Like dictionaries, encyclopedias may be general or topic specific. A general encyclopedia gives information on many subjects. An example of this type of resource is The new enclopaedia Britannica. We have copies of the volumes that make up this resource in our Oversize Collection. Click the link to see its record in the library catalogue.
The New Encyclopaedia Britannica
This is a very in-depth encyclopedia with approximately 6500 articles on a wide variety of topics. To help readers access the topics they need, the encyclopedia includes an index.
Topic specific encyclopedias give information on many aspects of one particular subject or topic. For example, the The concise encyclopedia of western philosophy and philosophers whose entries are about the topic of "Western philosophy".
The concise encyclopedia of western philosophy and philosophers
The most current edition of this encyclopedia accounts for recent developments in philosophy, of literary, historical and political issues in philosophy, and of developments in continental thought, including in Marxism, psychoanalysis, phenomenology, existentialism, structuralism, post-structuralism and deconstruction. There is a clear, integral cross-referencing system which allows the reader to identify points of overlap between philosophical traditions and their personalities at a glance.