Previous Editions of the Atlas (1996, 2001)

First Edition of the Atlas, 1996
out of print
©UNESCO

The first edition of the Atlas was edited by Stephen Wurm and published in 1996. It comprised 53 pages including 12 pages of maps, appearing in three linguistic versions (English, French and Spanish). The first publication of its kind, the Atlas met with vivid scholarly and journalistic interest and soon became a valuable reference book for the general public.

Second Edition of the Atlas, 2001
out of print
©UNESCO

A second updated English edition of the Atlas appeared in 2001, again edited by Stephen Wurm, and expanded to 90 pages including 14 pages of maps showing 800 languages. The update reflected the fact that since 1996 research on endangered languages and interest in the field had proliferated. This edition again attracted much academic, media and public attention.

In 2005, an online clickable map of the African continent, comprising entries on the 100 endangered African languages mentioned in the 2001 edition of the Atlas, was developed by UNESCO, as a test phase for the full-fledged digital version finalized in 2009.