The term is most often associated with encyclopedias, but it can be found in other types of publications such as magazines or books of quotations. Catalogues are useful tools for writers because they allow them to organize their ideas into a list and then discuss each item within the list. This allows the writer to explore different perspectives on their topic while still maintaining a cohesive argument. The first written encyclopedia was A Dictionary of Arts and Sciences published in 1665 by Samuel Johnson. It was followed by several others including Benjamin Franklin's New American Encyclopedia which was published in 1768. Writers use many different techniques to achieve a similar effect as a catalogue. For example, a writer could create a list of topics using periods as dividers (i.e., hair...eyes...ears...head). Or they could use bullets (i.e., topic 1...topic 2...) and sub-topics (i.e., section 1...section 2...section 3...) to do the same thing. Either way, an encyclopedia provides a useful tool for writers to organize their ideas.