In addition to biographies of notable Australians the coverage includes the geology, flora, fauna as well as the history of the continent.
When the encyclopedia was first established (1925-1926), it consisted of 2 volumes and was originally published by Angus & Robertson in New South Wales.
After multiple edits and writings of songs and articles, Jose had soon become an extension lecturer at a university and a writer for several verses in 1888.
[4] Prior to the allocation of his editor in chief role and the publication of the Australian Encyclopedia, Jose spent many years as a reader for the Angus & Robertson corporation.
[5] Carter's responsibilities were centred around the scientific aspects of the encyclopedia leaving the remaining work to be edited by Jose.
The second volume of the Australian Encyclopedia had not been edited yet when Jose left the publishing company, Angus & Robertson, in 1925.
Today, Angus & Robertson specialises in publishing, bookselling and printing and have made significant contributions to Australian literature.
The second edition had significantly enlarged, volume wise, in order to adequately measure up to the developing subject matter.
[1] The editor in chief at the time, Alexander (Alec) Hugh Chisholm,[7] provides an explanation for the expansion of the Australian Encyclopedia: “Science and industry have made remarkable progress since World War I and Australia has shared fully in this advancement.
Moreover, knowledge has broadened considerably in zoology, botany and kindred subjects- so much so, indeed, that most of the entries in the earlier encyclopedia on such subjects as mammals, birds, fishes, insects and plants, though authoritative in their period, have had to be written anew”.
[1] Despite the encyclopedia claiming to revolve around the nation of Australia as a continent, it also includes New Zealand and the Australian territories.
The majority of the articles featured in the second edition of the Australian Encyclopedia are dedicated to history, geography and natural science.
[8] Deputy Principal Librarian of the State Library of New South Wales, Gordan Dalyell Richardson,[9] critically analyses the Australian Encyclopedia within his review by exploring the structure, interpretations, and content.
Following Richardson's (1959) explanation of authenticity, the second edition of the Australian Encyclopedia was shown to exhibit multiple errors, thus threatening its quality and validity.
[2] The encyclopedia was initiated in 1912 as a historical and biographical record under the directorship of Charles H. Bertie, municipal librarian of Sydney.
Herbert J. Carter, later to be president of the Linnean Society of New South Wales (1925–26) recruited other Australian scientists to work on the encyclopedia.