William Smellie was a Scottish master printer, naturalist, antiquary, editor and encyclopedist. At the age of 28, Smellie was hired by Colin Macfarquhar and Andrew Bell to edit the first edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica, which appeared in 100 weekly instalments ("numbers") from December 1768 to 1771. It was a masterful composition although, by his own admission, Smellie borrowed liberally from many authors of his day, such as Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Pope and Samuel Johnson. Nevertheless, the first edition of the Britannica contained gross inaccuracies and fanciful speculations; for example, it states that excess use of tobacco could cause neurodegeneration, "drying up the brain to a little black lump consisting of mere membranes". Smellie strove to make Britannica as usable as possible, saying that "utility ought to be the principal intention of every publication.... More • http://en.wikipedia. ... opedist%29 View • Books • Images • Videos • Search Related • Edinburgh • Industrial Revolution • Naturalists • Printing • Publishing • Scotland • Writers • All Events • 18th Century • People