The Enlightenment World * Enlightenment Contested: Philosophy, Modernity, and the Emancipation of Man, 1670-1752 * Enlightenment and Reform in Eighteenth-Century Europe

Judging from the flow of research publications since the later 1990s, there is no sign of exhaustion among historians of the Enlightenment. The increasing availability of digitised libraries of first editions and journals is creating far more scope for detailed comparative work of a kind that used to be hugely time-consuming. Not only has the canon of key texts broadened significantly, but historians have taken a much more methodical approach to themes such as the uses of print, oral communication, public opinion, popularisation, transmission across different European markets, and contact with other cultures. To help non-specialists find their bearings, a number of new English-language reference works have also appeared, including several organised (in best eighteenth-century manner) around keywords in alphabetical order. Other publishers, however, have opted for compendia of articles arranged thematically. Of these, The Enlightenment World is particularly helpful for readers who need more interpretative guidance. It consists of...