The Great Encyclopedia of Portugal and Brazil ( Port. Grande Enciclopédia Portuguesa e Brasileira ) is a multi-volume universal Portuguese - language encyclopedia .
It was originally published in 37 volumes between 1937 and 1957 in Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro. In 1958-1960, 3 additional volumes were published. In 1964, the publication of a four-volume appendix to the encyclopedia began, in the articles of which the main attention was paid to Brazil and the biographies of prominent Brazilian figures. In 1981-1987, 10 additional volumes were published, updating the articles of the encyclopedia in accordance with changes in the world. In 1998-1999, another 6 additional “actualizing” volumes were published. From 1988 to 1997, an annual encyclopedia was published with the main news for the past year; in 2000, the so-called “Millennium Book” was published; until 1992, the rights to publish the encyclopedia belonged to the publisher Enciclopédia , from 1993 to 2000 to the publisher Edições Zairol , from 2001 to the publisher Página Editora .
Despite the fact that the encyclopedia is formally universal, in fact, its articles focus on Portugal and Brazil and issues related in one way or another, and any universal topics are also considered mainly in the “Portuguese-Brazilian vein”: for example , the geography, flora and fauna of these two countries, as well as the now former Portuguese colonies, are described in more detail. The encyclopedia simultaneously plays the role of a dictionary of the Portuguese language, it gives an interpretation of its various specific words, including technical terms and even slang expressions. The encyclopedia pays great attention to the history and culture of the Portuguese-speaking world, biographies of important (including those who were alive at the time of the publication of the encyclopedia) figures of Portugal and Brazil.
The encyclopedia contains more than 15,000 illustrations. Among the authors of the articles of the first edition were many figures of science and culture of Portugal and Brazil in the middle of the 20th century, but not one of the articles in the encyclopedia was signed.