The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia 1889--1900

Thirty years ago, while moseying around ye olde book and junque shop, I came upon a set of The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia published by The Century Company of New York.

A few dollars plunked down and the quaint set of large tomes was mine, and has followed me about in very heavy and dusty fashion ever since.

Being one of the most highly regarded dictionaries in the English language, you're surely familiar with these volumes which were first published from 1889--1891, and included over 10,000 wood-engraved illustrations.

My set shows publishing dates: 1889, 1890, 1891, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1900, with the Publisher's Note on the Completed Work dated, January, 1899. "The whole represents fifteen years of labor," says the publisher, and I believe him.

Over 1,000 illustrations of animals were provided by artist  Ernest Thompson Seton, who was born in Durham England on August 14, 1860. As an artist who loves botanical drawing, I appreciate Mr. Seton's expert work immensely.

The book I've used most from the set through the years has been its Cyclopedia of Names which lists place names, biographicals, literary, mythological references, and more. My research shows that this volume (Vol IX) was a supplement which was published in 1894.

The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia has been an information source for many subsequent dictionaries including the Oxford English Dictionary which cited The Century over 2,000 times in its first edition.

The original editor was Sanskrit scholar and linguist William Dwight Whitney, with the assistance of Benjamin Eli Smith of Yale--"assisted by a number of eminent specialists."  It was primarily based upon the smaller Imperial Dictionary which had been based in turn on the 1841 version of Noah Webster's American Dictionary.

Since I am now at a clearing-out stage of life and home, I thought it would be interesting to check eBay to see if anyone was offering The Century volumes for purchase in case I might do same, and a quick check showed an incomplete set was indeed available.

The set on eBay, however, is missing Vols. VI and X, yet I am in possession of the entire ten-volume set. Vol X is the Atlas, and who doesn't like a decent, antiquated old map or two to pour over on a stormy night, tea cup in hand, and fireplace roaring bright?

This must be why the desireable Vol X is missing from the proffered set!

You may wish to visit the complete Dictionary online at

http://www.global-language.com/CENTURY/

and, with my compliments, you may view the inside cover design, the first page (beginning of the "As", of course), and a photograph of the Staff, which accompany this article.

Don't you find moldy old books fascinating?