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Kind of sad, no more Encyclopedia Britannicas to be printed.

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by Borla, Mar 14, 2012.

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  1. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/encyclopaedia-britannica-ends-print-run-005141357.html


    I've always loved to read. As a kid, I was such a reading nerd that I'd randomly pick topics in the encyclopedia to read about. I can remember at 12 years old or so begging my parents to buy me a set of Encyclopedia Britannica. It was around 1990, so it was before you could just Google or Wiki everything by a few years. They ended up not doing it because the price was astronomical (can't remember exactly, I want to say well over a grand even back then). Shortly thereafter it was a moot point because everything was available online in short order.

    Obviously the need for print editions of encyclopedias isn't terribly high, but it kind of makes me sad to see such an institution be reduced to strictly digital content.
     
    Borla, Mar 14, 2012
    #1
  2. uncle phil

    uncle phil Moderator Emeritus (and sorely missed) Staff Member Donor

    Location:
    pasco county
    they probably don't print the harvard classics anymore, either...
     
    uncle phil, Mar 14, 2012
    #2
  3. Charlatan

    Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

    Location:
    Temasek
    While I certainly used them a lot when I was a kid, I was always frustrated by encyclopedias. They never had enough information. And, like the phonebook or the yellow pages, are now a waste of paper.
     
    Charlatan, Mar 14, 2012
    #3
    • Like Like x 2
  4. SirLance

    SirLance Death Therapist

    Location:
    Where you least expect me
    This makes for a very sad day. I remember winning arguments based on random shit I found in the EB. Perhaps they'll change their minds.
     
    SirLance, Mar 14, 2012
    #4
  5. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    I disliked the Encyclopedia Britannica relative to the World Book. The World Book had prettier pictures, and oftentimes, more information. I was a regular encyclopedia reader--still am, actually, just now in different forms.
     
    snowy, Mar 15, 2012
    #5
  6. Fremen

    Fremen Allright, who stole my mustache?

    Location:
    E. Texas
    We had a set of encyclopedias. Not sure if they were EBs or a lesser known brand.
    Sadly, our roof developed a leak and ruined a lot of the volumes before we caught on.

    My friend had a set of Funk & Wagnalls. Always got a kick out of that name.
     
    Fremen, Mar 15, 2012
    #6
  7. Freetofly

    Freetofly Diving deep into the abyss

    Location:
    From Philly USA, living in London UK
    I come from a family of 11 kids so my Dad bought a set of Encyclopedia Britannica. I think that is why I got so hooked on Wikipedia.
    I enjoy writing articles.
    My Dad is 78 now and is the coolest on technolgy. Iphone, computers, texting.
    I will call him today and ask how he feels about Britannica.
     
    Freetofly, Mar 15, 2012
    #7
  8. Cayvmann

    Cayvmann Very Tilted

    Location:
    Central North Carolina
    As a poor kid, the one luxury Mom made sure we had was an Encyclopedia Britannica. I spent a lot of rainy days looking through them, and they were handy for reports. My ex-sis-inlaw bought my daughter a set on DVD. Not the same.
     
    Cayvmann, Mar 15, 2012
    #8
  9. rogue49

    rogue49 Tech Kung Fu Artist Staff Member

    Location:
    Baltimore/DC
    If I used EB, it was more at the school or library...
    The one I went through page by page again & again was the huge one book Random House Encyclopedia.
    It was more contemporary than EB, and the pics and graphics in there were amazing by comparison...much more media oriented.
    My grandmother managed a book store, so she got me one when I was young. (circa 1980)

    Still to me, it's a shame to retire even this...there's something about absorbing the information from a book, instead of the web...like it sinks in deeper.
     
    rogue49, Mar 15, 2012
    #9
    • Like Like x 1
  10. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    I believe that's what I ended up with, a used set of World Book from a garage sale or something. But those are long gone, now I wonder what happened to them.
     
