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In 1938, aged 72, English writer H. G. Wells published a little book of essays and speeches titled World Brain.

Among the essays, one titled "The Idea of a Permanent World Encyclopaedia" is remarkable in presenting a vision very similar to Wikipedia. This essay first appeared in the new Encyclopédie Française[?], August, 1937.

See also: encyclopedia, history of Internet encyclopedia projects

References

• "The Idea of a Permanent World Encyclopaedia": Contribution by H. G. Wells to the new Encyclopédie Française, August, 1937 (http://sherlock.berkeley.edu/wells/world_brain.html), also available (http://art-bin.com/art/obrain.html) from Karl-Erik Tallmo[?]'s The Art Bin webzine.

• World Brain: H. G. Wells on the future of world education (1994) London: Adamantine Press. ISBN 0-7449-0114-6

• Further information (http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/~wrayward/Wellss_Idea_of_World_Brain.htm)