This is a list of notable encyclopedias sorted by branch of knowledge. For the purposes of this list, an encyclopedia is defined as a "compendium that contains information on either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge." For other sorting standards, see List of encyclopedias.
General knowledge
Catalan
Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana – Catalan-language encyclopedia, started in fascicles, and published in 1968 by
Chinese
Encyclopedia of China Complete Classics Collection of Ancient China – Chinese language encyclopedia completed in 1725 (10 million Chinese characters) Yongle Encyclopedia – once contained 11,095 volumes and around 370 million Chinese characters but now contains less than 400 volumes
Czech Riegrův slovník naučný – first Czech encyclopedia published in 1860–1874 with 11 volumes, supplement vol. in 1890, online) Otto's encyclopedia – largest Czech-language encyclopedia published between 1888 and 1908 (28 vols) and 1930–1943 (12 vols, incomplete). Volumes 1–28 online Příruční slovník naučný – first post-war encyclopedia. With strong communist ideology. Four volumes, 1962–1967. Malá československá encklopedie – Small Czechoslovak encyclopedia, it was supposed to be forerunner to Great Czechoslovak encyclopedia that was never published, 6 volumes, 1984–1987. Diderot (8 volumes, 1999–2000) Universum (10 volumes, 1999–2001)
Danish Den Store Danske Encyklopædi
Dutch
Winkler Prins – published in print between 1870 and 1993 and made available digitally to the present day Oosthoek – published between 1907 and 1981 Christelijke Encyclopedie – published between 1926 and 2005 Eerste Nederlandse Systematisch Ingerichte Encyclopaedie – published between 1946 and 1952 Standaard Encyclopedie – published between 1969 and 1974 by Standaard Uitgeverij Antwerpen Grote Nederlandse Larousse Encyclopedie – published between 1971 and 1979 Grote Spectrum Encyclopedie – published between 1974 and 1980
English
Academic American Encyclopedia – 21-volume work published in 1980, also issued by Grolier under the names Barnes & Noble New American Encyclopedia, Global International Encyclopedia, Grolier Academic Encyclopedia, Grolier International Encyclopedia, Lexicon Universal Encyclopedia, and Macmillan Family Encyclopedia Chambers's Encyclopaedia – published in 1859 by W. Chambers and R. Chambers The Children's Encyclopedia – by Arthur Mee, published 1908–64 in the UK and in the US starting in 1910 as Grolier's The Book of Knowledge Children's Illustrated Encyclopedia – published by Dorling Kindersley Collier's Encyclopedia Columbia Encyclopedia – one-volume encyclopedia from Columbia University Press last published in 2000 The Complete Compendium of Universal Knowledge (1891) Compton's Encyclopedia – 26-volume encyclopedia Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia Cyclopædia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences – 1728 publication by Ephraim Chambers Dobson's Encyclopædia – first encyclopedia printed in the United States, but mostly a reprint of the Encyclopædia Britannica Third Edition Edinburgh Encyclopædia – 18 volumes printed and published by William Blackwood and edited by David Brewster between 1808 and 1830 Encyclopædia Britannica – one of the best-known encyclopedias in English, online-only since 2010 Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite – DVD version of Encyclopædia Britannica Encyclopædia Metropolitana – 39 volumes in 59 parts published between 1817 and 1845 Encyclopedia Americana – both a print work and currently a part of Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia English Cyclopaedia – 23 volumes, published 1854–1862 English Encyclopaedia – 10 volumes, published in 1802 Everybody's Enquire Within – illustrated book of miscellaneous knowledge issued in weekly instalments from 1937 to 1938 Everyman's Encyclopaedia – published by Joseph Dent from 1913 as part of the Everyman's Library Everything2 – collaborative Web-based database of interlinked user-submitted articles Funk & Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedia – first published in 1912; changed its name to Funk & Wagnalls New Standard Encyclopedia in 1931 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia – electronic encyclopedia published by Grolier Groliers Encyclopedia Harmsworth's Universal Encyclopaedia – edited by John Alexander Hammerton and published 1921–22 Hutchinson Encyclopedia – single-volume work first published in 1948 New American Cyclopedia – 16 volumes