Apocrypha
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Apocrypha. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
in the early Christian Church, (1) books published anonymously; (2) those suitable for private rather than public reading; (3) those written by an apostle or other inspired author, but not regarded as part of Scripture; (4) the works of heretics. In English now, the following 14 books: I, 1 Esdras; II, 2 Esdras; III, Tobit; IV. Judith; V. Additions to Esther; VI, The Wisdom of Solomon; VII, VII, Ecclesiasticus, called also the Wisdom of Jesus, the son of Sirach; VIII, Baruch; IX, The Song of the Three Holy Children; X, The History of Susanna; XI, Bel and the Dragon; XII, The Prayer of Manasseh, King of Juda; XIII, 1 Maccabees; and XIV, 2 Maccabees. Most of the above-mentioned books were composed during the two centuries immediately preceding the birth of Christ, though some were penned, or at least interpolated, at a later period. They were written not in Hebrew or Aramæan, but in Greek; and the Jews never accorded them a place in the Old Testament canon. They were inserted in the Septuagint, and thence passed to the Latin Vulgate. The Christian fathers are divided in sentiment as to their value and the relation they stood to the canonical Old Testament books. The question whether or not they were inspired remained an open one till the Reformation. Wyclif, Luther, and Calvin were against them. The Council of Trent, on April 8, 1546, placed them on an equal level with Scripture, anathematizing all who held the contrary opinion. Portions of them are in the New as well as in the Old Lectionary of the English Church. The Westminster Confession of Faith, the formulated creed of the Presbyterian Church, regards them as simply human writings. The several apocryphal books are of unequal merit; I Maccabees is a highly valuable history; while Bel and the Dragon is a monstrous fable. They throw much light on the religious opinions and the political state of the Jews before the advent of Christ. The Greek Church prohibits their use. APOCYNACEÆ (ap-ō-sin-as'ē-i), an order of plants, the English dog-banes. Of 100 known genera only one, vinca, is found in England; the rest are to be found in warmer countries.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
a-pok'ri-fa, a collection of fourteen books originally issued in the authorized version of the Old Testament, but now commonly omitted. These books are: The first and second books of Esdras, Tobit, Judith, a portion of the book of Esther, The Wisdom of Solomon, The Wisdom of Jesus the son of Sirach, Baruch the Prophet, the Song of the Three Children, Susanna and the Elders, Bel and the Dragon, The Prayer of Manasses, The first and second books of the Maccabees. These books are usually recognized by the Church of Rome, but they are excluded by most Protestant churches. The word apocrypha means hidden, or obscure. By the earliest churches it was applied to any professedly sacred or inspired writings whose authorship was unknown, whose meaning was obscure or doubtful, or which were considered objectionable. The fourteen books named above were written in Greek, not in Hebrew. They were never included among the canonical books of the Jewish Bible. They have been the occasion of considerable disputation in the Greek, Roman, and Anglican churches. They are occasionally included, but in a group by themselves, in the King James version of the Scriptures. 2026 Editor's Note: 'Apocryphal' has become an everyday word for a story that is probably untrue, however often repeated. The books themselves still divide Christendom: Catholic and Orthodox Bibles keep them ( calling them deuterocanonical ), while most Protestant Bibles, following the Reformation, drop them exactly as this entry notes. (Ed: BR 2026-06-11)