Page "Encyclopedia Americana" Paragraph 7

Lieber presented the idea of an American encyclopedia, based on Brockhaus ' Conversations-Lexikon, to Carey, Lea & Carey of Philadelphia in January 1828, then the largest publishing house in the United States.

Although he invoked the name of the German encyclopedia, he explained that this work would not be simply a translation but be a distinctively American reference work, omitting much of the European matter.

The publishers were not at first receptive to the idea, but Lieber had made numerous contacts with American intellectuals who convinced the publishers to commit to the project.

Several weeks later they replied with their agreement to the project.

" However ," notes, " instead of being granted a royalty on sets sold, he would be compensated by payments totaling $ 20, 000, and from this sum he must defray editorial costs, such as fees for translators and contributors and salaries of editorial assistants.

This may have been a fair enough proposition for the period, but it would leave Lieber in straitened circumstances when the work was done.