the Encyclopædia Britannica."
The maps in the 3rd edition are outdated, as they are the same maps that were used in the first edition of 1771 and second edition of 1784.
Like the second edition
, the volumes were dated by the year they were written, with volume 1 in 1788 and volume 18 in 1797. Unlike the second edition, the encyclopedia continued to be printed, in complete sets, bound in house, with all the volumes re-dated to 1797. See the scan in this wiki page. In addition to the complete sets printed in Edinburgh, more sets were being printed in Dublin by James Moore and in London by C. Cooke. Altogether, 10,000 complete sets were printed, according to Kerr or 13,000 copies according to Constable. By contrast, only 1,500 copies of the second edition were printed, all unbound.
The 1797 and later printings also include a preface in vol. 1, written by Dr. Gleig, which names the authors of some of the longer articles. In it, Gleig states, "Aerology, Aerostation, Chemistry, Electricity, Gunnery, Hydrostatics, Mechanics, with most of the separate articles in the various branches of natural history, we have reason to believe were compiled by Mr. James Tytler
, chemist; a man who, though his conduct has been marked by almost perpetual imprudence, possesses no common share of science and genius." Note here that Tytler's contributions stop at the letter M. Tytler's very long article in the second edition on Medicine, "was revised and improved for the present by Andrew Duncan, M.D., fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and Professor of the Institutes of Physic in the University." He also states that Motion was written by himself and Tytler
.
The list of authors goes on, "Mary Queen of Scots, Instinct, Love, Metaphysics, Miracle, Moral Philosophy, Oath, Passion, Plastic Nature, Polytheism, Prayer, Slavery, and Supper of the Lord were contributed by Dr. Gleig
, editor of the last 6 volumes." Blind was written by Dr. Blacklock
and Dr. Moyes, who were both blind. Education was written by Mr. Robert Heron; Grammar and Theology were written by Dr. Gleig
and the Rev. James Bruce; Music by Dr. Blacklock
; History of Art by Wm. Maxwell Morrison; Mysteries, Mythology and Philology by David Doig; Navigation, Parallax, Pendulum, Projection, Ship Building, and Naval Tactics by Andrew Mackay; and John Robison
is credited with Physics, Pneumatics, Precession, Projectiles, Pumps, Resistance of fluids, Roof, Rope making, Rotation, Seamanship, Signals, Sound, Specific Gravity, Statics, Steam, Steam Engine, Strength of materials, Telescope, Tide, and Water Works. Philosophy was written by Gleig
and Robison
; Physiology by Dr. John Barclay
; French Revolution by Dr. Gleig
and Mr. Forsythe; and the articles Oxygen and Phlogiston were written by John Rotheram of St. Andrews.
The quality of the printing also appears better than in previous editions, and on better paper. It contains a color plate, opposite page 208 in volume 1, named "2nd plate II" in the Aerostation article, although it was printed in B&W and colored by hand. It is notable that the aerostation article describes balloon flight from 1783 to 1788, but Tytler
does not mention his own balloon flights of 1784.
Some printings of the Third edition contain 20 volumes; the first 18 are text, and volumes 19 and 20 are the 500+ copperplates and maps. Other pressings are 18 volumes with all the copperplates and maps interspersed throughout at their proper places.
set about to produce a supplement to update the encyclopedia.
Two volumes were produced in 1801 to supplement the Third edition. A second edition of the two volumes, "with improvements", was printed in 1803. In both versions, the articles run alphabetically, and contain over 800 pages each. The 1803 edition runs A-I in volume 1 and I-Z in volume 2. A new article on Chemistry, 190 pages in length, written by Thomas Thomson of Edinburgh, is meant to completely replace the 261-page article in the main encyclopedia, written by James Tytler. Much new information about oxygen, combustion, and disproof of the phlogiston theory
had been discovered since Tytler's day, and are explained here. A new and quickly growing list of chemical elements and their compounds was replacing the former system, which contained only the elements earth, air, water, and fire. Thomson also wrote new articles on Minerology, Combustion, and a 90-page article Substances, all in the field of Chemistry.
