Pierre Larousse French philologist, encyclopedist Date of Birth: 23.10.1817 Country: France

Biography of Pierre Larousse

Pierre Athanase Larousse, a French philologist and encyclopedist, was born in 1817 in Toucy, Yonne department, Burgundy, France. His father was a blacksmith. From a young age, Pierre showed excellent academic results and had a fondness for reference books and textbooks, aspiring to become a teacher. At the age of 16, he received a scholarship to study at Versailles. After completing his education, he returned to Toucy and began teaching at an elementary school. However, Larousse soon became disillusioned with the school system and decided to leave teaching. He was particularly struck by the scarcity and chaotic nature of textbooks and reference materials in the school curriculum.

In 1840, Larousse moved to Paris to continue his self-improvement. He attended free courses at the Sorbonne and participated in various free seminars and lectures on history, philosophy, ancient languages, linguistics, astronomy, and physics. He spent a lot of time in libraries, researching and expanding his knowledge.

In 1848, Larousse found a teaching position at a private boarding school, where he worked until 1851. However, once again, the existing educational system failed to impress him.

During his time at the school, Pierre met his future wife, Suzanne Caubel. They published a French language course for children in 1849, although their wedding did not take place until 1872.

In 1851, Larousse met another disillusioned teacher named Augustin Boyer, and together they founded the publishing house "Librairie Larousse et Boyer," as well as a bookstore. The enterprise was highly successful, and the publishing house soon started producing textbooks and educational materials that were in high demand.

In 1856, Larousse published the "New Dictionary of the French Language." Later, the dictionary was revised and released as the "Petit Larousse." Despite being rejected by the clergy and labeled a banned book, Larousse was already planning a new edition – a comprehensive encyclopedic dictionary. The first volume of the "Great Universal 19th-Century Dictionary" was published on December 27, 1863. The dictionary eventually consisted of 17 volumes, with the final volume released in 1876. It spanned 22,700 pages.

The "Great Universal 19th-Century Dictionary" became Pierre Larousse's life's work, as he had always dreamt of rectifying the dire situation of reference and educational literature. Interestingly, Larousse's dictionary included numerous examples of term usage. Larousse himself once said, "A dictionary without examples is nothing more than a skeleton."

Pierre Larousse passed away in Paris on January 3, 1875. The publishing house he established continues to thrive to this day. In fact, in France, the word "Larousse" has long become synonymous with the term "dictionary."