All the Knowledge in the World
| Industry | Publishing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1768 |
| Products | Encyclopedia |
All the Knowledge in the World: The Extraordinary History of the Encyclopedia is a nonfiction work by British journalist Simon Garfield, exploring the development of encyclopedias from Ancient Greece through to Wikipedia, with particular attention given to the Encyclopædia Britannica.
Overview
Garfield arranges the twenty-six chapters in alphabetical order, beginning with “Ahh, Here Comes Andrew Bell” and concluding with “Zeitgeist” and “Zywiec.” Each chapter consists of distinct, standalone narratives that readers can enjoy independently.
More than 270 years after Denis Diderot characterized encyclopedias as collections of all human knowledge, contributors persist in this endeavor. Garfield points out that encyclopedias have grown significantly in volume, number of entries, and competing titles. He observes that vintage Encyclopaedia Britannica volumes frequently cost more to ship than their market value, describing them as “the fastest depreciating assemblage of information ever known.” He underscores the ongoing difficulty in determining what constitutes valuable knowledge and how best to present it.
Centering on Britannica, which has been active since 1768, Garfield refers to it as his “de facto protagonist.” The encyclopedia enlisted authorities such as Sigmund Freud, Marie Curie, and Alfred Hitchcock to contribute articles within their fields. Its 15th edition reportedly required a $32 million investment for development alone, excluding printing expenses—making it “the largest single private investment in publishing history.”
The narrative also addresses monumental compilations like the Yongle Dadian, an 11,095-volume work commissioned by Ming dynasty ruler Zhu Di.
Reception
The New York Times lauded Garfield for animating the figures behind encyclopedias with a “light and personable touch.” The Wall Street Journal called the book a “lively threnody to the encyclopedic impulse.”
Joshua Kim from Inside Higher Ed observed that the book omits discussion of Britannica’s transition to digital formats, particularly its 1999 move to provide free online access, which led to website crashes due to overwhelming traffic.
Publishers Weekly praised the work as “fast-paced and fact-filled.”