Diderot online

If you don’t have easy access to Denis Diderot’s Encyclopédie you might like to know it is being published on the web by the University of Chicago. This is from the website introduction:

The “Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers, par une Société de Gens de lettres” was published under the direction of Diderot, with 17 volumes of text and 11 volumes of plates between 1751 and 1772. Containing 72,000 articles written by more than 140 contributors, the “Encyclopédie” was a massive reference work for the arts and sciences, as well as a “machine de guerre” which served to propagate the ideas of the French Enlightment. The impact of the “Encyclopédie” was enormous. Through its attempt to classify learning and to open all domains of human activity to its readers, the “Encyclopédie” gave expression to many of the most important intellectual and social developments of its time.

Unfortunately only subscribing institutions can search the Encyclopédie, but you can go from article to article if you have a URL to start from. You could begin with an article about the work of the carpenter, furniture maker, turner, screw maker, cutler, wheelwright…