内容最广泛、最著名的百科全书是《大英百科全书》,由芝加哥与伦敦两地编纂。最初于1768年由苏格兰人贝尔麦克法奈尔和斯美利编辑,在苏格兰的爱丁堡出版,共三卷。到1801年第三版时,发展到20卷;1910年第十一版时,已成为学术水平很高的大型综合参考书。但1920年,版权被美国罗巴克以133万美元购得。1929年印第十四版时,英美双方共同修订,许多长篇专著或则压缩或者删去。增加了很多适合于美 The broadest and most famous encyclopedia is The Encyclopedia Britannica, compiled by both Chicago and London. Originally edited by Scottish Bereckel Farnell and Simeili in 1768, it was published in Edinburgh, Scotland, in three volumes. To the third edition of 1801, the development of 20 volumes; the eleventh edition of 1910, has become a very high academic standards large comprehensive reference book. But in 1920, copyright was bought by the United States Roebuck for $ 1.33 million. When printed on the fourteenth edition of 1929, both Britain and the United States jointly revised, and many of the long monographs are either compressed or deleted. A lot more suitable for the United States