Amiens
2 of the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Amiens. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
an old French city, the capital once of Picardy, and now of the department of Somme, on the many-channelled navigable Sor Somme, 81 miles by rail. The Cathe- N. of Paris by N. dral of Notre Dame is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. Begun in 1220, it is 452 feet long, and has a spire (1529) 426 feet high; but its special feature is the loftiness of the nave, 141 feet. Other noteworthy buildings are the Hôtel de Ville (1600-1760), in which the Peace of Amiens was signed, the large museum (1864), in Renaissance style; and the public library, which was founded in 1791, and contains 70,000 volumes. Amiens has considerable manufactures of velvet, silk, woolen, and cotton goods, ribbons, and carpets. Peter 11 . אנוני the Hermit and Ducange were natives, and there are statues to both of them. The Peace of Amiens (March 27, 1802) was a treaty intended to settle the disputed points between England, France, Spain, and Holland. By it, England retained possession of Ceylon and Trinidad, and an open port at the Cape of Good Hope; the republic of the Ionian islands was recognized; Malta was re- ய .............. 04 CATHEDRAL AT AMIENS, FRANCE stored to the Knights of St. John; Spain and Holland regained their colonies, with the exception of Trinidad and Ceylon; the French were to quit Rome and Naples; and Turkey was restored to its integrity. In the Franco-Prussian War, on Nov. 27, 1870, General Manteuffel inflicted, near Amiens, a signal defeat on a French army 30,000 strong, and three days later the citadel surrendered. In the World War (1914-1918) it was a military center and railroad supply depot. It was an objective of the Germans in the last great drive in April, 1918, and narrowly escaped capture, but was badly damaged by German artillery fire. Pop. about 95,000.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
a mi-an, an ancient French city on the Somme, seventy-one miles north of Paris. The river here divides into eleven canals, gaining for the city the name of Little Venice. The old walls, save the citadel, have been leveled to form wide boulevards. A museum, a library of note, a fine city hall, and numerous learned societies give Amiens an atmosphere of culture; but its pride is the Cathedral of Notre Dame , sometimes called the "Parthenon of Gothic Architecture." It was built 1220-1288, and is considered one of the finest cathedrals in Europe. The vaulted ceiling of the nave is 141 feet above the pavement of the floor. Many a siege was withstood by the old city, and many a battle was fought under its walls. The famous treaty of Amiens was concluded here in 1802, between Great Britain , France, Spain, and Holland. Peter the Hermit , who lived in the eleventh century, was a native of Amiens. The Prussians occupied the city in 1870. The modern city has a population of 92,000. It is an important manufacturing and distributing center. Cotton, velvets, woolen and linen cloth, flax, beetroot sugar, leather, paper, and soap are among the local products. See France ; Cathedral
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Collier's, writing in 1921, could report that Amiens "narrowly escaped capture" in the German drive of spring 1918; what neither account names is the Battle of Amiens of 8 August 1918, launched from the ground east of the city, which began the Hundred Days that ended the war. The city was fought over again in May 1940 and burned in the German advance, and in February 1944 the RAF bombed the walls of Amiens prison in an attempt to free Resistance prisoners; the Notre-Dame cathedral so admired by both entries survived, and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1981. The velvet, silk and woollen trades listed in 1910 and 1921 have effectively disappeared, and the population has grown from around 92,000 to roughly 135,000. Aiton's, published in 1910, missed a local celebrity: Jules Verne had died in the city in 1905 and is buried there.
Written for this edition, 2026.