published between 1857 and 1866 Nupedia – peer reviewed, open content online encyclopedia project, currently inactive Open Site – effort inspired by, but not officially affiliated with, the Open Directory Project Oracle Encyclopædia – five-volume encyclopedia published in 1895 An Outline of Modern Knowledge – published in 1931 by Victor Gollancz Pears Cyclopaedia – one-volume encyclopaedia published annually in the United Kingdom Probert Encyclopaedia – online topical encyclopedia consisting of almost 100,000 short entries, published by Mathew Probert and based in the United Kingdom World Book Encyclopedia – designed for family use; the world's best selling print encyclopedia
French
Découvertes Gallimard – illustrated encyclopaedia in pocket format, 588 volumes plus 150⁺ volumes of spin-offs, published 1986–present Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers – contributed by the Encyclopédistes, edited by Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert, published 1751–1772
German
Allgemeine Encyclopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste – very large, unfinished 19th-century encyclopaedia by Ersch and Gruber in 167 volumes – best-known encyclopedia in German, online-only since 2014 Grosses vollständiges Universal-Lexicon – huge 18th-century encyclopedia by Johann Heinrich Zedler Meyers Konversations-Lexikon Oeconomische Encyclopädie – Started by Johann Georg Krünitz in 1773 and finished 1858 in 242 volumes
Hungarian
Indonesian
Ensiklopedi Umum dalam Bahasa Indonesia – the first encyclopedia in Indonesia
Mippedia - online encyclopedia general multilingual created by a musician born in city bandung named Rumi Haitami and run and operated by Mippedia Community, an online community.
Ensiklopedia Nasional Indonesia – published from 1988 to 2004 with 400 contributors
Italian
Treccani – also known as Enciclopedia Italiana di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti
Latin
Lexicon Universale – published in 1698
Lithuanian
Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija
Persian The Book of Healing – 30-volume Persian-language encyclopedia published by Avicenna () in 1027 ( Kitāb al-Šifāʾ, Latin: Sufficientia) The Persian Encyclopedia () – three-volume encyclopedia edited by Gholamhossein Mosahab, partially based on the early editions of the Columbia Encyclopedia
Polish
Nowe Ateny – published in 1745–1746 Universal Encyclopedia – 1859, 28 volumes, Orgelbrand Wielka Encyklopedia Powszechna PWN – 1962–1970, 13 volumes, PWN Wielka Encyklopedia PWN – 2001–2005, 31 volumes, PWN
Portuguese
Romanian
Russian
Brockhaus and Efron – imperial encyclopedia in 86 volumes Great Soviet Encyclopedia (Большая Советская Энциклопедия) – second largest and most comprehensive encyclopedia in Russian; there were three editions; the third edition of 1969–78 contains 30 volumes Great Russian Encyclopedia – universal Russian encyclopedia, completed in 36 volumes (2004–2017)
Slovak Slovenský náučný slovník. 3 volumes 1932. First general encyclopedia in Slovak language. Pyramída. Published between 1971 and 1990 in journal form (224 issues). Malá slovenská encyklopédia. 1 volume 1993 Encyclopaedia Beliana. 20 planned volumes, 1999–, 9 volumes published as of 2021 Všeobecný encyklopedický slovník. 2002, four volumes Univerzum – všeobecná obrazová encyklopédia A – Ž. 1 volume, 2011
Slovenian Enciklopedija Slovenije
Spanish
Enciclopedia Libre Universal (also known as Enciclopedia Libre) – project to create a Spanish encyclopedia using wiki software, released under the GFDL Enciclopedia universal ilustrada europeo-americana – largest encyclopedia of its time; also known as Enciclopedia Espasa o Enciclopedia Espasa-Calpe
Swedish
Nationalencyklopedin – encyclopedia in Swedish Susning.nu – project to create a Swedish-language encyclopedia using wiki software; an anyone-can-edit encyclopedia until 2004; shut down in 2009
Turkish Anabritannica – published in Turkey and based on the Britannica Micropædia
Ukrainian
Ukrainian Soviet Encyclopedia (Українська радянська енциклопедія) – encyclopedia in Ukrainian; its first edition was 17 volumes
Multiple languages Microsoft Encarta – computer-based encyclopedia published by Microsoft, now discontinued Wikipedia – world's largest free encyclopedia; a project to create a comprehensive encyclopedia using wiki software
Specialized encyclopedias
National, regional, ethnic or cultural
Australia Australian Encyclopaedia (1925, 1958, 1977, 1983, 1988, 1996)
Austria aeiou Encyclopedia (1996ff.)
