General Dictionary, Historical and Critical
Encyclopedia
The General Dictionary, Historical and Critical was a biographical dictionary
published from 1734 to 1741 in London in 10 volumes. It derived from the Dictionnaire historique et critique
of Pierre Bayle
, already translated into English in 1710 by Pierre des Maizeaux
as An Historical and Critical Dictionary, but expanded the material with many biographies of English figures, this work being assigned largely to Thomas Birch
. The other two main editors were John Peter Bernard, whose efforts led to his admission as a Fellow of the Royal Society, and John Lockman
, who undertook a fresh translation of Bayle's work. The work has been described as the "first important ancestor" of the Dictionary of National Biography
. The publishers were Richard Chandler and Caesar Ward.
Biographical dictionary
Biographical dictionaries – a type of encyclopedic dictionary limited to biographical information – have been written in many languages. Many attempt to cover the major personalities of a country...
published from 1734 to 1741 in London in 10 volumes. It derived from the Dictionnaire historique et critique
Dictionnaire Historique et Critique
The Dictionnaire Historique et Critique is a biographical dictionary written by Pierre Bayle , a Huguenot who lived and published in Holland after fleeing his native France due to religious persecution. The dictionary was first published in 1697, and enlarged in the second edition of 1702...
of Pierre Bayle
Pierre Bayle
Pierre Bayle was a French philosopher and writer best known for his seminal work the Historical and Critical Dictionary, published beginning in 1695....
, already translated into English in 1710 by Pierre des Maizeaux
Pierre des Maizeaux
Pierre des Maizeaux, also spelled Desmaizeaux was a French Huguenot writer exiled in London, best known as the translator and biographer of Pierre Bayle....
as An Historical and Critical Dictionary, but expanded the material with many biographies of English figures, this work being assigned largely to Thomas Birch
Thomas Birch
Thomas Birch was an English historian.-Life:He was the son of Joseph Birch, a coffee-mill maker, and was born at Clerkenwell....
. The other two main editors were John Peter Bernard, whose efforts led to his admission as a Fellow of the Royal Society, and John Lockman
John Lockman
-Life:Born in humble circumstances, he was an autodidact scholar who learnt to speak French by frequenting Slaughter's Coffee House. He had enough acquaintance with Alexander Pope that he could dedicate to him in 1734 his translation of Charles Porée's Oration...
, who undertook a fresh translation of Bayle's work. The work has been described as the "first important ancestor" of the Dictionary of National Biography
Dictionary of National Biography
The Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...
. The publishers were Richard Chandler and Caesar Ward.