George Washington, who does not have his own article in the Third edition, has a 4-page article in the Supplement. John Robison
of Edinburgh wrote new articles: Arch, Astronomy, Carpentry, Center, Dynamics, Electricity, Impulsion, Involution and Evolution of Curves, Machinery, Magnetism, Mechanics, Percussion, Piano-Forte, Position, Temperament, Thunder, Trumpet, and Watchwork. The French Revolution is also given a continuation, by Gleig.
The two volumes of the Supplement contain 50 copperplates, none of which were produced by Bell. Bonar retained sole ownership of the supplement's copyright. In the creation of the 4th edition of Britannica, which Bell started in 1800, none of the work from the supplements could be used, as Bell did not have the copyright, and Bonar wanted too much money for his liking. This event caused a bitter feud between Bonar and Bell which was never resolved in Bell's lifetime. Bell died in 1809, and the 4th edition was completed the following year. Upon Bell's death, one of Britannica's major distributors, Archibald Constable
, bought the encyclopedia, and also obtained Bonar's copyright by making him part owner of Britannica.
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
. It was developed during the encyclopaedia's earliest period as a two-man operation founded by Colin Macfarquhar
Colin Macfarquhar
Colin Macfarquhar was a Scottish bookseller and printer. He is best known for being one of the "Society of Gentlemen in Scotland", along with Andrew Bell, who first published the Encyclopædia Britannica. Macfarquhar also contributed heavily to the second and third edition...
and Andrew Bell, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Most of the editing was done by Macfarquhar, all copperplates were created by Bell.
The third edition was produced between 1788 and 1797. Colin Macfarquhar, the editor of volumes 1 - 12, up to "Mysteries," died in 1793, age 48, of "mental exhaustion." His heirs were bought out by Bell, who became sole owner of Britannica. Bell hired George Gleig
George Gleig
George Gleig was a Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church.He was born at Boghall, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the son of a farmer. At the age of thirteen he entered King's College, University of Aberdeen, where the first prize in mathematics and physical and moral sciences fell to him...
later Bishop Gleig of Brechin (consecrated 30 October 1808), to carry on the job as editor for the remainder of the third edition. Gleig also edited the 1801 and 1803 supplements. The third edition was published in 300 weekly numbers (1 shilling apiece); these numbers were collected and bound in 30 parts (10 shilling, sixpence each) and finally in 18 volumes with 14,579 pages and 542 plates.
Nearly doubling the scope of the 2nd edition, Macfarquhar's encyclopedic vision was finally realized. Recruited by Gleig, several illustrious authorities contributed to this edition, such as Dr. Thomas Thomson, who introduced the first usage of chemical symbols in the 1801 supplement (see below), and John Robison
John Robison (physicist)
John Robison FRSE was a Scottish physicist and mathematician. He was a professor of philosophy at the University of Edinburgh....
, Secretary of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, who wrote several well-regarded articles on natural philosophy
Natural philosophy
Natural philosophy or the philosophy of nature , is a term applied to the study of nature and the physical universe that was dominant before the development of modern science...
. The third edition established the foundation of the Britannica as an important and definitive reference work for much of the next two centuries. This edition was also enormously profitable, yielding 42,000 pounds sterling profit on the sale of roughly 10,000 copies. The 3rd edition began the tradition (continued to this day) of dedicating the Britannica to the reigning British monarch, then King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
; calling him "the Father of Your People, and enlightened Patron of Arts, Sciences and Literature", Gleig wished
The 3rd edition
Encyclopædia Britannica Third Edition
The Encyclopædia Britannica Third Edition is an 18-volume reference work, an edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. It was developed during the encyclopaedia's earliest period as a two-man operation founded by Colin Macfarquhar and Andrew Bell, in Edinburgh, Scotland...
is also famous for its bold article on "Motion", which erroneously rejects Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
's theory of gravitation
Gravitation
Gravitation, or gravity, is a natural phenomenon by which physical bodies attract with a force proportional to their mass. Gravitation is most familiar as the agent that gives weight to objects with mass and causes them to fall to the ground when dropped...
