Newspaper lexica were reference works that compiled and explained terms used frequently in newspapers, as an aid to reading. The first newspaper lexica appeared in German around the turn of the 18th century. They were the direct precursors to the first ”conversation lexica” (Konversationslexika).
The newspaper lexicon as a specific form of encyclopedia was mostly a German phenomenon, as a result of Germany’s prominent position in the emergence and development of the periodical pres…