Larousse

Pierre Athanase Larousse (1817-1875) was a French lexicographer, encyclopedist, and publisher who founded the Larousse publishing house. Born to a blacksmith and an innkeeper in Toucy, Burgundy, he began as a teacher and self-published educational works before partnering with Augustin Boyer in 1852 to produce successful dictionaries and school manuals. His masterpiece, the 15-volume Grand Dictionnaire Universel du XIXe Siècle, began publication in 1863 and was completed after his death by his nephew.