. Instead, authors James Tytler
James Tytler
James Tytler was a Scottish apothecary and the editor of the second edition of Encyclopædia Britannica. Tytler became the first person in Britain to steer a hot air balloon ....
and Dr. Gleig wrote that gravity is caused by the classical element of fire
Fire (classical element)
Fire has been an important part of all cultures and religions from pre-history to modern day and was vital to the development of civilization. It has been regarded in many different contexts throughout history, but especially as a metaphysical constant of the world.-Greek and Roman tradition:Fire...
. They seem to have been swayed by William Jones
William Jones (ecclesiastic)
William Jones , known as William Jones of Nayland, was a British clergyman and author.-Life:He was born at Lowick, Northamptonshire, but was descended from an old Welsh family. One of his ancestors was Colonel John Jones, brother-in-law of Oliver Cromwell. He was educated at Charterhouse School...
' Essay on the First Principles of Natural Philosophy (1762), which in turn was based on John Hutchinson's
John Hutchinson (writer)
John Hutchinson was an English theological writer.He was born at Spennithorne, Yorkshire, and served as steward in several families of position, latterly in that of the Duke of Somerset, who ultimately obtained for him the post of riding purveyor to the master of the horse, a sinecure worth about...
MA thesis, Moses' Principia, which was written in 1724 but rejected by Oxford University. Nevertheless, Gleig was sanguine about the errors of the 3rd edition, echoing William Smellie
William Smellie (encyclopedist)
William Smellie was a Scottish master printer, naturalist, antiquary, editor and encyclopedist. He was friends with Robert Burns, whose assessment is engraved on Smellie's tombstone: "Here lies a man who did honour to human nature"...
's sentiment in the 1st edition quoted in the main article:
The first American encyclopedia, Dobson's Encyclopædia
Dobson's Encyclopædia
Dobson's Encyclopædia was the first encyclopedia published in the newly independent United States of America, by Thomas Dobson from 1789–1798...
, was based almost entirely on the 3rd edition of the Britannica and was published at nearly the same time (1788–1798), together with an analogous supplement (1803), by Scottish printer Thomas Dobson. Dobson, an Edinburgh native and master printer who learned his craft in that city while the first two editions were being produced there, move to America in 1783. The first United States copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
law was passed on 30 May 1790 — although anticipated by Section 8 of Article I of the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
(ratified 4 March 1789) — but did not protect foreign publications such as the Britannica. Piracy of the Britannica in America remained a problem through the 9th edition (1889). Pirated copies were also sold in Dublin by James Moore under the title, Moore's Dublin Edition, Encyclopædia Britannica; this was an exact reproduction. By contrast, Dobson's work had various corrections and amendments for American readers.
In 1797, Fath Ali Shah was given a complete set of the Britannicas 3rd edition, which he read completely; after this feat, he extended his royal title to include "Most Formidable Lord and Master of the Encyclopædia Britannica."
The maps in the 3rd edition are outdated, as they are the same maps that were used in the first edition of 1771 and second edition of 1784.
Like the second edition
Encyclopædia Britannica Second Edition
The Encyclopædia Britannica Second Edition is a 10-volume reference work, an edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. It was developed during the encyclopaedia's earliest period as a two-man operation founded by Colin Macfarquhar and Andrew Bell, in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was sold unbound in...
, the volumes were dated by the year they were written, with volume 1 in 1788 and volume 18 in 1797. Unlike the second edition, the encyclopedia continued to be printed, in complete sets, bound in house, with all the volumes re-dated to 1797. See the scan in this wiki page. In addition to the complete sets printed in Edinburgh, more sets were being printed in Dublin by James Moore and in London by C. Cooke. Altogether, 10,000 complete sets were printed, according to Kerr or 13,000 copies according to Constable. By contrast, only 1,500 copies of the second edition were printed, all unbound.