Bangladesh Banglapedia – 10 volumes published in 2003; bilingual; English and Bengali
Brazil – 2020 – 2001 – 1960–2010 – 1981 – 1972 – 1969 – 1957
Canada The Canadian Encyclopedia (1985 and 1988, CD-ROM and website since, active as of 2025) The Junior Encyclopedia of Canada (1990)
Croatia Hrvatska opća enciklopedija (started in 1999 – 7th vol. 2005 of 11)
Ethiopia Encyclopaedia Aethiopica – basic reference work for Ethiopian and Eritrean studies
Germany Deutsche Biographie (Biographical dictionary of Germans)
Iceland Icelandic Encyclopedia A–Ö
Iran Encyclopædia Iranica – on Iranian peoples and Persia Encyclopaedia Islamica Encyclopaedia of Imam Ali The Encyclopedia of Iranian Old Music – published in Tehran, 2000 Encyclopaedia of Persian Language and Literature – published by the Academy of Persian Language and Literature in Persian in Tehran Encyclopaedia of Shia
Italy Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (Biographical dictionary of Italians) – Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
Malaysia The Encyclopedia of Malaysia – published from 1998 to 2007
Morocco Maelimat al-maghrib () – published between 1989 and 2006 totaling 27 volumes.
New Zealand The Cyclopedia of New Zealand (1897–1908) – unofficial; most subjects paid to have their articles appear; online at the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand (1966–) – official Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand (2005–) – official, incorporating the full text of An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
Poland Encyklopedia Polski (Encyclopedia of Poland) – 2005, 10 volumes
Portugal (Grand Encyclopædic Dictionary of Madeira) – since 2016 (Azorean Encyclopædia) – since 2008 (Madeiran Glossary) – 1921–1940
Slovakia Encyklopédia Slovenska. (Encyclopedia of Slovakia) 6 volumes, 1977–1982.
Slovenia Enciklopedija Slovenije – published in 1987–2002
Sweden Nordisk familjebok – encyclopedia in Swedish
Ukraine Encyclopedia of Ukraine – English five-volume version of the Encyclopedia of Ukrainian Studies Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine – online version of the Encyclopedia of Ukraine Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine – multi-volume comprehensive encyclopedia about Ukraine from the 20th and 21st centuries
United Kingdom The London Encyclopaedia – 1007-page reference of the city of London; pub. 1983
United States
Encyclopedia of Chicago Encyclopedia of New Jersey The Encyclopedia of New York City Handbook of Texas
Yugoslavia Enciklopedija Jugoslavije Opća enciklopedija JLZ (1977–82)
Field
Art and architecture Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World – in 3 volumes (1997) Grove Dictionary of Art – in 34 volumes (1996)
Entertainment Allgame – comprehensive online guide to computer and video games created by All Media Guide Allmovie – comprehensive online guide to movies created by All Media Guide Allmusic – comprehensive online guide to music created by All Media Guide The Aurum Film Encyclopedia