Czeskie i czechosłowackie encyklopedie uniwersalne z lat 1962-2013

The Czech and Czechoslovak encyclopaedic studies are almost 150 years old and can be divided into three conventional stages: Stage One:1860-1909, Stage Two:1918-1943, Stage Three: 1962-2013. The third stage (1962-2010) includes lexicographic (encyclopaedic) projects undertaken after World War II in the reality of socialist Czechoslovakia (1948-1989), democratic Czechoslovakia (1989-1992) and then the autonomous Czech Republic (1993). It was then that a few reference books originated. The books, which can be justifiably called the latest and most contemporary, include among others: A Concise Scientific Dictionary [Příruční slovník naučný] (1962 - 1967, the Czech abbreviation of the title: PSN), A Small Czechoslovak Encyclopaedia [Mala československá encyclopedie] (1984-1987, MČSE), DIDEROT. A Popular Encyclopaedia in 8 volumes [DIDEROT. Všeobecná encyclopedie v osmi svazcích] (1999, VEDid), A UNIVERSUM Popular Encyclopaedia [Všeobecná encyclopedie UNIVERSUM] (2001, VEU) and the Czech Wikipedia (2002-2013). This article is devoted to the Czech (and Czechoslovak) encyclopaedic achievements, and it generally presents and analyzes the most important reference books of this period.