Petit Larousse Illustré, 1976 — French Encyclopedic Dictionary | 71,000 Articles, 5,535 Illustrations, Maps & Color Atlas | Librairie Larousse

A substantial 1976 edition of Petit Larousse Illustré, the classic French encyclopedic dictionary published by Librairie Larousse in Paris.

This is much more than a traditional French dictionary. It contains 71,000 articles covering both the French language and a wide range of encyclopedic subjects, including people, places, history, science, geography, culture, and the arts. The volume contains 5,535 black-and-white illustrations and 215 black-and-white maps, along with 56 pages of color, including 26 full-page cartographic plates. A color atlas appears at the end of the book.

The book also includes information useful to anyone interested in the French language itself, including conjugation models, grammatical material, quotations, and vocabulary from both everyday and specialized usage. The encyclopedic section adds thousands of proper names and explanatory entries, making this a fascinating snapshot of the reference information available in France in the 1970s.

The illustrations and maps are a big part of the book’s appeal. There are diagrams, drawings, photographs, maps, plates, and the separate color atlas at the back, making this a book that is interesting to browse even if you aren’t looking for a particular definition. It is entirely in French.

This is a good, solid copy measuring 6” x 8.25”. The binding is sound. 1,790 pages of main text, with additional preliminary and atlas pages. There is some yellowing from age, and the title page and one of the preliminary pages show the inner hinge of the binding at the gutter; the book remains firmly bound. Overall, it shows the normal signs of age and use for a substantial reference book of this period.