Encyclopedia in 35 volumes written 1751–77 by a group of French scholars (Encyclopédistes) including D’Alembert and Diderot, inspired by the English encyclopedia produced by Ephraim Chambers 1728. Religious skepticism and Enlightenment social and political views were a feature of the work.
The first 28 volumes 1751–72 were edited by Diderot. A further five volumes were produced by other editors 1776–77 and the two-volume index was completed 1780.