Description

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Everything Explained That Is Explainable is the audacious, utterly improbable story of the publication of the Eleventh Edition of the legendary Encyclopædia Britannica. It is the tale of a young American entrepreneur who rescued a dying publication with the help of a floundering newspaper, and in so doing produced a series of books that forever changed the face of publishing. Thanks to the efforts of 1,500 contributors, among them a young staff of university graduates as well as some of the most distinguished names of the day, the Eleventh Edition combined scholarship and readability in a way no previous encyclopedia had (or ever has again). Denis Boyles’s work of cultural history pulls back the curtain on the 44-million-word testament to the age of reason that has profoundly shaped the way we see the world.

About the Author

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Denis Boyles is the author of more than a dozen books of poetry, travel, humor, essays, and criticism. He is a veteran magazine editor, and currently a coeditor of The Fortnightly Review. Boyles teaches journalism and political science at the Institut Catholique d’Études Supérieures in La Roche-sur-Yon, France.
www.denisboyles.com

Praise For…

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“Definitive and meticulously researched.” —Chicago Tribune

“In a highly readable style, nicely seasoned with occasional ironic touches, Denis Boyles limns the intricate business negotiations that went into the creation of the Eleventh Edition. . . . [He] provides excellent portraits of the key figures responsible.” —The Wall Street Journal

“A terrific tale.” —The Times Literary Supplement
 
“[An] enthralling business history.” —The Washington Post

“Entertaining. . . . Boyles writes with such a mordant touch his chapters move along even as they assault you with hurricanes of information.” —The Boston Globe
 
“Encyclopedic—weighty, but worthwhile.” —The Seattle Times
 
“Everything Explained That Is Explainable almost reads like fantastic fiction. The book drops you into a time when print publishers possessed the same dynamism as today’s web developers and authors celebrated as much fame as prime time pundits.” —Paste Magazine
 
“A thorough and engaging telling of the Eleventh Edition’s conception and birth, midwifed by an eclectic group of madcaps who succeeded in producing a literary treasure the likes of which will never be seen again.” —National Review
 
“A suspenseful new work of history.” —Asheville Citizen-Times
 
“[A] colorful chronicle of how the legendary 11th edition of the Encylopædia Britannica came to be.” —The Christian Science Monitor