Encyclopaedias

[jsburbidge]

Encyclopaedias seem to have had two very different models as works of reference. Originally, with Diderot's Encyclopédie and a number of following exemplars, the idea was a collection of authoritative articles by a large set of expert authors, frequently signed to indicate the nature of the authority of the author. The Eleventh Edition of the Brittanica still followed this model. The more current model seems to be of a wholly anonymous and standardized work where the personal variations between contributors are steamrollered out by an enforced style and approach.

Many of the problems which seem to be emerging with Wikipedia would seem to be the result of following the latter model. Is anyone online trying the former model?