    Borla, Mar 15, 2012
    #10
  11. Craven Morehead

    Craven Morehead Very Tilted

    Location:
    third rock from the sun
    My parents purchased a set of World Books when I was a kid. When I would get bored, I would open one up and browse through it. I did that a lot. In a way, it was like a print version of the internet. Only factual. :D
     
    Craven Morehead, Mar 15, 2012
    #11
    • Like Like x 3
  12. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    Feel free to be all nostalgic and stuff, but Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. is a publisher of encyclopedic knowledge, not a manufacturer of paperbound books. And they're also responsible for something called Merriam-Webster. Maybe you've heard of it.

    They both have really cool websites. You should check them out.

    But printed encyclopedias? They're like printed newspapers. You can't just go in and update them like you can with websites.

    And I happen to think that search engines are pretty handy.
     
    Baraka_Guru, Mar 15, 2012
    #12
  13. uncle phil

    uncle phil Moderator Emeritus (and sorely missed) Staff Member Donor

    Location:
    pasco county
     
    uncle phil, Mar 15, 2012
    #13
    • Like Like x 1
  14. Fremen

    Fremen Allright, who stole my mustache?

    Location:
    E. Texas
    How did you even remember that!? :D
     
    Fremen, Mar 15, 2012
    #14
  15. SirLance

    SirLance Death Therapist

    Location:
    Where you least expect me
    Now that I think of it, I wonder if it wasn't Funk & Wagnall's we had. I remember the feel of the huge books, looking up stuff, finding other stuff. I loved it. I will buy a set for my son in a couple of years.
     
    SirLance, Mar 15, 2012
    #15
  16. grumpyolddude

    grumpyolddude Very Tilted

    Location:
    Metro Detroit, Michigan, USA
    Our house was always well stocked with reference materials. My dad would update our encyclopedia every decade (my sibs were born in the 1930's, 40's and 50's). We had World Book, Funk and Wagnall's, Golden Book (geared toward kids) and EB. I developed some decent researching skills.

    I used to look up the same subject in the various sets to compare and contrast the coverage. Yeah, I was geeky that way. Reading reference books was a good use of leisure time.

    EB ceasing paper publishing is sad, but kinda predictable. The web is quick and easy... too easy. Too often, information is agenda driven, including on Wiki. With EB and its counterparts, most info was presented in an unbiased manner, albeit from the then-current accepted social perspective. I tried to teach my children to not just accept one source's take on a subject, but to dig deeper.
    --- merged: Mar 15, 2012 at 12:47 PM ---
    How could he forget?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 22, 2012
    grumpyolddude, Mar 15, 2012
    #16
  17. Craven Morehead

    Craven Morehead Very Tilted

    Location:
    third rock from the sun
    I think most encyclopedias eventually get sold in garage/yard sales. We sold ours several years ago. Probably for next to nothing.
     
    Craven Morehead, Mar 15, 2012
    #17
  18. uncle phil

    uncle phil Moderator Emeritus (and sorely missed) Staff Member Donor

    Location:
    pasco county
    it's a gift... :)

    plus, it was about the only television show on the tube that made any sense after coming back from two tours in viet nam...
     
    uncle phil, Mar 15, 2012
    #18
    • Like Like x 1
  19. martian

    martian Server Monkey Staff Member

    Location:
    Mars
    Ask the lamplighters how they feel about the new electric streetlights.

    Paper-bound reference materials are obsolete. I'm a bit surprised to learn that they've been printing them this long.
     
    martian, Mar 15, 2012
    #19
  20. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    Nice.... :)

    To a limit. I still use the Canadian Oxford Dictionary and the Chicago Manual of Style for work despite both having online editions. This kind of information changes very slowly, and the changes can be somewhat arbitrary (in the case with the Chicago, for example, of which I am currently one edition behind).

    There are several other examples of reference materials that are fine as printed books, but this is information that changes very slowly, not at all, or in arbitrary ways.

    But encyclopedia knowledge? You can't keep up with human curiosity and ingenuity in the 21st century by printing multi-volume sets. Clearly.
     
    Baraka_Guru, Mar 15, 2012
    #20
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