Historedia
EuropeEvent

First Publication of the Encyclopédie

When
1751
Where
Paris
Episodes
1

The Encyclopédie, edited by Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert, began publication in Paris in 1751. The first volume appeared in June 1751, marking the start of a major reference work that would continue until 1772.

Episodes

  1. June 1751 · ParisFirst Volume Publication

    The first volume of the Encyclopédie was published in Paris in June 1751.

Background and detail

Background. The project originated from the interest of Parisian bookseller André Le Breton in a French translation of Chambers' Cyclopaedia. This led to the commissioning of a new encyclopedia, which was eventually titled the Encyclopédie, a variant on the original title.

Publication. The first volume was published in June 1751 in Paris. The title pages of the initial volumes claimed Paris as the place of publication. The work was edited by Denis Diderot and, until 1759, co-edited by Jean le Rond d'Alembert.

Contributors. The encyclopedia had many contributors, known as the Encyclopédistes. Diderot and d'Alembert recruited various specialists to help gather knowledge from myriad specialties. More than 140 people contributed at least one article, including prominent philosophes like Voltaire and Rousseau.

People involved

Sources

  1. Encyclopédie Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-27

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.