Palgrave’s Dictionary of Political Economy

Abstract

Inglis Palgrave’s Dictionary of Political Economy appeared in volume form sequentially in 1894, 1896 and 1899. However, 1894 was not the year in which the Dictionary began publication. Under an earlier publishing plan, subsequently abandoned, a first part of the Dictionary (covering the entries Abatement to Bede) appeared in 1891, followed by two more in the next year (extending the project well into the letter C). Furthermore, 1899 does not accurately represent the completion date of the work. It was not until 1908, when the appendix to the third volume was published, that its publication could be said to have been complete. It took 17 years to effect the publication of the Dictionary – better than 20 years of work if one takes into account the fact that the contractual agreement between Palgrave and Macmillan is dated 1888.