Universal-Lexicon

encyclopaedia by Zedler

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July 14, 2026

Quick Summary

The Grosses vollst\u00e4ndiges Universal-Lexicon (Great Complete Universal Lexicon) was a significant German encyclopaedia published between 1732 and 1750 by Johann Heinrich Zedler in Leipzig. This extensive work, comprising 64 volumes, was prepared by nine editors and is recognized for its accuracy, particularly its biographical and bibliographical content. Notably, it was among the first encyclopaedias to include biographical information on living individuals. The Universal-Lexicon is considered part of the older tradition of encyclopaedias but remains important for its detailed information.123

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Encyclopædia Britannica
First edition
…volumes of Johann Heinrich Zedler’s Universal Lexicon or with the French Encyclopédie, whose 17 volumes of text had recently been completed. But it did challenge comparison with all previous dictionaries of arts and sciences, large or small, because of its new plan.
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…volumes of Johann Heinrich Zedler’s Universal Lexicon or with the French Encyclopédie, whose 17 volumes of text had recently been completed. But it did challenge comparison with all previous dictionaries of arts and sciences, large or small, because of its new plan.
Read More

encyclopaedia
The length of encyclopaedias and encyclopaedic articles
… comprised about 2,500 chapters, Zedler’s Universal-Lexicon was planned for 12 volumes and eventually filled 64; the publishers of the Encyclopédie were faced with a lawsuit (1768–78) for producing a 26-volume encyclopaedia instead of the 10 volumes they had promised; Johann Samuel Ersch and Johann Gottfried Gruber’s German Allgemeine Encyclopädie (“General…
Read More
… comprised about 2,500 chapters, Zedler’s Universal-Lexicon was planned for 12 volumes and eventually filled 64; the publishers of the Encyclopédie were faced with a lawsuit (1768–78) for producing a 26-volume encyclopaedia instead of the 10 volumes they had promised; Johann Samuel Ersch and Johann Gottfried Gruber’s German Allgemeine Encyclopädie (“General…
Read More