The Oxford Illustrated Encyclopedia in 9 volumes. Gift books bound in leather.

The Oxford Illustrated Encyclopedia is designed to benefit and delight readers all over the world. The creators of the encyclopedia did their best to ensure that it did not become the property of only one country or one civilization and that its articles were understandable to any interested readers who did not previously have detailed information about the subject.

Each volume has a precisely designated topic, revealed in its title. Reading individual volumes does not require any prior knowledge; they lack specific vocabulary and there are no cross-references to other volumes. Nevertheless, all eight thematically constructed volumes and the ninth reference, the final one, present the reader with a solid and trustworthy overview of all the knowledge and achievements acquired by mankind. The material in each volume is summarized in relatively small articles (from 50 to 1000 words) arranged in alphabetical order, so it is quite easy to find the necessary information, since it is not buried in vague and lengthy articles. Cross-references within the volumes are given in all cases where they may be useful to the reader.

Content:

Volume 1. The physical world. Editor Vivian Fuchs.

Volume 2. The world of nature. Editor Malcom Co.

Volume 3. World history from ancient times to 1800. Tom's editor is Harry Judge

Volume 4. World history from 1800 to the present day. The volume's editor is Robert Blake.

Volume 5. Art. The volume's editor is John Julius Norwich.

Volume 6. Inventions and technologies. Tom's editor-in-chief is Monty Finniston.

Volume 7. Peoples and culture. The volume's editor is Richard Hoggart.

Volume 8. The universe. Tom's editor is Archie Roy.

Volume 9. Reference.