Overview

Overview

The most famous reference work of the 1700's was the multivolume Encyclopedie. It was published in 28 volumes between 1751 and 1772. Seven more volumes were published by 1780. The work was an impressive collection of the accumulated knowledge of the day, but it also contained attacks on religious authority, economic inequality, and abuses of justice. Many historians believe its revolutionary sentiments contributed to the movement that led to the French Revolution (1789-1799).