The 12th edition, published in 1884, revealed officially that the author was Robert Chambers, a Scottish journalist, who had written the book in St Andrews between 1841 and 1844 while recovering from a psychiatric illness.
A 12ª edición, publicada en 1884, revelou oficialmente que o autor foi Robert Chambers, un xornalista escocés, que escribira o libo en St Andrews entre 1841 e 1844 mentres se recuperaba dunha doenza psiquiátrica.