Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Home, Daniel" to "Hortensius, Quintus" / Volume 13, Slice 6

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

39127

Title

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Home, Daniel" to "Hortensius, Quintus" / Volume 13, Slice 6

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

A comprehensive reference volume covering diverse topics from spiritualism and drama to Roman oratory and natural history. This slice of the Eleventh Edition offers concise, scholarly entries on figures like Daniel Dunglas Home and John Home, alongside detailed accounts of natural phenomena like hornbills and minerals. Ideal for readers seeking authoritative historical and scientific knowledge.

Summary up to 500 words

Volume 13, Slice 6 of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, offers a curated selection of encyclopedic entries spanning the arts, sciences, and general information, maintaining a neutral and informative tone grounded in primary sources and classical references. The volume begins with biographical sketches of Daniel Dunglas Home, a Scottish spiritualist whose séances attracted both fame and controversy, and John Home, an 18th-century playwright renowned for his tragedy 'Douglas.' Home's life details his transition from a spiritual medium to a Roman Catholic, his legal battles over inheritance, and his eventual death in France. John Home's entry highlights his education, his imprisonment after the Jacobite rising, and the critical reception of his plays, particularly 'Douglas,' which David Hume praised for its refined genius. The text also profiles Admiral Sir Geoffrey Hornby, detailing his naval career from the capture of Acre to his command of the Mediterranean fleet, where his skill and tact earned him high honors. In the realm of natural history, the hornbill is described as a social bird with unique nesting habits, including the practice of sealing the nest entrance with mud while the female incubates eggs, a behavior confirmed by observers like A. R. Wallace. The mineral hornblende is defined as a dark-colored aluminous amphibole found in igneous rocks and schists, with varieties distinguished by iron content and specific gravity. Historical entries cover Roman figures such as Quintus Hortensius, the celebrated orator and advocate known for his Asiatic style of rhetoric and tenacious memory, and Quintus Hortensius, the dictator who passed laws binding plebiscita on all citizens. Additionally, the volume describes Homel, a Russian town founded in the 12th century and serving as a key railway junction, and provides an overview of the Home Office's evolution from 1782, noting its responsibility for domestic affairs, criminal justice, and police administration. Other entries include the horn-book, an early educational tool protected by transparent horn, and the geological definition of a horst, illustrating the volume's breadth across diverse fields of 19th-century knowledge.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Encyclopedias and dictionaries