The first began publishing in the 1820s by the German exile Francis Lieber. The 13 volumes of the first edition were completed in 1833, and other editions and printings followed in 1835, 1836, 1847–1848, 1849 and 1858. Lieber's work was based upon and was in no small part a translation of the 7th edition of the well established "Konversations-Lexikon" of Brockhaus. Some material from this set was carried over into the modern version, as well as the Brockhaus short article method.