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Exhibition “Look it up!”
22 Jul 2024
Insights into Diderot and d'Alembert's Encyclopédie
© UB der LMU München
In the mid-18th century, Denis Diderot and Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert embarked on a major new project that embodied the ideals of the Enlightenment like no other: the Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers. Under the editorial direction of the two publishers, numerous philosophers and writers worked together. These encyclopedists, of whom about 140 contributors are known by name, included French luminaries of the Enlightenment such as Charles de Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Voltaire. The aim was to collect the knowledge of the time, highlight connections, and make it available to readers. Despite a few setbacks, such as French censorship, the print run increased significantly and the Encyclopédie became the largest undertaking in the French book trade of the 18th century. It took a total of 25 years to complete the Encyclopédie, which was ultimately divided into 35 volumes and published with over 3,000 copperplate engravings.
The University Library of LMU Munich owns the complete second edition of the Encyclopédie, published between 1758 and 1776. Just as if one were looking up a term in the Encyclopédie, the exhibition provides an insight into the great project of the Enlightenment through individual articles and the accompanying copperplate engravings.
Date and location of the exhibition
- Duration of the exhibition: July 22, 2024 – October 11, 2024
- Location: University Library, exhibition and lending hall (ground floor), Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, 80539 München
Contact
Annika Assil M.A.
LMU Munich University Library
Special Collections Department
Rare Books Division
E-mail: annika.assil@ub.uni-muenchen.de