ABSTRACT
This chapter explores a revolutionary project for its time and place, managed by a socially heterogeneous group of authors led by capable editors. Their aim was to collect, record and update all society's knowledge, and to disseminate it appropriately, including, for the first time, practical information concerning trade and industry. There was also a political agenda to target repressive institutions of Church and state. The project was commercially successful, but had an ambiguous relationship with government and public. Like Wikipedia, the Encyclopdie was a collaborative effort involving numerous writers and technicians. As do wikipedians today, Diderot and his colleagues needed to engage with the latest technology in dealing with the problems of designing an up-to-date encyclopaedia. These included what kind of information to include, how to set up links between the various articles, and how to achieve the maximum readership.
