Le Grand Dictionnaire Historique

Le Grand Dictionnaire Historique was an encyclopedia originally compiled by the Catholic priest and theologian Louis Moréri. By later standards, it was highly specialized, for nearly all of its entries were on geographical and historical subjects, but it marked the start of a flood of other dictionaries and encyclopedias in Europe's vernaculars. In addition to being successful in its own right, Moréri's Grand Dictionnaire served as a springboard and foil for Pierre Bayle's Dictionnaire Historique et Critique.

Editions and expansions

Moréri's Grand Dictionnaire appeared in numerous French editions between 1674 and 1759, growing in size with each edition. Moréri himself died after preparing materials for the second edition. Thereafter, other Francophone scholars took charge of the compilation, notably Jean Le Clerc. "Dictionnaire" was often spelled "Dictionaire" with one n.

Translations

The Grand Dictionnaire was also translated and adapted into English, German, Dutch, and Spanish.

Digitized online editions

Vol. I includes a long preface tracing the history of previous editions and different translations.

English eds.

Luke Meredith – who been an apprentice to bookseller and publisher Richard Royston – on March 26, 1687, married Richard's granddaughter, Elizabeth Chiswell. She died before 1696 and was one of four children of, and only daughter of Richard Chiswell and Mary Royston. Through Elizabeth, Luke Meredith was a cousin-in-law to Richard Chiswell. Among other things, Richard Royston and Luke Meredith had been connected to the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers.

Spanish eds.

The Spanish edition was a translation of the six-volume Paris 1725 edition. It was published in 1753 – seventy-three years after Moréri's death and nine years after José Miravel Casadevante's death, its translator.
Spanish translation of 1725 ed.

Dutch eds.

German eds.

1709. .

1722.

Other online eds.

Online availability: and .