Philippe Macquer facts for kids

Philippe Macquer was a French historian and lawyer who lived a long time ago, from 1720 to 1770. He was born in Paris, France. His brother, Pierre Joseph Macquer, was a famous chemist.

A Life of Learning

Philippe Macquer came from a family with Scottish roots. He trained to be a lawyer, but his health wasn't strong enough for that job. So, he decided to focus on writing and studying history instead.

He became well-known for his history summaries. People liked them because they were very clear and accurate. He wrote them in a similar style to another famous historian, Président Hénault.

One of his important projects was helping to create the Dictionnaire portatif des arts et métiers. This was a dictionary about different jobs and crafts. It was first published in 1766. Later, it was updated and made bigger by someone named Abbé Pierre Jaubert.

However, not everyone liked this dictionary. A writer named Melchior Grimm, who was part of a group called the Encyclopédistes, criticized it. He even accused Macquer of copying other people's work. This disagreement has been studied by historians.

His Books

Philippe Macquer wrote several important books, mostly about history:

• Abrégé chronologique de l'histoire ecclésiastique, de 33 à 1700 (A Chronological Summary of Church History, from 33 to 1700). This book was published in 1751 and later expanded. It was even translated into Italian and German.
• Annales romaines ou abrégé chronologique de l'histoire romaine depuis la fondation de Rome jusqu'aux empereurs (Roman Annals or a Chronological Summary of Roman History from the Founding of Rome to the Emperors). This book came out in 1756 and was translated into English by Thomas Nugent.
• Abrégé chronologique de l'histoire d'Espagne et de Portugal (A Chronological Summary of the History of Spain and Portugal). He worked on this book with Jacques Lacombe and Charles-Jean-François Hénault in 1759.
• Dictionnaire portatif des Arts et Métiers (Portable Dictionary of Arts and Crafts). This was the dictionary he helped create in 1766. It described many different jobs and how things were made in France and other countries.
• With Abbé Jaubert, he also contributed to the Dictionnaire raisonné universel des Arts et Métiers (Universal Rational Dictionary of Arts and Crafts). This was a larger version of the dictionary, published in 1773.