An Historical and Critical Dictionary by Monsieur Bayle. Translated into English, with many Additions and Corrections, made by the Author himself, that are not in the French editions. 4 vols., Folio. Cont. calf, rubbed, rebacked new endpapers

Bayle, Pierre

Published by London, 1710

About this Item

Bayle, Pierre (1647-1706). An historical and critical dictionary . . . translated into English, with many additions and corrections, made by the author himself, that are not in the French editions. 4 vols. [28], 800; [4], 801-1550; [4], 1551-2434; [4], 2439-3108, xciv, [56]pp. (numerous irregularities in the pagination). London: Printed for C. Harper, D. Brown, J. Tonson, A. and J. Churchill [etc.], 1710. 368 x 235 mm. Paneled calf ca. 1710, rebacked, endpapers renewed, some rubbing and wear. Minor spotting, soiling and toning, but very good. First Edition in English of Bayle s Dictionnaire historique et critique (1695-97). Bayle s monumental Dictionnaire was one of the two first vernacular encyclopedias to make an impact on the European world of letters, the other being the Abbé Moréri s Le grand dictionnaire historique (1674; see no. xx in this catalogue), a work deliberately designed as an apologia and defense of the Catholic Church. Bayle, a French Protestant philosopher living in exile in Rotterdam, intended his Dictionnaire to be "an anti-clerical counterblast to Moréri s work," written, "as he put it, to rectify Moréri s mistakes and fill in the gaps. Bayle championed reason against belief, philosophy against religion, tolerance against superstition. In a seemingly detached way he posed arguments and counter-arguments side by side, reserving his most daring insinuations to the renvois (references) which supplemented the actual entries. For over half a century, until the publication of the Encyclopédie, Bayle s Dictionnaire dominated enlightened thinking in every part of Europe" (Printing and the Mind of Man 155). Bayle s Dictionnaire had a profound influence on many thinkers of the Enlightenment, including Diderot and the other Encylopédistes, David Hume, and George Berkeley. . 4500. Seller Inventory # 41539

Bibliographic Details

Title: An Historical and Critical Dictionary by ...

Publisher: London

Publication Date: 1710

Edition: 1st Edition