Though articles by many famous authors have graced the pages of the Encyclopædia Britannica, from the earliest printings an author's identity was considered secondary to the information presented. Originally, articles were signed only with initials, and interested readers had to track down an author by searching the encyclopedia's index. Today we turn to the following articles not only because of their content, but also because of their authorship. In doing so, we celebrate Britannica's heritage with a growing collection of classics from past editions.

The term psychoanalysis does not appear (or at least is not indexed) in the Encyclopædia Britannica until well into the 20th century. The first treatment of psychoanalysis as a subject unto itself appeared in the Thirteenth Edition, written by leading authority Sigmund Freud.
Read "Psychoanalysis" by Sigmund Freud.

The contribution of silent film star Lillian Gish appeared in 1929. By the time it was replaced in 1939, Hollywood was in full swing and exposition of this sort probably sounded somewhat quaint.
Read "Motion Pictures: A Universal Language" by Lillian Gish.

Even a superficial reading of "Conjuring" by American magician Harry Houdini conveys the inescapable conclusion that the magician's view of the topic was focused on two matters. The first was the debunking of the then-fashionable spiritualists; the second was the greatness of Houdini.
Read "Conjuring" by Harry Houdini.

For the Fourteenth Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica T.E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, wrote on the subject of guerrilla warfare. The element of personal experience that pervades the article is unusual in an encyclopedia but must have been the chief reason this particular author was sought out.
Read "Guerilla" by T.E. Lawrence.