Lexicon Technicum

work by Harris

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Last updated

June 30, 2026

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The Lexicon Technicum, published in 1704 by John Harris, was a significant work described as "a universal English dictionary of arts and sciences." It focused on explaining terms and the arts and sciences themselves, notably omitting subjects like theology, biography, and geography. Harris, an English theologian and scientist, may have been among the first to involve experts, such as Sir Isaac Newton, in the compilation of such a work. This approach marked a shift towards specialist contributors for encyclopaedic works, a pattern that would become standard for future comprehensive publications.12

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encyclopaedia
Authorship
…Isaac Newton, in compiling his Lexicon Technicum (1704; “Technical Lexicon”). Johann Heinrich Zedler, in his Universal-Lexicon (1732–50), went further by enlisting the help of two general editors, supported by nine specialist editors, the result being a gigantic work of great accuracy. The French Encyclopédie, the largest encyclopaedia issued at that…
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…Isaac Newton, in compiling his Lexicon Technicum (1704; “Technical Lexicon”). Johann Heinrich Zedler, in his Universal-Lexicon (1732–50), went further by enlisting the help of two general editors, supported by nine specialist editors, the result being a gigantic work of great accuracy. The French Encyclopédie, the largest encyclopaedia issued at that…
Read More

encyclopaedia
The development of the modern encyclopaedia (17th–18th centuries)
The Lexicon Technicum (1704) of John Harris represented the powerful impact of the work of the Royal Society (founded 1660). Here was all the equipment of the modern encyclopaedia: excellent engraved plates, clear practical text, bibliographies appended to the more important articles. So far, England had…
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The Lexicon Technicum (1704) of John Harris represented the powerful impact of the work of the Royal Society (founded 1660). Here was all the equipment of the modern encyclopaedia: excellent engraved plates, clear practical text, bibliographies appended to the more important articles. So far, England had…
Read More

encyclopaedia
Encyclopaedic dictionaries
…successful publication of John Harris’s Lexicon Technicum (1704), which the author described as “an universal English dictionary of arts and sciences: explaining not only the terms of art, but the arts themselves.” It is significant that Harris omitted such subjects as theology, biography, and geography. The Englishman Ephraim Chambers went…
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…successful publication of John Harris’s Lexicon Technicum (1704), which the author described as “an universal English dictionary of arts and sciences: explaining not only the terms of art, but the arts themselves.” It is significant that Harris omitted such subjects as theology, biography, and geography. The Englishman Ephraim Chambers went…
Read More