The 1797 and later printings also include a preface in vol. 1, written by Dr. Gleig, which names the authors of some of the longer articles. In it, Gleig states, "Aerology, Aerostation, Chemistry, Electricity, Gunnery, Hydrostatics, Mechanics, with most of the separate articles in the various branches of natural history, we have reason to believe were compiled by Mr. James Tytler
James Tytler
James Tytler was a Scottish apothecary and the editor of the second edition of Encyclopædia Britannica. Tytler became the first person in Britain to steer a hot air balloon ....
, chemist; a man who, though his conduct has been marked by almost perpetual imprudence, possesses no common share of science and genius." Note here that Tytler's contributions stop at the letter M. Tytler's very long article in the second edition on Medicine, "was revised and improved for the present by Andrew Duncan, M.D., fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and Professor of the Institutes of Physic in the University." He also states that Motion was written by himself and Tytler
James Tytler
James Tytler was a Scottish apothecary and the editor of the second edition of Encyclopædia Britannica. Tytler became the first person in Britain to steer a hot air balloon ....
.
The list of authors goes on, "Mary Queen of Scots, Instinct, Love, Metaphysics, Miracle, Moral Philosophy, Oath, Passion, Plastic Nature, Polytheism, Prayer, Slavery, and Supper of the Lord were contributed by Dr. Gleig
George Gleig
George Gleig was a Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church.He was born at Boghall, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the son of a farmer. At the age of thirteen he entered King's College, University of Aberdeen, where the first prize in mathematics and physical and moral sciences fell to him...
, editor of the last 6 volumes." Blind was written by Dr. Blacklock
Thomas Blacklock
Thomas Blacklock was a Scottish poet.He was born near Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, of humble parentage, and lost his sight as a result of smallpox when six months old. He began to write poetry at the age of 12, and studied for the Church...
and Dr. Moyes, who were both blind. Education was written by Mr. Robert Heron; Grammar and Theology were written by Dr. Gleig
George Gleig
George Gleig was a Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church.He was born at Boghall, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the son of a farmer. At the age of thirteen he entered King's College, University of Aberdeen, where the first prize in mathematics and physical and moral sciences fell to him...
and the Rev. James Bruce; Music by Dr. Blacklock
Thomas Blacklock
Thomas Blacklock was a Scottish poet.He was born near Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, of humble parentage, and lost his sight as a result of smallpox when six months old. He began to write poetry at the age of 12, and studied for the Church...
; History of Art by Wm. Maxwell Morrison; Mysteries, Mythology and Philology by David Doig; Navigation, Parallax, Pendulum, Projection, Ship Building, and Naval Tactics by Andrew Mackay; and John Robison
John Robison (physicist)
John Robison FRSE was a Scottish physicist and mathematician. He was a professor of philosophy at the University of Edinburgh....
is credited with Physics, Pneumatics, Precession, Projectiles, Pumps, Resistance of fluids, Roof, Rope making, Rotation, Seamanship, Signals, Sound, Specific Gravity, Statics, Steam, Steam Engine, Strength of materials, Telescope, Tide, and Water Works. Philosophy was written by Gleig
George Gleig
George Gleig was a Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church.He was born at Boghall, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the son of a farmer. At the age of thirteen he entered King's College, University of Aberdeen, where the first prize in mathematics and physical and moral sciences fell to him...
and Robison
John Robison (physicist)
John Robison FRSE was a Scottish physicist and mathematician. He was a professor of philosophy at the University of Edinburgh....
; Physiology by Dr. John Barclay
John Barclay (anatomist)
John Barclay FRSE FRCPE FRCSE FLS MWS was an eminent Scottish comparative anatomist, extra-mural teacher in anatomy, and director of the Highland Society of Scotland....
