Wiki-tanica

Most older folks remember the now defunct World Book Encyclopedia and perhaps the better known and vastly more information-filled Encyclopedia Britannica (note American spelling; the British spelling is below). School libraries everywhere had at least one set of that lovely multi-volume, blue leather-bound series of books, and a few of may even remember the door-to-door encyclopedia salesmen (above) looking to sell “your child’s future success in school” with a time-payment driven purchase of that wondrous set of books.

The Britannica is old and has roots that reach back beyond the founding of our own nation: “The Britannica is the oldest English-language encyclopaedia. It was first published between 1768 and 1771 in Edinburgh, Scotland as three volumes. The encyclopaedia grew in size, and by its fourth edition (1801–1809) it had expanded to a well known 20-volume set. Its rising stature helped recruit eminent contributors, and the 9th edition (1875–1889) and the 11th edition (1911) are landmark encyclopaedias for scholarship and literary style. Beginning with the 11th edition, the Britannica shortened and simplified articles to broaden its appeal in the North American market. In 1933, the Britannica became the first encyclopaedia to adopt ‘continuous revision,’ in which the encyclopaedia is continually reprinted and every article updated on a schedule.” Wikipedia (how ironic, eh?).

A hundred editors and 4,000 expert contributors still work at the encyclopedia offices, but on March 13^th - 244 years after its founding - the company announced that it would no long print that set of books, choosing instead to focus on the online version as well as the company’s related textbook business. RIP Britannica.

“In an acknowledgment of the realities of the digital age — and of competition from the Web site Wikipedia — Encyclopaedia Britannica will focus primarily on its online encyclopedias and educational curriculum for schools. The last print version is the 32-volume 2010 edition, which weighs 129 pounds and includes new entries on global warming and the Human Genome Project.

“‘It’s a rite of passage in this new era,’ Jorge Cauz, the president of Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., a company based in Chicago, said in an interview. ‘Some people will feel sad about it and nostalgic about it. But we have a better tool now. The Web site is continuously updated, it’s much more expansive and it has multimedia.’” New York Times, March 13^th. But open source Wikipedia has offered an online “sufficiency” for those who don’t need the depthy and detailed accounts for which Britannica is and was famous for. Search engines and “how to” sites have led to a new digital era. Sigh.

I’m Peter Dekom, and I remember as a boy just pulling random books from the encyclopedia shelf and thumbing through one till I found an article I liked.