Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Atherstone" to "Austria" / Volume 2, Slice 8

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

34312

Title

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Atherstone" to "Austria" / Volume 2, Slice 8

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

A comprehensive reference volume from the Eleventh Edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica, covering entries from 'Atherstone' to 'Austria'. This slice offers detailed historical and encyclopedic information on diverse topics, including British geology, English market towns, medical conditions like athetosis, ancient athletics, and a thorough survey of the Austro-Hungarian Empire's politics, religion, education, and infrastructure.

Summary up to 500 words

This volume of the Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica serves as a comprehensive repository of knowledge from the turn of the 20th century, bridging diverse fields from geology and medicine to military history and legal philosophy. It opens with entries on William Guybon Atherstone, a pioneering South African geologist whose identification of diamonds at De Kalk indirectly catalyzed the region's diamond industry, and the English market town of Atherstone, noted for its monastic ruins and hat-making trade. The text transitions to medical definitions of athetosis, a condition involving slow, purposeless movements often resulting from brain lesions, before exploring ancient Greek and Roman athletics. These entries detail the rigorous training regimes, dietary restrictions, and professionalization of athletes in antiquity, contrasting early amateur competitions with later livelihood-based contests. A significant historical focus is placed on the Battle of Austerlitz, analyzing Napoleon's strategic genius against Allied forces under Kutusov. The narrative highlights specific maneuvers on the Pratzen Heights, where Napoleon's center successfully exploited gaps in the enemy lines to secure a decisive French victory. The volume also profiles Joseph Athias, a Jewish printer in Amsterdam renowned for his accurate editions of the Hebrew Bible. Biographical sketches continue with English figures such as Alfred Austin, the poet-laureate celebrated for his nature poetry and satirical prose, and John Austin, a jurist whose lectures at University College London profoundly influenced legal philosophy and thinkers like John Stuart Mill. The final section provides an extensive overview of Austria within the Austro-Hungarian monarchy around 1900–1907. It details the structure of the Reichsrat and Lower House, noting the expansion of the franchise to universal male suffrage by 1907. Religious demographics reveal a predominantly Catholic population with growing Jewish and Protestant minorities, while the state maintains control over education and the church. The text covers literacy rates, the multi-language school system, university faculties, and the judicial hierarchy. Financial data illustrates budget growth and national debt increases driven by public works, while sections on railways highlight engineering feats like the Semmering line. The volume concludes with a bibliography of contemporary Austrian statistical publications.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Encyclopedias and dictionaries