August 26, 2023
The first Polish encyclopedia, titled Nowe Ateny, or “New Athens,” was published in the 1740s and differed greatly in style from the encyclopedias of today. It included entries for dragons, headless humans, and an ant that could eat a pound of meat. The author had little time for mundane entries like “horse,” whose description was simply “What a horse is like, anyone can see.”
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