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Encyclopædia Britannica
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editions of the Encyclopædia Britannica Andrew Bell first edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica Antique illustrated plate from the first edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica showing sixteen labeled diagrams of watch and clock mechanisms, including gears, springs, and assemblies. William Smellie title page of the second edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica James Tytler Portrait of Archibald Constable standing beside a table with books, one hand resting on an open book and the other inside his coat. advertisement for the Encyclopædia Britannica William Robertson Smith
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editions of the Encyclopædia Britannica
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Encyclopædia Britannica

Written by
Michael Levy
Michael Levy was political science editor (2000-06), executive editor (2006-11), editor of Britannica Blog (2010-11), and director of product content & curriculum (2011-12) at Encyclopaedia Britannica....
Michael LevyAll
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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•History

The 14th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica differed from its predecessors both in the scope of its contents and in the method of its construction. The rapid changes in the world since the publication of the 11th edition meant that no one editor could claim the omniscience that would have been needed to organize the whole field of human knowledge. Thus, for the 14th edition there were more than 50 associate editors in London and...

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