Arthur Mee

English writer and editor

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Last updated

June 30, 2026

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Arthur Mee was an English writer and editor known for creating popular children's encyclopedias. His most notable work, The Children's Encyclopaedia, was published in Great Britain in 1910 and in the United States as The Book of Knowledge in 1912. These encyclopedias were characterized by vivid writing and numerous illustrations. Mee also produced I See All (1928–30), a pictorial encyclopedia with minimal text accompanying thousands of small illustrations. His contributions significantly impacted children's literature and reference materials.1

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encyclopaedia
Children’s encyclopaedias
…the English writer and editor Arthur Mee, it was called The Children’s Encyclopaedia (1910) in Great Britain and The Book of Knowledge (1912) in the United States. The contents comprised vividly written and profusely illustrated articles; because the system of article arrangement was obscure, much of the success of the…
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…the English writer and editor Arthur Mee, it was called The Children’s Encyclopaedia (1910) in Great Britain and The Book of Knowledge (1912) in the United States. The contents comprised vividly written and profusely illustrated articles; because the system of article arrangement was obscure, much of the success of the…
Read More