DIDEROT, DENIS

born Oct. 5, 1713, Langres, France died July 31, 1784, Paris French man of letters and philosopher who, from 1745 to 1772, served as chief editor of the Encyclopdie, one of the principal works of the Age of Enlightenment. Additional reading A.M. Wilson, Diderot, 2 vol. (195772, reissued in 1 vol., 1972), is the standard and most scholarly biography. John Morley, Diderot and the Encyclopaedists, 2 vol. (1878, reissued 1971), is still of value. More recent studies include Peter France, Diderot (1983); Otis Fellows, Diderot, updated ed. (1989); and P.N. Furbank, Diderot: A Critical Biography (1992).