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All the Knowledge in the World: The Extraordinary History of the Encyclopaedia by the bestselling author of JUST MY TYPE
Simon Garfield
Literary studies: general, General encyclopaedias, History: specific events & topics
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Imprint
W&N
- Paperback Nov 14, 2023 | 9781474610797 | RRP $24.99 Buy Now
- Trade Paperback Sep 13, 2022 | 9781474610780 | RRP $32.99 Buy Now
- Hardback Dec 29, 2022 | 9781474610773 | RRP $45.00 Buy Now
Play Sample0:00 -
Imprint
W&N
- Paperback Nov 14, 2023 | 9781474610797 | RRP $24.99 Buy Now
- Trade Paperback Sep 13, 2022 | 9781474610780 | RRP $32.99 Buy Now
- Hardback Dec 29, 2022 | 9781474610773 | RRP $45.00 Buy Now
Play Sample0:00 -
Imprint
W&N
- Paperback Nov 14, 2023 | 9781474610797 | RRP $24.99 Buy Now
- Trade Paperback Sep 13, 2022 | 9781474610780 | RRP $32.99 Buy Now
- Hardback Dec 29, 2022 | 9781474610773 | RRP $45.00 Buy Now
Play Sample0:00
A gloriously illuminating history of the encyclopaedia (and how and why we have captured knowledge over the years) by the bestselling author of JUST MY TYPE and ON THE MAP
'Witty and geekily eclectic' The Times
An erudite and amusing exploration' Financial Times
'Full of jawdropping facts' Mail on Sunday
'Remarkable . . . engrossing' Sunday Times
'A pleasure' Spectator
'An infectiously enthusiastic history' Times Literary Supplement
The encyclopaedia once shaped our understanding of the world. Now these huge books sell for almost nothing on eBay while we derive information from our phones. What have we lost in this transition? All the Knowledge in the World tracks the story from Ancient Greece to Wikipedia, from modest single-volumes to the 11,000-volume Chinese manuscript that was too big to print. It exposes how encyclopaedias reflect our changing attitudes towards sexuality, race and technology, uncovers a fascinating part of our shared past and wonders whether the promise of complete knowledge - that most human of ambitions - will forever be beyond our grasp.
Praise for All the Knowledge in the World: The Extraordinary History of the Encyclopaedia by the bestselling author of JUST MY TYPE
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A delightful romp through the history of trying to summarise all there is to be known. Simon Garfield displays his inimitable mix of curiosity, learnedness and wit
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Remarkable . . . engrossing. It is impossible to give readers an impression of the scope and power of Garfield's knowledge and imagination - SUNDAY TIMES
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A pleasure. Garfield writes fluidly, cheerily and charmingly, even while the breeziness does not detract from the scale of his ambition: to understand nothing less than humans' need for knowledge and how to convey and preserve it - THE SPECTATOR
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Witty and geekily eclectic . . . celebrates encyclopaedias in all their quirky, leatherbound glory - THE TIMES
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Full of jawdropping facts . . . Garfield turns what might have been a dry subject into an enjoyable, quirky, highly informative tour . . . fascinating - MAIL ON SUNDAY
Simon Garfield
Simon Garfield is the author of the international bestsellers Just My Type, On the Map and Mauve, while To the Letter was one of the inspirations for the theatre shows Letters Live with Benedict Cumberbatch. His study of AIDS in Britain, The End of Innocence, won the Somerset Maugham prize.
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