; French Revolution by Dr. Gleig
George Gleig
George Gleig was a Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church.He was born at Boghall, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the son of a farmer. At the age of thirteen he entered King's College, University of Aberdeen, where the first prize in mathematics and physical and moral sciences fell to him...
and Mr. Forsythe; and the articles Oxygen and Phlogiston were written by John Rotheram of St. Andrews.
The quality of the printing also appears better than in previous editions, and on better paper. It contains a color plate, opposite page 208 in volume 1, named "2nd plate II" in the Aerostation article, although it was printed in B&W and colored by hand. It is notable that the aerostation article describes balloon flight from 1783 to 1788, but Tytler
James Tytler
James Tytler was a Scottish apothecary and the editor of the second edition of Encyclopædia Britannica. Tytler became the first person in Britain to steer a hot air balloon ....
does not mention his own balloon flights of 1784.
Some printings of the Third edition contain 20 volumes; the first 18 are text, and volumes 19 and 20 are the 500+ copperplates and maps. Other pressings are 18 volumes with all the copperplates and maps interspersed throughout at their proper places.
The Supplement to the Third Edition, dated 1801
After the death of Macfarquhar, Andrew Bell was sole owner of Britannica. His son-in-law Thomson BonarThomas Bonar
Thomson Bonar was a wine-merchant who married the daughter of the engraver Andrew Bell, who co-founded the Encyclopædia Britannica with Colin Macfarquhar....
set about to produce a supplement to update the encyclopedia.
Two volumes were produced in 1801 to supplement the Third edition. A second edition of the two volumes, "with improvements", was printed in 1803. In both versions, the articles run alphabetically, and contain over 800 pages each. The 1803 edition runs A-I in volume 1 and I-Z in volume 2. A new article on Chemistry, 190 pages in length, written by Thomas Thomson of Edinburgh, is meant to completely replace the 261-page article in the main encyclopedia, written by James Tytler. Much new information about oxygen, combustion, and disproof of the phlogiston theory
Phlogiston theory
The phlogiston theory , first stated in 1667 by Johann Joachim Becher, is an obsolete scientific theory that postulated the existence of a fire-like element called "phlogiston", which was contained within combustible bodies and released during combustion...
had been discovered since Tytler's day, and are explained here. A new and quickly growing list of chemical elements and their compounds was replacing the former system, which contained only the elements earth, air, water, and fire. Thomson also wrote new articles on Minerology, Combustion, and a 90-page article Substances, all in the field of Chemistry.
George Washington, who does not have his own article in the Third edition, has a 4-page article in the Supplement. John Robison
John Robison (physicist)
John Robison FRSE was a Scottish physicist and mathematician. He was a professor of philosophy at the University of Edinburgh....
of Edinburgh wrote new articles: Arch, Astronomy, Carpentry, Center, Dynamics, Electricity, Impulsion, Involution and Evolution of Curves, Machinery, Magnetism, Mechanics, Percussion, Piano-Forte, Position, Temperament, Thunder, Trumpet, and Watchwork. The French Revolution is also given a continuation, by Gleig.
The two volumes of the Supplement contain 50 copperplates, none of which were produced by Bell. Bonar retained sole ownership of the supplement's copyright. In the creation of the 4th edition of Britannica, which Bell started in 1800, none of the work from the supplements could be used, as Bell did not have the copyright, and Bonar wanted too much money for his liking. This event caused a bitter feud between Bonar and Bell which was never resolved in Bell's lifetime. Bell died in 1809, and the 4th edition was completed the following year. Upon Bell's death, one of Britannica's major distributors, Archibald Constable
Archibald Constable
Archibald Constable was a Scottish publisher, bookseller and stationer.He was born at Carnbee, Fife, as the son of the land steward to the Earl of Kellie. In 1788 Archibald was apprenticed to Peter Hill, an Edinburgh bookseller, but in 1795 he started in business for himself as a dealer in rare...
, bought the encyclopedia, and also obtained Bonar's copyright by making him part owner of Britannica.